Last week, I was at a company meeting and they had us do a workshop about storytelling; one of the exercises was to find out the “truths” of your audience. “Truths” are thoughts or ideas your audience has that they believe to be true but are not necessarily so. In this case, my “truth” is that I believe stability and certainty are necessary to be happy. Many will agree with me and many more will disagree. Nonetheless, your truths are the center of every decision you make. In my case, saving and being overly cautious with how I spend my money totally represents my truth.
I opened a 401k account when I was 22 because the company I worked for offered it as a benefit and it was great because they matched the percentage of money I put in from every paycheck. After leaving the company though, I went off to work for a smaller company and 401k wasn’t a benefit included so I had to transfer to an IRA. Ok, before I lose you… 401k is simply an account in which you put pre-tax money and your employer matches a certain percentage of that money so you can save for retirement. 401k money is to not be taken out so overtime, you make lots of money! IRA is the same thing but you don’t have an employer giving you money so you are still saving but a little less.
Anyway; if you have an employer that is giving you a 401k, TAKE IT! it’s money you don’t even feel leaving your pocket. The difficult part is, growing that account. I guess they are many methods to invest in bonds and when the market fluctuates to make the right decision on where you invest but without professional help, you are most likely to just leave the money sit there. I’ve always been interested in investing but never knew how and hiring a financial adviser is a bit out of my budget.
This is where Blooom comes in. At only $10 a month, Blooom manages your 401k behinds the scenes to make sure your account is healthy. How to use Bloom? it’s simple! You get a free 401k analysis, where they identify the health of your account. See below the step by step!
- Are you paying too much money on hidden fees?
- Could you be investing in bonds?
- Are your stocks too risky?
Blooom has analyzed over $1 billon in assets and they are able to save on average 37% of hidden fees. I’m really excited about learning how to become a better investor as that is one of my goals with my retirement.
