This article contains a list of top investments to engage in as a student in 2023.
Being a student is not a reason to shy away from making investments for future purposes. Back in the day, students depended solely on their parents and sponsors for finance, but now students are wiser. Many students have grown beyond the point of depending on their parents to provide everything they need in school. This has been made possible through investments.
As a student, you need to think beyond the present. You will not remain a student forever, and as such, you need to think about life after school and the years to come. The time to secure your future and plan towards being financially independent is now.
Whether your parents are sponsoring your education or you’re on scholarship, if you have a part-time job that is fetching you some money or you’re lucky to get monetary gifts, instead of spending it on frivolities, have you ever thought of investing the money?
Making investments as a student is the wisest decision you can ever make, especially if you have enough money to spare. The more time you give your money to grow, the better chance you have of earning profits. This profit can always be reinvested, which, when compounded, builds up.
There are a wide range of opportunities and businesses in which a student can invest, such as stocks, real estate, bonds, etc. While it is wise to make investments as a student, it is important to do proper research and gather enough information about whatever you wish to invest in to avoid making regrettable mistakes. In other words, do not be quick to make investments without enough information.
Investment is the act of committing money or capital with the expectation of obtaining money or profit.
Why you should make Investments as a student
1. Grow your money
Investing your money gives you the opportunity to grow the money and make more. Some investments come with enough interest over a long period of time. This helps your initial capital to multiply which invariably helps you to build and gain more money over time.
2. Meet up financial goals
If you make investments, no doubt, you will certainly earn more. The returns can be used to sort out other financial goals. You can also use it to support others, set up businesses which will eventually guarantee your financial security before and after school.
3. Gain experience and exposure
Investing gives you the opportunity to gain real-world experience that would profit you in the long run. You would be able to use the experience and knowledge to invest in more options that will yield profits
As a student, this article will give you an inside on investments to engage in. Thus, depending on your financial capacity, below are investments options to choose from.
LIST OF TOP INVESTMENT OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS
1. LENDING GROUP
This might not look like a perfect idea of investment but it is a wonderful option.
As a student, you will come together with people you can trust. How this works is that a particular amount of money will be decided by the group and each person in the group will contribute the agreed amount. At the end of the month, the total money contributed will go to a member. This will continue until each member has their turn.
This sequence will continue for as long as the group wants. Imagine where 6 students come together to do this, having each contributing person contribute a sum of 15,000 naira or more. That is close to a #100,000. As a wise student who is into this, you can use part of the money to reinvest while waiting for your turn again. The best part is, you can start with as little as a thousand naira. You don’t not need millions to start.
2. LEARN A SKILL
If your idea of making investment as a student is buying a company shares then you’re wrong. Learning a skill is also a lifetime investment that will earn you money in the long run. You can decide to use the money you have to learn a skill and trust me, you would not regret it.
Be it tailoring, graphics, web design, photography hairdressing, wig making, bead making, etc. This is an investment you would not regret because the student environment is a great market available for you. You get to build a customer base and this would help you even after the university both within the school and outside the school environment. I need you to start seeing investment from a broader perspective. It is beyond what you think.
3. START YOUR OWN BUSINESS
School environment provides every student the opportunity to start a business. One misconception people have is that at the mention of investments and business, millions of naira comes to mind. This is not so.
All you need to do is, look for problems to solve around you as a student. With the little you have, start up something. It can be a business center with one laptop, it can be a food or cloth business. What’s more? With continuous buying and selling, you get to make good profit from it and If the business survives the test of time, you can continue after graduation. By the time you know it, expansion starts.
Many students did that and are doing very well. Some continued after graduation and employed people to manage the business. Any business that has been known in a school environment hardly packs up. That is an investment.
4. PARTNERSHIP
Do you have the money to start a business but you’re scared or simply feel business is not your thing? The wise thing to do is invest in a business idea. Your course mate or friend may have an amazing business idea but may not have the funds to do it. Invest in the business idea and ensure it’s recorded in black and white and just watch your money yield returns. Make sure the idea is feasible and do enough research before putting in money. When this works out, it would be an investment you would not regret. I think this is sounding like what you understand investment to mean.
5. AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
As an Agricultural Economist, take it or leave it, the era of the oil boom is fast becoming oblivious. Oil will not be the future of the nation’s Economy especially in Nigeria, but Agriculture will. Agriculture may not be your thing but your money can work for you in that regard. That is why it’s called investment. Look for a good means, invest and make your interest.
You can link up with a couple of friends with like minds and invest into agriculture. It could be crop or animal production such as fish farming, poultry, palm plantation, etc. With little funds you could make a lot of profit and even have a steady business from it.
6. OPEN A BROKERAGE ACCOUNT FOR STOCK INVESTMENTS & DAY TRADING
This might be one of your perfect ideas of an investment. If you have the money, buy stocks. Buying stock in a company is equivalent to owning a share of the company. Anyone can make money in stocks, but as a student, you must be prepared to lose money. As students, you can take more risks and still have time to make up for any losses, however, it’s best not to micromanage investments or panic and sell when the market is falling.
Buying inexpensive stocks and holding on to them for the long term can really pay off. Consider opening an online brokerage such as, Fidelity, etc. If this is your idea of investment, before you get involved, ensure you know your way around, if not, discuss your plans with a trusted broker or financial advisor. Day trading is possible for students, but it does require a lot of time, attention and knowledge to be successful. The time required could distract from the little free time you already have in college, so proceed and invest with caution.
7. OPEN A MONEY MARKET ACCOUNT OR CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT
If you’re a student who cannot afford to lose any money in an investment, this is just right for you. Consider opening a high-yield savings account.
Often, savers don’t think of a bank product as a certificate of deposit as an investment, but it is one. And it’s one of the safest alternatives around. CDs will pay you a preset rate of interest in exchange for you committing money to the bank for a specified time. These investments can be a good place to park money that you don’t need until a specific time in the future.
For instance, if as a student you have money for next year’s tuition, you probably want that in a super-safe account that won’t fluctuate with the stock market. A CD fits perfectly for exactly this kind of requirement.
A high-yield Money Market Account or Certificate of Deposit acquires a higher interest rate than a basic savings account, provided the student does not withdraw funds for a given period of time.
These accounts do not accrue much interest and may limit access for usually 6 – 24 months increments. They are, however, insured and a highly safe way to earn some extra money you were going to save anyway.
Students can open a MMA or CD with a bank, credit union or a financial firm. Some accounts require minimum balances and fees, so scout around for the right account for your needs.
More so, if you withdraw money before the stipulated term, you will receive the current market rate, which could be less than what it was initially opened. However, go through the paperwork carefully, ensure you understand the terms and conditions before venturing.
8. START AN INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT (ROTH IRA)
A Roth IRA is a retirement account. This may sound absurd to you as a student. At the mention of retirement, a student might feel like “oh no! This isn’t for me” but remember why it is called investment. It is basically a plan for future financial freedom. You will not always remain a student.
By starting while you’re still in school, you have a big advantage when you get out and start working, and begin making contributions to an employer plan. The Roth IRA will be a big start on what will be the biggest investment mission in your lifetime.
So, it’s never too early to start saving for retirement. A Roth IRA is a great place for students to hold their money for long-term savings. Think of your later years when you might be weak. Even if the savings is very small, the amount will add up over the years. And if you have an IRA from a past summer job or other employment, transfer it to a Roth IRA so it can accumulate interest without tax liability.
Every teenager/student with a job should start a Roth IRA.
9. REAL ESTATE
The idea of investing in real estate may seem ambiguous to you as a student. Where you do not have enough money to do that alone, consider getting your friends or family members who have the money involved. Buying an Investment Property in a school area is a good idea.
By renting out rooms, a separate unit or the property itself you may be able to cover the mortgage and/or generate a stream of profit income. And once you leave college there are options to sell the property for a new family home or keep it for continual investment income, which is wiser.
Another smart way to go about this is through “House Hack”
The traditional model for house hacking is buying a small multifamily property, moving into one of the units, and renting out the others. By doing this, your tenants’ rent covers the mortgage, and you get to live for free while building equity in an investment property. The trick, of course, is to make sure you actually save and invest that money, rather than spend it.
Housing is the largest expense most people incur, as such, anything to reduce cost is a investment.
10. INVEST IN CROWDFUNDING
If you’re not ready to buy a property for yourself but like the idea of investing in real estate, one option is crowdfunding websites. They provide loans for other real estate investors, and you provide funding for those loans.
Keep in mind that most crowdfunding websites only accept money from accredited investors with an annual massive net worth. As a student with limited money, you may not fit into this category. However, there are a handful of real estate crowdfunding websites that are open to everyone.
Such as, Fundrise, RealtyMogul, etc.
11. INVEST IN PEER-TO-PEER LENDING
Ever heard of the word “Money lending”?
This can be an alternative to crowdfunding websites. Peer-to-peer lending websites exist too. The concept is similar, except the loans tend to be unsecured personal loans rather than real estate investment loans. In many cases, investors can choose the risk level of the loan, with higher returns offered for higher-risk borrowers.
This can also be done offline. You can choose to become a money lender to your friends and others. What you need to do is give money to those who need it at a given interest rate. This might not go down well with your friends but in business, you don’t get too emotional if you must succeed. Many microfinance banks started off that way. Therefore, in venturing into this line of investment, mind whom you lend money to. Make sure they are trustworthy.
Conclusion
As a young person, you’re an asset. You’re blessed. You’re in a particularly strong position to get a head start on wealth building. While your friends are squandering every penny buying expensive clothes, flashy cars, phones and going out every night to pop champagne, you can start creating massive wealth for yourself.
Take advantage of compounding and time and let them do the heavy lifting for you. People are of the notion that in order to invest, you have to be rich in the first place or have a large income. This is a very wrong ideology.
There are risk factors to consider when investing. That is why you should do enough research before you decide where to channel your money to avoid a sad end. As a student there are lots of options you could consider investing in. Some of them have been listed in this article. That one or ten thousand naira or even 5 dollars can be a ticket to a future financial freedom if well Invested. There are lots of money saving apps in existence that come with little daily interests, you can start from there too. Imagine saving gradually for 10 years and more. With consistency, your little money can grow exorbitantly.
Remember, if you want to invest, the right time is now. If your youth is a mistake, old age will certainly be a mistake. Dear students, start now to invest.
