It would be interesting to hear what kind of goals you specifically have regarding investing? Is there a specific euro amount at a certain time? What might that euro amount be? Or is your goal merely to increase financial peace of mind? Or perhaps complete financial independence? How far along are you in your goal? What do you plan to do then, if/when your goal is met?
My own goal is to retire from working life with my wife at the age of 45. During the COVID dip, I put everything I could find into the stock market. I even sold assets and put the proceeds into the stock market.
I am now 33 years old. I have 1.5 years of investing experience. My return percentage for the last year is 80%. Target return is 30% per year. This is a tough goal, we know. If/when this 30% annual return materializes, my portfolio will be 7-figures, and the first digit will not be 1, when I turn 45. With this portfolio, the intention is then to live and pursue hobbies. Let’s see how it goes.
The goal is as boring as making long-term stock investments for the next 30+ years. I haven’t set any % annual targets for myself on the stock market, as it has a tendency to surprise in both directions.
My goal is to be able to say one day that I’m a millionaire. I haven’t set any deadline for that, but the sooner the better.
With current returns, achieving that probably won’t happen very soon (Current returns are negative ), but I’m not particularly worried about it. I’m only 24, so there’s plenty of time, and the dismal returns are mostly due to my own impatience and initial ignorance.
How do you aim to achieve this goal? Stock picking, trading, leverage? All of these?
I am 34 years old and my goal is financial independence when my child reaches adulthood. A return of about 8% per year is enough to reach the goal with my current savings. Most likely, the return will be higher and savings will also increase, so there is quite a lot of certainty in the calculations.
I use about 20% leverage, invested in foreign dividend machines. With this, I want to ensure that loan interest can be covered even if the interest rate rises to 5% and at the same time income drops to 0. About 60% is in foreign funds and ETFs. The rest is in Finnish stocks. With broad diversification, I aim to keep reaching the goal almost certain.
It’s mainly about generating some kind of retirement income for myself, since the current pension system will hardly exist in 30 years. The goal is mainly dividend income, with capital appreciation as well. In the beginning, of course, it’s about finding a balance, but the endgame is probably something like a 70/30 split
Of course, if the investments go well, FIRE would also be a fashionable option. A capital flow of around 35k/year would be enough for a comfortable life for me. And if I manage to pay off my only debt (housing) by retirement, even 20-25k/year would be quite enough Although, of course, I would also need to be able to afford all sorts of renovations.
I aim to make better use of the money in my checking account through stock investing. I have a certain portion of my checking account that I don’t need for living expenses, so I’d gladly put that money to work.
Another goal is to secure my future livelihood. A bad day can come for anyone, so it’s wise to have a sufficient buffer. In connection with this, I’ve dreamed that one day I could live off investment income.
One more goal is to increase my general knowledge. I’m much more familiar with domestic listed companies and, through them, the functioning of society.
For the past 10 years, I’ve been willing to voluntarily give up the possibility of a pension if it meant avoiding the pension contributions accumulated during my career. Wishful thinking, I know. All that money could have been invested or simply used for living expenses. I don’t believe that I’ll be able to retire in 30-40 years, or that the retirement age will have been raised to 80+, making it pointless anyway. We’re just milking cows for the large age cohorts.
Because I consider the above likely, it partly dictates what kind of investments I include in my “long-term portfolio.” Currently, my investments are roughly 70% dividends and value (FIRE ideology) and 30% growth and higher risk. I will certainly later shift the emphasis entirely to a FIRE portfolio so that I can enjoy at least some kind of decent life in old age with the help of investment returns. I hope to someday be able to move with my family, supported by investment returns and other accumulated wealth, to a warm country where living is more affordable than in Finland.
Summers in Finland and the rest of the year somewhere on a beach would be my dream
Just a general lack of stress about my financial situation. Of course, voluntarily reducing/stopping work at some point before the ever-increasing retirement age.
Actually, my goal could be summarized as amassing “fuck you” money.
Yep, yep. The goal has changed at least 20 times along the way. The first goal was the traditional 100k. Well, that was achieved in past years. What made it difficult was having a mortgage, kids’ hobbies, and also having to buy all sorts of jewelry for the wife, etc. At some point, I got my wife to give up her desire for jewelry and expensive clothes. She doesn’t need to get those for me. I showed her on graph paper how much one could earn with that wasted money.
We’re still married, and the kids are already adults and have continued their studies.
Now the investment capital is already a reasonable size, which again allows for moves if the situation demands it.
Probably away for the winter and then back to Helsinki and the cabin.
Minimum taxes in Finland as long as the green-left tells fairy tales.
Well, yeah, a tip is APPS, which is already on phones in the US, but of course, watches, cars, VR glasses, etc.
Before, the goal was to get out of working life. Now, the goal is to stay out of it. The portfolio should be in a position where I don’t have to glance at the markets at all if I don’t feel like it. (There’s still a bit of work to do on this last one.)
Perhaps, as a humble ulterior motive, I could financially support my children when they move out and my wife and I could see the world and experience new adventures. There’s at least 20 years for that, depending on whether my wife gets her way and a third little one sees the light of day.
Retirement age is so far on the horizon that I don’t know if I’ll still be alive then. The world and medicine are changing so fast that I don’t bother my head with my old age. Let’s enjoy it while we can and live one day at a time.
The goal is freedom. In today’s world, I see that it’s truly possible only when you have enough money. What is “enough,” then? That’s surely a personal matter for everyone, but for me, let’s say it’s about a million euros.
No goals. I just like numbers and get pleasure from them when I log into online banking. I also get a sense of pleasure from stock purchases, similar to how some others get it from, for example, clothing or electronics purchases.
I guess it would be fitting to link Mikael’s text here:
I only have “milestones” related to the size of my portfolio. Later in life, I hope it will enable me to do things or not do them. Material things don’t interest me; I don’t really want to stand out from the crowd. Financial peace of mind & well-being reflects on the entire (family) life.
I’m also preparing for the possibility that our state won’t guarantee a pension in the future.
My short-term goal is to become as sensible an investor as possible. I’ve been investing for several years, and for the past almost two years, I’ve delved deeper into the topic and increased my stakes.
Sensible investing will then be followed by longer-term goals, such as building a seven-figure portfolio, which is still over 10 years away. There have to be intermediate goals, and those are often tweaked. I guess there isn’t a finished plan, after all.
I myself am an entrepreneur. What background (salaried work, entrepreneur, inheritance) are people operating with here? I’d be interested to hear!
A fair 30-something investor’s goal is certainly to accumulate funds for retirement; the exact timing of retirement depends heavily on the size of the portfolio. There are no more precise plans as to when to leave working life.
I checked my pension statement again, and both the planned retirement age and the amount of the pension look dismal..
This summer, many acquaintances/loved ones have passed away who never got to enjoy retirement. So, remember to also enjoy today sometimes, as you never know about tomorrow.
{“content”:“My goal is financial freedom in the next few years. I’m 44 years old, and I didn’t get anything from home, nor do I now. When I was younger, I spent and enjoyed life, for example, with fancy cars, but otherwise, I didn’t acquire any major burdens, and my apartment was paid off quickly. During the crazy years, its value doubled, and my wife happened to have a vacation home ready. So, since there haven’t been and won’t be any major investments, I’ve been practicing direct stock investing in recent years, and soon I’ll have 400k€. In a family with one child, expenses aren’t very high, so we’ll enjoy life and try to accumulate capital, maybe 10x in the coming decades.”,“target_locale”:“en”}
My goal is to save a little extra money for retirement by investing. I started investing 3 years ago at the age of 28. Initially, I invested monthly in an index fund, and 1.5 years ago I also started investing in stocks. The stocks I own are mostly “boring” dividend stocks, but they fit my investment plan
I haven’t set any % annual targets for myself on the stock market, as it has a tendency to surprise in both directions.
), but I’m not particularly worried about it. I’m only 24, so there’s plenty of time, and the dismal returns are mostly due to my own impatience and initial ignorance.
