We Have The Tools

Vroooom.

After buying a chainsaw at his local hardware store, a man storms back in a few days later, "When I bought this saw, you promised me I could cut fifteen trees a day! I'm working non-stop, and I can only cut two!"

The clerk says, "Well, let's take a look." He lifts it over the counter and pulls the cord. The saw starts with a roar.

Over the exhaust, the man shouts, "What's that noise?"

Investing used to mean in-person meetings, paperwork, phone calls, minimum balances, a crusty, mansplaining (old) stockbroker, paper statements, and a lot of overwhelm.

Today?

You can open an account from your couch.

Fund it in minutes.

Buy a slice of the entire stock market for the cost of dinner.

And set it to run automatically while you carry on living your life.

And yet.

So many smart, capable people are still hacking at trees with a lifeless saw.

Not because they're lazy, incapable, or don't have the money.

Because no one showed them how to flip the right switch.

Wealth building and investing shouldn't require some secret handshake; just someone to show you how to turn the engine on.

I started investing with dial-up internet.

I'd get my paycheck. Deposit it.
Wait for it to clear.

Transfer money into my brokerage account (when I remembered).
Call my stockbroker.

And though I was working on a trading floor at the time, trading currencies with hedge funds, had a Master's degree, four computer screens in front of me, and what felt like a loose grasp on the global financial markets, I still always felt maneuvered.

Fees and commissions I didn't see until the statements came.

Stock "tips."

Minimums.

Risks I didn't understand. 

But today?

The tools are extraordinary. And if you are not investing, it is no longer because you lack access. It's simply because someone hasn't shown you how to pull the cord or turn the engine on.

Some BOLD tools we have access to:

1. Automatic Investing

We can set recurring transfers from our paycheck or other income we earn. This removes the inaction inertia we all feel when it comes to managing our finances. Yes, I have it too!

2. Index Funds

You can buy hundreds or thousands of stocks with a click. You only have $50? You can start with that! What to buy? Consider VTI, FSKAX, VOO, VTI...

3. Low-Cost Brokerage Accounts

Vanguard, Fidelity, and Charles Schwab let you buy broad market ETFs and index funds with minimal cost. No commissions. Full transparency. Fractional shares.

"Buy a piece of America," as Warren Buffett told Lebron.

4. Robo-Advisors

And if that still feels like too much, platforms like Betterment or Wealthfront build diversified portfolios for you automatically, rebalance them, and optimize for taxes. Low fees. No jargon. No awkward phone calls. Getting started is about as difficult as opening a Spotify account.

Still feeling stuck? Hit me back with why and I'll write a newsletter about it.

-Casey