Investment Goals (2024)

Setting goals help us meet life’s major objectives, from staying healthy to retiring with a well-feathered nest egg. Investment goals provide structure and purpose to the money we allocate to investment products, such as stocks, bonds and funds. Investing and investment goal setting go hand in hand with sound personal finance practices, such as building an emergency fund and managing spending. Learn more in this Smart Investing Course: Setting Investment Goals.

Many of us share similar investment goals, including having enough money for retirement, paying for college or amassing enough for a down payment on a house. When you set these or other investment goals, estimating the true cost of each goal is the first step to setting a meaningful target. FINRA has tools and calculators to help you arrive at sound approximations for a variety of investment goals. With long-term goals in particular, it’s important to realize the powerful impact of time on your investment.

After you calculate the cost of each goal, it’s important to adjust them to what is reasonable given the financial resources available to you, the amount of risk you're willing to take and your time frame. And remember to revisit your goals regularly.

It can be helpful to set up different accounts for each major goal, so you can more easily track progress. Each account will likely hold different investments or savings products, since how you save for short-term goals like a family vacation will likely differ from how you save and invest for medium- or long-term goals such as paying for college or funding your retirement.

Learn more about key investing topics.

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Investment Goals (2024)

FAQs

Investment Goals? ›

Once you've answered those questions, you can begin to weigh the three primary investment goals--growth, income, and stability or protection of principal--to determine how to select specific investments that are appropriate for your financial plan.

What are the 3 goals of an investor? ›

Once you've answered those questions, you can begin to weigh the three primary investment goals--growth, income, and stability or protection of principal--to determine how to select specific investments that are appropriate for your financial plan.

What is investing goals? ›

Investment goals provide structure and purpose to the money we allocate to investment products, such as stocks, bonds and funds. Investing and investment goal setting go hand in hand with sound personal finance practices, such as building an emergency fund and managing spending.

What is the best investment goal? ›

Retirement. Retirement should always be the first investing goal on your list.

How do I determine my investment goals? ›

Set Up an Investment Goals Workflow
  1. Specific – make each goal clear and specific.
  2. Measurable – frame each goal so that you know when you have achieved it.
  3. Achievable – you need to take practical action to achieve a goal.
  4. Relevant – determine whether your goals relate to your life and are realistic.
Sep 30, 2022

What is your primary investment goal? ›

Safety, income, and capital gains are the big three objectives of investing but there are others that should be kept in mind as well.

What are the 3 A's of investing? ›

Amount: Aim to save at least 15% of pre-tax income each year toward retirement. Account: Take advantage of 401(k)s, 403(b)s, HSAs, and IRAs for tax-deferred or tax-free growth potential. Asset mix: Investors with a longer investment horizon should have a significant, broadly diversified exposure to stocks.

How to set up investment goals? ›

Step by step: Setting investment goals
  1. Goals: Consider your reasons for investing. ...
  2. Risk: Consider how much you're willing to risk. ...
  3. Timescale: Decide how long you want to invest for. ...
  4. Strategy: Make an investment plan. ...
  5. Mix it up: Build a diversified portfolio.

What is your investment objective? ›

An investment objective is a statement of what investors want to achieve. It can be short-term, such as generating income, or long-term, such as capital appreciation. Breaking down an investment objective means analyzing it to develop a plan to achieve it.

What is an example of goal-based investing? ›

Examples of Goal-Based Investments
GoalInvestment
Home InvestmentMutual Fund SIP, SIP – Blue chip Stocks
EducationMutual Fund SIP, SIP – Blue chip Stocks
RetirementSIP – Blue chip Stocks
Car PurchaseFixed Deposit, Recurring deposit
1 more row

What is your investment strategy? ›

Key Takeaways. An investment strategy is a plan designed to help individual investors achieve their financial and investment goals. Your investment strategy depends on your personal circ*mstances, including your age, capital, risk tolerance, and goals.

What is the number 1 rule investing? ›

Warren Buffett once said, “The first rule of an investment is don't lose [money]. And the second rule of an investment is don't forget the first rule.

What is a short term goal in investing? ›

Short-term goals are generally thought of as goals that you are investing for less than three years. Perhaps you are looking to save for a vacation, a down payment on a car, home improvements, or to buy a new appliance.

What is defining your investment goals? ›

In essence, setting investment goals will: Form the basis of your investment strategy. Help you decide which asset class to invest in. Determine your tolerance for risk. Help you know if you're on track.

How do I plan my investment? ›

Develop an investing plan
  1. Review your finances.
  2. Set your financial goals.
  3. Understand investment risks.
  4. Research your investment options.
  5. Build your portfolio.
  6. Monitor your investments.
  7. Up next in How to invest.

How do I choose a good investment plan? ›

  1. Step 1: Review your current financial situation for the best investment plan for yourself. ...
  2. Step 2: Set your investment goals. ...
  3. Step 3: Determine your risk tolerance for your investment plan. ...
  4. Step 4: Decide what to invest in. ...
  5. Step 5: Track and rebalance your investments.
Mar 24, 2022

What are the three focuses for investors? ›

UNDERSTANDING INVESTING OBJECTIVES:

There are three main objectives in successful investing: safety, income, and growth.

What is the 3 investment strategy? ›

A three-fund portfolio is a portfolio which uses only basic asset classes — usually a domestic stock "total market" index fund, an international stock "total market" index fund and a bond "total market" index fund.

What are the three golden rules for investors? ›

The golden rules of investing
  • Keep some money in an emergency fund with instant access. ...
  • Clear any debts you have, and never invest using a credit card. ...
  • The earlier you get day-to-day money in order, the sooner you can think about investing.

What are the 3s of investing? ›

Investments can generally be broken down into three categories: ownership, lending, and cash equivalents. Ownership covers stakes in companies, setting up a business, real estate, and precious objects and collectibles.

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