How Investing Can Empower You

Growing up, money wasn't something we talked about around the dinner table. I came from humble beginnings, and my parents focused on saving and keeping money safely in the bank. For a long time, if I had extra money, it sat in my checking account. CDs? Money markets? I honestly didn't even know those were options.

It wasn't until college that my perspective started to change. I began hearing classmates talk about investing. I had assumed investing was just for retirement—something you worried about way down the road. But I also had this huge love of travel. I'd always dreamed of going overseas, especially to Europe. The problem? Money. Traveling is expensive, and coming from a big family—five kids total—there just wasn't extra cash lying around.

That's when it clicked. What if investing didn't have to be just about retirement? What if it could help me reach real‑life goals, like traveling? I was in college, I was working—and I realized that if my money could work for me while I slept, that could help change things. And that shift—from just saving to letting my money do more—was the trigger for me.

I did some research and started investing with a small online account. In about a year, I had about $700—enough to pay for my flight. I went to Paris during a college break and actually used the French I'd been studying for six years. I lived like a local, going to markets, and talking to people. I felt so empowered by this experience, and I realized this was why people invest. Suddenly my finance classes were much more interesting, and I wanted to learn more.

For me, that trip abroad was a turning point. I had only been investing for a year, and I'd already achieved one of my goals. I realized that investing could be a powerful tool over time. It was how people generate wealth, help their families, and do the things they love. For me, that was travel and learning about new cultures. Today, for some of my clients, it's about retiring early, supporting their parents, or enjoying life to the max.

Whatever the motivation, investing is the key to unlocking those opportunities. But there's even more to it.

Investing is about growing your money and building a portfolio, but there's also a personal side. Here are a few of the ways investing goes beyond monetary gains.

• A stable and more secure future. When you invest and potentially grow your savings into greater wealth over time, you not only have a current safety net, but you could have a more secure financial future as well.
• Reaching personal goals. Investing can help you reach important milestones like buying a home, taking a dream vacation, or funding a child's education. All of these can be emotional as well as monetary achievements.
• Greater confidence and control. Investing can increase your confidence in your own decisions and a greater sense of control over your financial future. When I went on that first trip to Europe, it felt empowering to work toward a goal and pay for it on my own.
• A goal-based perspective. Investing isn't a quick hit. It's about having a consistent, disciplined approach over time. Investing teaches patience and the importance of planning and sticking to a plan based on your goals.
• Financial independence. When you start building wealth through investing, there's a feeling of independence and the freedom to pursue your dreams, whatever they may be.

Investing can seem overwhelming at first, but you don't have to understand all the ins and outs to get started. You can break it down into these simple steps.

1. Set clear goals—short-, medium-, and long-term. Write them down, give them a timeframe, and a dollar figure.
2. Check in with your personal risk tolerance. Understand that risk is a part of investing and risk and return go hand-in-hand. How much risk you're comfortable taking depends on your personality and your timeframe. If you're younger and saving for retirement, you could consider a more aggressive approach.
3. Open the right types of accounts. Consider a checking, savings, or money market account for day-to-day expenses and emergency fund. For retirement, choose a tax-advantaged retirement account like a 401(k) , an IRA, or both. A taxable brokerage account can be a good choice if you want to generally invest for any type of goal.
4. Start with broad-based investments. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify across different types of investments. Broad-based mutual funds and exchange-traded funds give you a simple way to begin and help you automatically diversify.
5. Put your investing on automatic. The less you have to do, the more likely you are to stick with it.

For me, a disciplined, consistent approach is one of the most important keys to investing. I've seen people say, "I'll invest $50 this month," but then next month, it doesn't happen. Consistency is what really drives compounding—that's how your money can start to grow over time.

Make it part of your budget. Pay yourself first. Invest before you spend, not whatever's left after shopping. When investing comes last, it usually gets scraps. Make a commitment to your future self. Trim a little from discretionary spending, skim a bit off the top and put that money to work. Small, consistent moves add up. It doesn't have to be drastic. The goal is to be intentional and consistent.

It's fine to start small, maybe $50 a month. Whatever the amount, commit to investing it every month, not just when you have extra money. Then be patient. Let your money grow and compound over time. Remember that time in the market is more important than timing the market. Your future self will thank you.

Chances are, as you start to consider how to save and invest, you'll have to prioritize where your money is going. To begin setting yourself up for success, here's what I suggest:

• Contribute enough to your employer's retirement plan to get the maximum employer match
• Pay off your nondeductible, high-interest credit cards
• Create an emergency fund to cover three to six months of essential living expenses
• Contribute more to tax-advantaged retirement accounts whether that's your employer plan or an IRA

If you have these things covered, focus on your other goals like:

• Saving for a down payment on a home
• Reducing overall debt
• Saving for a child's education

And finally, start—and keep—investing. The first step to long-term investing success is to get going right away.

For me, starting to invest and paying for that first trip to Europe was empowering in a lot of ways and led me to my career. Now that I'm married, my goals have grown. We're thinking about saving for a future family and maybe a house once we decide where we want to settle down. Travel is still a big part of our lives too—we're heading to Budapest and Prague later this year. As life gets bigger, so do the goals we're saving and investing for.

I once had a moment on the Amalfi Coast in Italy that really stuck with me. I was floating in the water just off the coast and thought, this is what I work hard for. It felt like an oasis—a beautiful, sunny day, sparkling water, lush green hills, colorful villas tucked into the mountains, boats drifting, people cliff‑jumping nearby. It was one of those perfect moments. That's the feeling I try to hold on to. It motivates me. It's a reminder of why I work hard and why I invest—not just for numbers on a screen, but for experiences like that. Moments worth building toward.

Find your moment. Let it inspire you to start investing, no matter how small. And remind yourself that this is why it's worth it.