Clear goals essential for successful investing

Investing can seem complex. Start by thinking about your financial goals. It could be saving for retirement, buying a home, funding education or simply growing your wealth. 

Balancing current needs with future goals is crucial. This might involve paying off debt and maintaining an emergency fund. Make sure your goals are realistic and achievable. 

If you have several goals, it can be hard to prioritise and compromises might be needed. Consider how much time you have, how much risk you can handle and how much you can invest. 

Considering time frames 

While stock market movements are beyond your control, you can decide how much you want to invest. Over shorter time frames, contributions matter more, whereas for longer horizons, investment returns become more significant. 

For example, in a two-year plan, 94% of progress comes from how much you’re investing, but with a 30-year plan, your contributions and investment returns contribute equally1. We can help you to understand this balance, so you stay on track for your goals. 

1Vanguard, 2024 

It is important to take professional advice before making any decision relating to your personal finances. Information within this article is based on our current understanding and can be subject to change without notice and the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed. It does not provide individual tailored investment advice and is for guidance only. Some rules may vary in different parts of the UK.