Can You Invest While You Are in Debt?

Most people carry some form of debt. It could be $800 in credit cards, $120,000 in mortgage, and/or $15,000 in student loans. Everyone's debt load is different, as are the kinds of investments that you will be able to make while in debt.

When considering how much to invest while paying off your debt, it is more important to look at the rate of interest that you are paying than the total you are paying. If you are paying off your mortgage at 3.5%, that debt is growing at a very slow rate. Sure, you would save thousands of dollars in total payment if you were able to pay it off all at once, but you experience that loss very slowly and gradually, often over either 15 or 30 years. Student loan debt is similar in that it is also paid off with a low rate of interest. By paying off just the minimum amount and putting the rest of your spare money into savings and investments, you have likely made a wise decision.

The thing you have to keep an eye on is the rates. If you have mutual funds that are yielding 8.9% every year, and a student loan at 4.6%, you are making money faster than you are losing it. However, if you are paying off a credit card at 23.9%, you are losing money much faster than you are gaining it with those same mutual funds. In this situation, it is much better to kill off the big interest debt before allocating much to your other investments.

There are two exceptions I would recommend for certain individuals:

1)    Limited Funds in High Risk, High Reward Investments. Of course this won't work for everyone. But some people become very skilled at an investment form called spread betting. It's a form of day trading where the user wagers on the behavior of markets and stocks, whether they will grow or shrink within a certain time frame. Get it right, and you win; get it wrong, you lose. You can make thousands of trades a day if you want to (though I don't recommend it). If you limit your investment to between 5-10% of your investment dollars, you may see a huge return, if you're careful. Use the free tutorials to see how you do before you sink much money in risky investments, despite their excellent payoffs.

2)    Everything you can spare in tax-deferred accounts. IRAs (Individual Retirement Accounts) are a way to save money in the stock market, but avoid paying taxes on it. You can choose to pay taxes now (and not when you withdraw at retirement). You can also choose not to pay taxes now (waiting to pay when you retire). Because these monies, invested in index mutual funds, mirror the overall growth patterns of the market, you're all but guaranteed to make money over time. You'll also have compound interest working for you, you yields going back into the pot to swell with the rest of your money.

Investment is tricky for people in debt. Getting out of debt should be your first priority, unless the debt you have is very low-interest. If you've gotten rid of your bad debt, invest away. 

Ways to Avoid Lifestyle Inflation

Think back to the last time you made it to that next level of income with you personal finances. Was it a brand new job? A raise? What was your first thought? If it was, “I have so much more disposable income.” Then you are not alone. There are plenty of people who probably have that initial feeling. It’s exciting to make more money, especially when it is your first “real job.” Letting your spending equally grow with your income is called lifestyle inflation and can get out of hand pretty quickly.

Hedonistic Paradox

Have you ever heard of the paradox of hedonism? Well, it pretty accurately describes the dangers of lifestyle inflation. There will probably never be a time in your life when you feel like you’ve “arrived.” No matter how lavish your lifestyle becomes there is always something out there that is bigger, better, and more expensive than what you have. I like to call it the smartphone principle. If your goal is to have the best smartphone out there, you are going to be spending a lot of money every six months. It is better to learn to be content with what you have than it is to constantly seek new and better things.

Awareness

Lifestyle inflation isn’t always such a conscience thing. You may be out one day when you see something and think, “well, I can afford that now, so why not?” Eventually that can become a regular occurrence. So the first way you can combat falling into inflating your lifestyle is to become aware of its signs. Keep a watchful eye on yourself whenever you come into some new money. Make sure you aren’t spending right under your own nose.

Stay Behind

Think about this. If you are struggling to make ends meet and you finally get more money that’s great. However, if you let your lifestyle inflate, your new expenses will eventually swell to the point that you were at in your old income. It’s like you are kid who buys a whole new wardrobe of large shirts as soon as you fill out your mediums. The best thing to do is to let your income get a few paces ahead of your lifestyle. That way you can easily handle all of your expenses.

Save

Another thing that could serve you better than splurging with your new found income is using the money to bolster your savings. There are plenty of things you could apply your new income too you’re your 401k, an emergency fund, a child’s college fund, of general all-purpose savings accounts.

Destroy Debt

There is one thing that you should definitely take care of before you let your lifestyle inflate; debt. If you have pre-existing debts you are really hurting yourself if you start to spend more frivolously after an increase in income. Whether it’s student loans, credit card debts, or some other thing that has you in the whole, an increase in your salary is your chance to pay them off. 

Considering these tips, try to avoid letting your lifestyle grow to consume more of you money. Try to focus less on acquiring material things and more on time with friends and family.  

WHAT IS PRINCE2 ® & HOW IS IT USED IN THE WORKPLACE?

We all have projects in our lives: building a kitchen, running a conference, refurbishing an oil rig. We also have our methods for managing them: using our instinct, writing on the back of an envelope, or employing project management. PRINCE2 ® is a method of project management that anyone can use at anytime and anywhere successfully.

To understand how it works, we need to understand what constitutes a project. A project, if you consider the examples above, is a unique and temporary activity that you undertake to change what exists now, that will end with a specific result.  Imagine you’re building a new kitchen: it will have a beginning; it will be a unique event; there will be a change; you’ll have a new kitchen; the project will end. Project management is the method you can use to ensure that your kitchen build is effective and efficient throughout each of these phases. One of the most popular and respected methods of said project management is PRINCE2 ®, which stands for Projects IN Controlled Environments.

The PRINCE2 ® structure is designed to enable you to tackle any project. Its seven Principles provide guidance and good practices that must be followed in order to run a successful project. The Themes tell you what needs to addressed throughout the project. The Processes take you through the lifecycle from starting up to closing the project. Tailoring is essential in PRINCE2 ® for it to be applied to a specific size and type of project.

When you launch PRINCE2 ® to run your project, it tells you if your project is worth starting and later, if it’s worth finishing. Then it helps you allocate the right people and put them in the right roles. It enables you to plan, monitor and manage the project and crucially make sure that you control things like cost and time and that the end product is as envisaged. At the same time, PRINCE2 ® helps you execute plans, spot risks, deal with changes, keep everything on track and finally close the project. The result will be that you will get a kitchen, a conference or an oil rig that is fit for purpose.