Why Investing Is Important

As I write this, I am in New England with my husband and another couple, experiencing one of the great sights in the United States: the fall color. I am here because we can afford it.

I was also in Europe recently because we can afford it. If you need a great reason as to why investing in the stock market and other investment areas should be important to you, here’s one: it allows you to do what you want to do, have options in life that people with no portfolio of investments do not have, and to enjoy life more fully.

There is truthfully something called financial freedom, and it doesn’t mean you have to be a millionaire to experience it. It’s the same kind of freedom you have probably experienced when you mastered that tennis backhand, those French verbs, that complicated recipe. It comes with knowledge and skill, and the ability to stick with something until you have mastered it, or at least discuss it intelligently with people.

So, don’t be one of the women who smiles and demurely says, “Oh, shucks, I just can’t figure the stock market out!” Because these are usually the women who count heavily on male support and “protection,”-and they are usually the women who wind up terrified and saddened when something goes wrong with the relationship.

Instead, be the kind of woman who says to herself and to others, “I can do this. I can learn enough to take care of myself. I will invest. I will start today.”

What entices you about the investment world? If it’s the stock market, start there. Pick up one of the many books available, which will define terms and give you a beginning leap. Or keep reading this column, because over the next months, much of the mystery of the stock market and other investments is going to be removed simply and efficiently for you.

If it’s real estate, ask questions. What kind of real estate makes good investing? Talk to people who have made a success of real estate investing; people who are successful are always willing to share their history of how they acquired knowledge about the subject. Who doesn’t like to talk about their conquests in the real estate market or with stocks? Take them to lunch, spend an evening listening to what they have to say.

If you like to stand tall and know that you can make your own financial decisions no matter what your situation, then make a commitment here and now to become proficient in the investment world.

Hey, a good afternoon of TV does not have to be soap operas or Oprah. It can be CNBC or Bloomberg News. You may think now that this is boring, but I can assure you that once you begin to investigate the world of investments, nothing will ever be the same again. Nothing will look the same and nothing will strike you the same way again. And the rewards are worth the effort and the research.

So, even a New England fall day with the leaves on the trees bursting in yellow, red and green reminds me that this trip is being partially paid for because I paid attention to McDonald’s and saw that they were making inroads on the fast food public by offering salads and healthier meals while still attracting tons of children to their sites.

And believe me, I savor New England or Europe or Cabo all the more because I know I’m not dependent solely on my husband to get us to those places. It’s one of the many perks of learning how to invest in the world in which we live and move.