Like any musician starts practicing early in childhood, start investing early in equities.

Investing is the act of devoting money or capital in order to gain returns as interest, income, or appreciation. Note capital can take the form of time and energy as well. The strategy of investment allows your money to work for you.

Active Income

First, let’s imagine you play a gig and make $100. Your devotion of performance time, transportation cost, gear, and don’t forget the years prior crafting your art (capital) earned $100 of income (return.)

This is a form of active income, meaning you took action to earn the income and you must continue performing the action to generate more income. This is an important and typical form of investment.

Passive Income

Now, hypothetically, let’s imagine you invested that $100 and bought 3 stocks (about $33 each) of Yamaha Corporation (YAMCF) and after one year the stock value increased to $50 each ($150 total for 3 stocks.) In this case your money “went to work” for one year and generated a return of $50. This method does take some of your time researching the company, etc. but compared to playing a gig this is mostly passive income, meaning the return was generated without you actively doing anything.

Education is Paramount

There are many ways to invest, but first I must recommend educating yourself thoroughly before deploying money into an investment vehicle. Ignorant investing is equivalent to drunk driving blindfolded. You will get hurt badly, and may very well hurt your family depending on your choices (think gambling addiction.)

Again, I repeat, never invest in something you have not spent significant time learning about. Do your research and keep in mind there is always inherent risk in investing (think cryptocurrencies.)

Below is a list of investment vehicles and a few examples to consider on your path to financial freedom:

  • Real Estate
  • Stocks
  • Index Funds
  • Mutual Funds
  • Starting a Business
  • Commodities
  • Self-investment
    • Practicing
    • Buying Pertinent Gear
    • Website, Photos, Manager, Agent, etc.

The best time to consider investing is as soon as possible, but after your savings and retirement are in place. Any money invested has a risk of disappearing so your savings and retirement can act as a fail safe in the event your investments lose.

Treat investing like the casino, be prepared to lose any money you bring to the table and have fun while you are playing!