When it comes to investing, the first step can be the hardest.
You don’t need financial expertise to get started.
If you’re just beginning your investment journey, we want to help. We’ve broken things down into smaller tasks to help you take your first steps and get underway.
1. Know your goals
Knowing your goals is easier than it sounds. It starts with some basic questions. You don’t need to have a big, complex plan – just start by making a list of what’s going on in your life and why you started thinking about investing.
You may think about:
- Your age. How close are you to retirement? How long do you plan on working?
- Your marital status. Married? Divorced? Planning a family?
- Your employment. What is your annual income? Are you retired? Are you looking for a change?
- Do you have kids? How old? What will they need from you in the years ahead?
- What big things are shaping your life? Moving to a new city? Changing jobs?
- Would you like your money to help others? How so?
- If you have big dreams, what are they? (It’s totally okay if you don’t).
- What else is prompting you to think about investing?
Whether you work with a financial professional or create your own plan, knowing your goals can help guide your investment decisions and build your confidence.
Want to learn more? Go to our insights series of articles on investing.
2. Know your investing style
Once you’re familiar with your goals, you’ll want to think about how to approach the various investment choices ahead. We find it helps to understand your individual tolerance for risk and market volatility. We call this your investing style. Knowing your style can help you choose funds with confidence.
We’ve prepared a few questions to help you assess your investing style.
3. Get the right account for you
Your account will hold your mutual funds. Before you can buy or add funds, you’ll need to choose an account type, and open an account. To support different goals and life situations, we offer different types of accounts. To choose the account that’s right for you, consider your goals. You can also create multiple accounts if you need.
We offer these type of accounts
Retirement accounts can offer certain tax benefits and potential long term growth, making your money work harder for you.
If you recently changed jobs or want to take your investments in another direction, you have options to move your retirement assets.
If you need to access money for the here-and-now, consider this for short term goals like home renovations while pursuing long-term growth.
Give your kids an early advantage with a custodial account to help supplement their education savings and more.
Retirement accounts can offer certain tax benefits and potential long term growth, making your money work harder for you.
4. Find a fund that fits you
Once you have an account, you can start investing by purchasing mutual funds. We offer a variety of funds to help you invest in ways that suit your style and tolerance for risk. We’re ready to help you find funds that fit.
All-in-one portfolios of diversified stocks and bonds tailored to your risk tolerance for long-term goals, such as retirement.
A mix of securities and equities that could help generate higher yielding returns over time and supplement retirement income.
A blend of domestic and international stock investments for those focused on asset growth and portfolio customization.
A reduced risk option featuring funds that may be less volatile than equity funds, but just as customizable.
5. Buy your first funds
You don’t need a lot of money to start investing. Getting started is the important thing.
What am I buying?
We offer a variety of no-load mutual funds. When you buy from us, you’re buying shares in the Thrivent mutual fund of your choice.
Learn more about mutual funds.
How much does it cost?
When you buy shares in a mutual fund, the price of your shares is based on the overall value of the mutual fund’s assets at the time, which is used to calculate the Net Asset Value per share on a daily basis. The overall value of a fund can move up or down daily, depending on how the individual stocks, bonds or other securities in the fund are performing in the market. You should also be aware of the fees and expenses associated with mutual funds. Information about this can be found in the prospectus.
How do I know I’m getting good value?
Rather than focusing on the current price of a fund, consider its value over time. If the overall value of your mutual fund shares increases from your initial purchase cost, you can sell your shares and take the profit (minus any sales charges, fees, or taxes). This is one way your investments can grow in value over time.
How do I buy?
You can open an account and purchase mutual funds right on our site. Opening an online account takes just a few minutes. You’ll want to have these things handy:
- Your Social Security number
- Information about your bank account
- If applicable, information about your beneficiaries
6. Save month by month
Investing early is smart. And, investing a little each month can be worth it.
If you invest $50 a month, you’d have contributed $600 over a year. And, through time and the power of compounding your $50/month – you could ultimately build a sizeable investment fund over the decades ahead1.
1 New accounts with a minimum investment amount of $50 are offered through the Thrivent Mutual Funds “automatic purchase plan.” Otherwise, the minimum initial investment requirement is $2,000 for non-retirement accounts and $1,000 for IRA or tax-deferred accounts, minimum subsequent investment requirement is $50 for all account types. Account minimums for other options vary.