How and why should students invest their money

Steven John Ndikum
Staff Writer

Every individual at some point in life wants to attain a certain, stable level of financial independence. But everything has a price. We live in a world where things are traded knowingly and unknowingly, meaning we need to put extra effort to reap profit or investment portfolio.

As a college student, I would love to travel around the world and make memories. But what needs to be done? I will need to show up for work more, spend less, save more, and probably start taking online tutorials on what to cook.

Warren Buffett said, “You do things when the opportunities come along, and I’ve had periods in my life when I’ve had a bundle of ideas come along, and I’ve had long dry spells. If I get an idea next week, I’ll do something. if not, I won’t do a damn thing. The importance of this create is to say BELIEVE! Because the craziest idea can make a change in the world.”

Though we normally think of investing as an activity that can and usually should wait until after graduation, I was able to think of several compelling reasons for starting in college.

The student will graduate from college, already having investment experience. The student will graduate from college, and already have at least a small investment nest egg – the future time value of that investment can be enormous.

The student will cross an important “adult” threshold – investing – earlier in life than most. Real world lessons will be learned in the process of investing that could never be learned by reading books, visiting websites, or even watching “how to” videos.

Just getting started is often the single biggest hurdle for a new investor, and if you begin while still in school you’ll have already cleared it.

If you can save and invest while still in school, and on a very limited income, think of what you can do after graduating, when you’ll have a full-time income.

The student who gains experience investing in college – even at a very low level – will have a big advantage over those who haven’t. Plus, if investing continues after college, the student will ultimately have an even bigger advantage over their peers, who might wait several years after graduation to begin.

Investing while in college shouldn’t stop you from graduating, and focusing towards graduation shouldn’t stop you from believing and creating a financial foundation.

Feature photo by Mansoor Ahmad | MSU Reporter.