When you’re investing to reach a big goal – maybe your retirement, travel plans, or something else – even if you’re excited for the outcome, the investing part should actually be pretty dull.
That might sound strange, but it’s true.
Real financial progress often looks a lot like watching paint dry: consistent, disciplined, and even a little boring.
The good news? That’s exactly what works.
Here are four straightforward – though not always easy – ways to help you reach your long-term financial goals.
1. Start saving early
Time is one of the most powerful tools in your financial toolkit.
When you start saving early, your money will have more time to grow through the power of compounding.
That means your money earns returns, and then those returns earn returns, and so on.
Starting early gives your investments more time to work for you, without requiring dramatic market timing or high-risk bets.
It’s not always easy to prioritise saving when other expenses (or life in general) compete for your attention. Yet, starting early gives you flexibility and financial freedom down the road. Your future self will thank you.
2. Contribute regularly
When it comes to building wealth, consistency beats intensity.
You don’t need to invest huge lump sums – you simply need to invest regularly. Automatic contributions to your pension, investment portfolio, or savings plan can make the process easier and more predictable.
Regular contributions also mean you benefit from dollar-cost averaging – a fancy way of saying you’re buying investments at various price points over time. Sometimes you’ll buy when prices are up, other times when they’re down.
This can help to smooth out market volatility and, helpfully, also removes emotion from the equation.
Though it might feel hard to stick with your plan at times, by making regular contributions a habit, you stay in the game. Ultimately, over time, investing regularly is incredibly effective.
3. Avoid moving your money frequently
It can be tempting to tinker with your investments, particularly so when headlines scream about market volatility, economic shifts, or the latest stock trends.
And yet, constantly moving your money usually does more harm than good.
Reacting emotionally to short-term market movements often leads to buying high and selling low –the exact opposite of what helps your portfolio grow.
Not only that but frequent trading like this can also trigger unnecessary taxes and fees that eat away at your returns.
A long-term investment strategy is designed to weather storms.
Staying the course, even when it’s uncomfortable, is usually the better choice.
That said, this doesn’t mean you should never make adjustments. But changes should be driven by your goals and life circumstances, rather than in reaction to market noise.
4. Wait for your wealth to grow steadily
Ultimately, consistency and patience will pay off – literally.
Once you’ve started early, contributed consistently, and avoided constant changes, the final step is simply to wait.
Allow your investments time to do their job.
While there’ll undoubtedly be good years and tough years, over time, the markets tend to reward discipline and long-term thinking.
The longer you stay invested, the greater your chances of seeing meaningful growth.
This step might be the hardest of all because it asks you to do… nothing.
But as Rory said in his recent LinkedIn post, “The big money is not in the buying or the selling, but in the waiting.”
The whole team at Ascenta Wealth are here to help
Investing isn’t about chasing quick wins or making flashy moves. It’s about creating a plan and sticking to it, even when it feels a little boring.
Start early. Contribute regularly. Avoid making changes out of fear or excitement. And most importantly, wait.
If you need help building or refining a strategy to support your financial goals, we’re here to help. At Ascenta Wealth, we believe in making the complex simple – and helping you stay the course.
