Murray, NEB – As more students reach eighteen years old in their senior year, they wonder what they should start with financially in their newfound freedom.

Numerous seniors are taking Josh Schliefert’s personal finance class. Students are learning why they should be investing young, what they should invest in, and how they should invest. Schliefert shared his insight on investing young.

“I think students need to gain some experience in the market and have a solid understanding of all the different investments before they start trading,” Schlifert comments. Schlifert and many other investors insist on investing as early as possible. Through his personal finance class, students will learn the difference between investing and trading before start. Schlifert does not recommend trading in particular with casual investors at an early age.

“The happiest people tend to be those who are willing and wanting to help others,” exclaims Schlifert. In the United States generational wealth is typically built through steady and consistent investing. Money does not solve all problems or guarantee happiness but money is an important part of everyone’s lives. Schliefert breaks down how money is not only used for your family but also can be used to help others.

“I don’t love the idea of anyone trying to outperform the market (unless your last name is Buffet),” remarks Schliefert. He recommends that students start with investing in the S&P 500. Investopedia defines the Standard and Poor’s 500 index as a market capitalization-weighted index of 500 leading publicly traded companies within the United States. Through Schleifert’s experience in reading various investment books, he found that the common answer is to invest your first $50,000 to $100,000 in index funds that are well-diversified and yield good returns.

“For students, I’d tell them the same thing I’d tell adults, invest in index funds and maybe mix in some bonds years down the road,” Schliefert concludes.