Instead of working to build wealth, make your savings generate returns for you.

by: David Ning

Most of us need to work in order to get money. But your money can also work for you. In fact, your money can do most of the work to help you retire comfortably if you save and invest consistently. Here’s how to make your assets propel you to a secure retirement.

Start saving. The first step is to save a portion of every paycheck in a savings or investment account. Your money can’t begin to work for you unless you set some aside for the future. Putting the money in a retirement account can help it grow even faster without the drag of taxes.

Savings snowball. Once your money starts to generate returns, that amount will be added to your savings and generate its own returns. If you don’t spend the income from your investments, the extra cash makes your original ball of savings even bigger. You can also add windfalls such as tax refunds or bonuses to your pot of savings to make it grow even faster. Plus, you can always find ways to make extra money to add to the investments.

Money works nonstop 24/7. As long as you leave the money in the account it will continue to work for you. Equity valuations can be pretty volatile, but the long term trajectory is always up because the global economy as a whole is always growing. In addition, many investments pay out cash regularly in the form of dividends and interest. You get paid even if you don’t do any work. As long as you don’t raid the accounts, your money will work for you.

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