Investing for long-term financial growth during economic challenges

Many people around the world are feeling economic pressure these days, which throws their long-term investment plans into question. Making ends meet is hard enough, so how is saving even possible with such high inflation and instability?

In short, saving any amount is beneficial for financial stability, largely due to the power of compound interest. Future You (and your household) could always benefit from a financial cushion. 

The good news is that you can contribute to long-term investments as much or as little as you want, and they’re designed to weather the storm of unstable markets and short-term economic instability. If you’re having a financially challenging period and can’t contribute to your long-term investments for a while, you can always pick it up again when things get easier — or just start with micro-investments. 

How long are long-term investments?

A long-term investment is one to be held for at least a year — but generally, when speaking about long-term investments, people refer to much longer lead times, from five years to 30+. 

Long-term investments are typically harder to withdraw and are less liquid. Long-term investment strategies take a longer time to provide a good return, so investors use them for goals to be met way further down the line. 

Long-term savings and investment goals

Here are some examples of long-term savings and investment goals.

A house down payment 

Buying real estate is one of the most common long-term savings goals. People often save for years to afford a down payment for a home.

Children’s university fund

Sending children to university can cost anywhere from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many people start university funds for their children when they’re born, so this savings goal commonly has a 17-year investment period before it’s spent on tuition.

Retirement

No one should have to work forever, so saving for retirement is an important investment. Arguably the longest-term investment that people commonly make, building up a retirement fund can be the difference between comfortable and very challenging years as a senior citizen. 

Emergency fund & healthcare costs

Many countries around the world continue to run on for-profit, private healthcare. Because of this, people must do their best to build up a fund for emergency healthcare costs. For most young and healthy people, this can be seen as a long-term investment, but that’s not the case for everyone. 

What makes a good long-term investment?

There’s no such thing as a perfect, risk-free safe long-term investment, but what makes long-term investments easier to manage is that there’s time for assets to go up and down and (hopefully) up again before you need the money. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to investing, but many people use a combination of low and medium-risk investments with the highest returns possible (within your risk comfort level) to hit long-term savings goals. As Investopedia advises for long-term investing, “When your time horizon is measured in decades, market downturns and other risks can be taken for the long-term rewards of a higher overall return.” Conversely, short-term investments should be lower-risk, even if the return is lower, because the time threshold is much less forgiving.

The most important part of every investment portfolio is diversification. Never put all your proverbial eggs in one basket: investing in a combination of types of investments and strategies is the safest way to invest. 

Examples of the best long-term investments

Be sure to consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions, and as mentioned above, always diversify your investments. Here are some long term investment options to consider: 

Cenoa

Especially for investors in countries with currency depreciation and massive economic instability, Cenoa can be a great choice for a long-term savings plan. Cenoa allows users all over the world to buy digital dollars that are on par with the relatively stable US Dollar. It’s much easier and more accessible than buying USD — and Cenoa provides users with up to 5% yield.

Even making micro-investments through the Cenoa app can help new investors start to slowly but steadily build wealth for the future. 

Mutual funds and individual stocks

Mutual funds are a type of investment where multiple investors pool their contributions together while investing in a wide range of stocks, money market investments, and bonds. They can be impacted by overall economic conditions, but are often safer than individual stocks. A financial advisor can help you determine the best long-term mutual funds for your situation.

Individual stocks, bought by an investor to own a small share of a company, are both dependent on the individual company’s performance and broader market conditions. Consult with trusted financial planners to find the best long-term stocks for you. 

Both of these can be great options for long-term investments, as investors have a long road ahead to watch assets increase in value and weather short-term economic challenges.

High-yield savings accounts

High-yield savings accounts are lower-risk, but also often lower-reward, than mutual funds and stocks. Typical savings accounts only provide an average of 0.23% yield, and high-yield ones tend to go up to 4%.