If you are struggling with questions like “How do I even begin to figure out how much I need to save, what I should invest in, and and how to plan for my financial future?” then you are a Beginner. Don’t worry – you’re in good company. More than half of all new subscribers to ZenInvestor are Beginners. It’s important to understand that managing your financial affairs, and making sound investment decisions, requires skills that are learned, not intuitive. Here are some of the questions most frequently asked by Beginners.
Sample Questions
- How do I figure out what my financial goals are?
- How much should I be saving and investing?
- How much risk can I afford to take?
- What should I be doing with my 401k, 403b, or IRA?
- How do I decide what stocks, bonds, or mutual funds to pick?
- Should I make extra payments on my mortgage?
- Do I need life insurance? How do I figure out how much I need?
- How do I choose the right broker, financial advisor, or planner?
- Am I paying too much in commissions and fees?
How ZenInvestor Can Help
We take nothing for granted. That is to say, we don’t assume that Beginners are starting with an understanding of the “basics.” We teach you the basics. We do this by laying everything out in easy-to-follow steps, organized by subject, so that you can jump ahead to the topics that are relevant to your specific situation.
You can start by exploring the site, using the menus at the top of each page. Browse the free articles to get an idea of what you can learn here. Check out the free content to see what kind of information we think is relevant to investors. Once you have become familiar with the structure and content of the site, you can decide whether or not a premium membership is right for you.
As a Premium Member you will have access to more depth and detail than non-subscribers. This gives you the ability to learn at your own pace, and skip over material that you already understand. Our learning modules- Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced- are context-sensitive, which means that the content is geared to your current level of knowledge, skill, and experience. As you advance through the Beginner material, you will acquire more confidence in your ability to make financial decisions. As you gain more confidence, you will be able to advance to the higher levels.
Private Coaching
For those who want personal, one-to-one coaching on any aspect of investing or financial decision-making, we offer Private Coaching as an option. The coaching sessions take place over the phone or Skype. The first session is 30 minutes, and is designed to assess where you are right now in terms of your knowledge, skill, and experience. From this assessment we design a coaching plan for you.
Many coaching clients only need one or two sessions to get them started in the right direction. Some require three or more sessions. The coaching is tailored to your needs. The best way to get started is to sign up for a Premium Membership, so that you can sort out which issues you need to work on, and what’s the most cost-effective way for you to get started on your financial and investing plan.