Should I invest now or wait a few years?

Question

I'm 25 and I want to start investing (stocks), but with the economy the way it is now should I wait until we get out of the recession or should I start now?

Answer 1

About the timing, this is a good time. However, since no one can be sure about how long the down period might continue, plan for a wobbly market for 3-24 months and an initial decrease in your investment.

You did not mention your investment experience.

If this is in the early years, start with mutual funds, add different sectors (dom large & small, foreign, aggressive, sectors such as real estate, commodities, healthcare, etc) and watch their portfolio for ideas.

Answer 2

I have just started to buy stocks again. The market is down 30%. My opinion: time to buy.

P.S.: I could be wrong, ya know!!!

Answer 3

The market is down now true.  That means there will be some stocks at bottom prices, so now would be a good time to buy.  And obviously there are other stocks that are down and might not come back up.  It's hard to tell which way which way they're going to go.

Now is a great time to start researching a bunch of companies.  Look for ones that you know are going to have good years ahead of this current cycle.  You can never do too much researching if you want to be a serious investor.

Answer 4

Now is as good a time as any. Especially if you dollar-cost average in your investments. That means investing the same amount each month or quarter so that when stocks are down you buy a lot of shares and when stocks are high you buy fewer shares. Over the long haul this method will result in a lower average cost per share. You also do not have to worry about putting all your money into the market at the wrong time.

Bottom line, trying to time the market is a losers game.