Saving vs Investing | Wells Fargo (2024)

FAQs

Saving vs Investing | Wells Fargo? ›

The difference between saving and investing

Key takeaways

There's a difference between saving and investing: Saving means putting away money for later use in a secure place, such as a bank account. Investing means taking some risk and buying assets that will ideally increase in value and provide you with more money than you put in, over the long term.

Saving provides a safety net and a way to achieve short-term goals, while investing has the potential for higher long-term returns and can help achieve long-term financial goals. However, investing also comes with the risk of losing money.

Saving is generally seen as preferable for investors with short-term financial goals, a low risk tolerance, or those in need of an emergency fund. Investing may be the best option for people who already have a rainy-day fund and are focused on longer-term financial goals or those who have a higher risk tolerance.

What is the difference between saving and investing? Saving you are putting money away to keep and use later. Investing you are putting money in, hoping that it will increase.

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals. Let's take a closer look at each category.

Investing: Putting Your Money to Work for You

Investing, on the other hand, involves putting your money into financial instruments like stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and mutual funds. Investing is riskier than saving, but can also earn higher returns over the long term.

The key difference is this: When you save money, you're putting your money somewhere safe to use for the future, often for short-term goals. Alternatively, when you invest money, you accept a greater potential risk in return for a greater potential reward. Investing often makes more sense for long-term goals.

Saving money is a cornerstone of financial well-being, providing stability, security, and opportunities for long-term growth. Whether you're saving for emergencies, future expenses, or retirement, cultivating a habit of saving is essential for achieving financial independence and realizing your goals.

Regardless of whether an investment has lost or gained value, you should never keep it if it no longer fits your strategy. That said, it can be hard to let go of an investment that's lost value, thanks to the break-even fallacy, or our instinct to wait to sell an investment until it rebounds to our purchase price.

Should I hold cash or invest now? ›

To determine which investment is best for you, pinpoint your time horizon, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs. Cash equivalents are usually best for short- and medium-term financial goals, while bonds and stocks are better for medium- and long-term ones.

What I advise my clients is that if you need the down payment within 12–18 month do not put your money at risk in the stock market and keep it in a savings account (although you could do a little better than a typical savings account).

Here are three questions you could ask yourself to help determine whether it's time to use your emergency savings: Is this an unexpected expense? Is it necessary? Is it urgent?

Earned income includes wages, salary, tips and commissions. Passive or unearned income could come from rental properties, royalties and limited partnerships. Portfolio or investment income includes interest, dividends and capital gains on investments.

Saving refers to an activity occurring over time, a flow variable, whereas savings refers to something that exists at any one time, a stock variable. This distinction is often misunderstood, and even professional economists and investment professionals will often refer to "saving" as "savings".

The key difference is this: When you save money, you're putting your money somewhere safe to use for the future, often for short-term goals. Alternatively, when you invest money, you accept a greater potential risk in return for a greater potential reward. Investing often makes more sense for long-term goals.

By definition, saving is income minus spending. Investment refers to physical investment, not financial investment. That saving equals investment follows from the national income equals national product identity. Consider first an economy without government.

Saving is the portion of income not spent on current expenditures. In other words, it is the money set aside for future use and not spent immediately.