For reasons I can't really disclose in public, we don't have a pension fund in Israel. However, every month, I've taken a certain amount and put it into the stock market for retirement. Until recently, I've followed advice from somebody I know where it sat and grew, albeit slowly. I understood though that I need to take more control over it and not be reliant on others. Thankfully, a course came up which came recommended by others we know. It's a seven-week course, meeting once a week over Zoom. Sort of like "Stock Market for Dummies." So with a little playing around with my schedule, I took it, and I came out with a lot more than I originally had. After the course finished, I had a better strategy on how to safely invest without putting too much time and effort in. And with that, I gained a few lessons.
The first. Make sure you are always putting in. Every month. No matter what. No matter how much. Just get in the habit of putting in your money. Many times we worry that if the market is low, things will continue to drop. If the market is high, it's about to fall. If it's not moving anywhere, then my investment is not going anywhere. Don't sit on your money. Put it in.
The second. Start as soon as possible. I compared the strategy that I was using before to this new strategy. After I did the calculations, I saw the huge difference in what could have been. I'm not upset at myself since I had no other choice, but it shows that the earlier you invest properly, the more you gain in the long run.
Even if you put your money into the S&P 500 or one of the funds that are tied with it, without diversifying; and you leave it there, no matter what, you will always gain in the long run. Yes, there are crashes and drops, and they can look really bad, but index funds like the S&P always will continue upwards. So, as long as you're looking toward the future, you can ignore all the drops that occur in between. In fact, those drops are the best time to invest more money, since it's only going to move up.
The pasuk that was used by the spies to described Eretz Yisroel is "a Land that devours its inhabitants."
The word for inhabitants here, is "Yoshveha," which is better translated as those who sit on the land. Being if you are merely sitting and not growing, Eretz Yisroel will throw you out.
So, we see that Eretz Yisroel is sensitive, and is a land that expects some form of growth from those who live here.
And how does one "invest" in their growth? First off, by constantly putting in effort. Even if it's difficult and you don't see any growth, just put in the effort in any way and any "amount" that you can afford. Just get into the habit of attempting to grow spiritually. Small deposits, in the long run, will reap great rewards in the end.
Secondly, start as soon as possible. A person who thinks, "Yeah, when I get married I want to be like XY & Z, but for now…, " is never going to reach that level. The earlier you begin to invest, the more growth you are able to make.
Thirdly, ignore the drops and crashes. Yes, some of them are heavy and painful, however, if you pull out now, you have locked in only losses. Yet, if you continue forward, you are guaranteed gains in the future. All the more so, when you fall and pull yourself back up. That extra effort, that extra investment, is only going to increase in the future.
So, from a simple lesson in investing our finances, we can learn a few lessons in investing in our spiritual stock.
With that I wish you all, a wonderful Shabbos!