Inflation & Savings

Inflation is the gradual increase in the prices of goods and services over time, which reduces the purchasing power of money. In simple terms, as inflation rises, the same amount of money buys fewer things than before. For example, if inflation is 10%, something that costs 1,000 rupees today might cost 1,100 rupees next year.

When it comes to savings, inflation plays a critical role. If your savings are kept in cash or a low-interest account, their real value decreases over time because inflation grows faster than the return you earn. This means that while the number in your account stays the same or increases slightly, what you can actually buy with that money decreases.

Assets vs Liabilities

An asset is anything that has value and can generate income or grow in worth over time. Examples include cash, real estate, stocks, gold, and even a business. Assets put money in your pocket either by earning returns, increasing in value, or generating regular income. For example, owning a rental property that gives monthly rent is an asset because it produces cash flow.

A liability, on the other hand, is something that takes money out of your pocket. It represents debts or financial obligations you must pay in the future. Examples include loans, credit card debt, car payments, or any expense that doesn’t generate income. For instance, buying a car on loan becomes a liability if it only costs you money through fuel, maintenance, and interest payments.

Investment vs Trading

To understand it simply, let’s compare the top performers in each field. Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors in history, has earned an average of 20% return per year through long-term investing.

On the other hand, Jim Simons, a legendary trader, achieved an average of 66% yearly return with his trading strategy.

This shows that trading has the potential to boost your monthly returns from 1.5% to 5% or even more, but it also comes with higher risk and requires strong skills to handle market ups and downs effectively.

How to Start Investing

Starting to invest is one of the best decisions you can make for your financial future. The key is to begin early, stay consistent, and make informed choices.

Set clear goals

Decide why you want to invest whether it’s for retirement, buying a home, or building wealth. Knowing your goal helps you choose the right investment strategy and time frame.

Build an emergency fund 

Before investing, save enough money to cover 3–6 months of expenses. This safety net protects you from unexpected situations and prevents you from selling investments early.

Understand your risk tolerance 

Everyone has a different comfort level with risk. Younger investors can usually take more risk for higher returns, while those nearing retirement may prefer safer investments.

Choose the right investment platform

Open an account with a trusted broker or investment app that offers access to assets like ETFs, stocks, mutual funds, or gold. In Pakistan, examples include PSX brokers and platforms offering mutual fund investments.

Start small and stay consistent

You don’t need a large amount to begin. Even small, regular investments such as through SIP can grow significantly over time due to compounding.

Diversify your portfolio

Spread your money across different asset classes like stocks, ETFs, real estate, and precious metals to reduce risk. 

Think long term 

Avoid emotional decisions during market ups and downs. Investing works best when you stay patient and let your money grow over years.

Systematic Investment Plan "SIP"

SIP is a disciplined way to invest a fixed amount of money regularly (monthly or quarterly) into an investment vehicle like mutual funds or ETFs. It helps build wealth gradually by taking advantage of compounding and dollar cost averaging meaning you buy more units when prices are low and fewer when they’re high, balancing out market volatility over time.

It’s a smart approach for beginners and long-term investors who want to grow wealth without needing to time the market.

Calculate your potential future worth using this SIP Calculator:
🔗 https://snailsteps.com/tools/sip-calculator/

Value Investing

Value Investing is a long term investment strategy where investors look for undervalued stocks or assets those trading at a price lower than their intrinsic (real) value. The main idea is simple buy low and hold until the market realizes the true worth of the company.

Famous Value Investors:

Warren Buffett – the world’s most famous value investor.

Benjamin Graham – author of The Intelligent Investor, the father of value investing.

Charlie Munger – Buffett’s long-time partner and a deep thinker on rational investing.

Compounding

Value investing is a strategy where investors look for undervalued assets stocks or businesses that are trading below their intrinsic value. The idea is to buy quality companies at a discount and hold them until their true value is recognized by the market.

This approach focuses on long-term growth rather than short-term market fluctuations. Investors analyze a company’s fundamentals such as earnings, book value, cash flow, and management quality to determine if it’s undervalued.

The core principle is simple:
“Buy when others are fearful, and sell when others are greedy.”  Warren Buffett

Value investing rewards patience, discipline, and research making it one of the most proven methods to build wealth over time.

ETFs

An ETFs Exchange Traded Funds is an investment fund that holds a collection of assets like stocks, bonds, gold, or other commodities and is traded on a stock exchange just like individual company shares.

  1. Think of an ETF as a basket of investments that lets you own a small portion of many assets at once.
  2. A stock ETF might include the top 100 companies in a country (like the KSE-100 ETF in Pakistan or S&P 500 ETF in the U.S.).
  3. A gold ETF follows the price of gold.
  4. A bond ETF includes various government or corporate bonds.

 

Key Points

  1. You can buy and sell ETFs any time during market hours.
  2. They usually have low fees compared to mutual funds.
  3. They give instant diversification (spread your risk across many assets).
  4. The value of an ETF changes throughout the day as its underlying assets change in price.

Physical Assets

The good physical assets include Rental properties, Agricultural land and business or Startup.
Every Assets have it’s own pros and cons.

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