I have $5,000. Should I start trading stocks or investing?

Like most things, that depends.

Blame it on the Pandemic

One of the (very few) benefits to the pandemic was that we all, collectively, realized that we needed to get our lives together. Need to work out more? You probably started working out. Wanted to make more money? You started a business. Need to save more and make the best use of those stimulus payments? You probably thought about whether you should save or invest.

This is a great thing, right? For a lot of folks, they had only heard about investing through the glimpses of CNBC while waiting in their doctor’s office for their appointment. Now, because of the pandemic, a lot of people had the time to learn about financial products that they may not have had the time to learn about before. During the pandemic another phenomenon also became popular. The meme stock movement, where certain company stocks gained cult-like popularity online and through social media platforms, also gained a lot of ground.

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” — Benjamin Franklin

Some people took things a step further and did some research, but unfortunately,most never did anything about it. While some folks may do a lot of talking about what they want, the truth…