Investing in Your Future: Key Strategies for Self-Improvement and Financial Success

Financial success is irrevocably intertwined with self-improvement. The most successful entrepreneurs and investors have one thing in common: of all their investments, the best one they made was in themselves.

Investing in yourself financially means deliberately increasing your skills and knowledge with a focus on a return on investment. For the time and money you pay upfront, there should be a compounding reward in skills, knowledge, or experience. That said, let’s dive into some top ways to invest in your better future.

Generally speaking, investing in yourself is the best thing you can do. Anything that improves your own talents. Nobody can take it away from you. They can run up huge deficits, the dollar can become worth far less, you can have all kinds of things happen. But if you’ve got talent yourself, and you maximize your talent, you’ve got a terrific asset.
– Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

1. Creating Additional Sources of Income via Increasing Savings and Investments

The easiest way to invest in yourself financially is by increasing your savings and investments. You can achieve this through many different strategies and ways.

On the one hand, savings are easy to build by setting up deposits in your bank account but a deposit’s annual percentage yield is often much lower than other investment options. For instance, the deposit interest rate in Switzerland was 1.19% per month in February 2024, which is lower than the investment return either in corporate equities, which averaged 5.6% between 1926 and 2023, or bonds, which made an average annualized 10-year real return of 2.0% up to the end of 2023.

Some use the “set-it-and-forget-it” approach, others are active day traders, and still others invest only in index funds. Many ascribe to the dollar-cost averaging strategy, as this is a good way to weather volatile markets. This strategy involves recurring (such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly) investments of the same amount in a target security like shares and bonds of companies over a specific timeline, regardless of price. Purchases are automatic and there is no attempt at market timing. It is a great way to invest regularly and incrementally.

Your investment strategies and risk tolerance are purely a matter of choice; the important thing is to increase your investments. Regardless, increasing your purchasing power by creating additional sources of income is one of the most significant ways to invest in yourself and your future.

If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.
— Warren Buffett

2. Complete a Course or Certification

Continuing your education does not have to be expensive, even if you plan to get your MBA or other degree. There are programs, scholarships, and even some workplaces that will help cover the costs. Depending on your situation, look into your options.

The traditional academic route is not the only way to invest in your education, though. You can take courses online – free and paid – that offer a solid ROI.

Google has many high-quality courses available for free. You can become Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Ads certified in less than a week. Or maybe you want to get a CFA Institute certification for additional finance education to increase your salary potential. Platforms like Udemy, Coursera, Masterclass, and Skillshare offer online courses and classes you can take at your own pace.

The point is that there are a plethora of options for continued learning, and many are affordable or even free. These courses and certifications can help you increase your savings and investments by growing your income.

You can also follow media and blogs, read books, watch videos, or listen to podcasts, to get up-to-date insights about finance and investments.

3. Grow Your Network

Investing in yourself can be as simple as going to events and rubbing shoulders with other growth-minded individuals. You have a variety of options: social clubs, startup incubators, happy hours, and even virtual events. Identify groups based on your interests, preferred format, or city of residence.

There is a wide variety of groups, some public and some private. Moonshot, for example, is an investor network that frequently organizes both live and online events. These gatherings are a great opportunity to engage with people who share similar interests. Compared to public groups, private groups tend to be more specialized, and one of the most valuable benefits of membership is providing feedback.

4. Give Back

Another, perhaps less apparent but no less valuable, way of investing in yourself is to simply give back to your community. This can be understood through the lens of the many religions and philosophies that adhere to the principal, or through the economic view that even corporations bear social responsibility.

At an emotional level, giving is an expression of gratitude, and if done with a spirit of humility can bring a fresh perspective to a person’s place in their larger world. Charities, nonprofits, religious groups, and corporate social responsibility initiatives – there are many ways to give and to practice letting go of wealth.

Giving back is about both the money and the wealth of experience that you share with other people. Becoming a guest lecturer in your alma mater, thematic conferences, or charity events are all great ways to share your experience with people and also receive valuable networking and insights that may help inspire you.

Giving back can even involve investing in companies that mitigate climate change and develop technologies that will have a positive impact on the planet. Such contributions will also have a positive impact on the well-being of future generations.

It might seem counterintuitive in a list about building wealth, but it is not a coincidence that some of the most affluent people are also the most charitable. It is not a byproduct but a mindset, a balance that high achievers can strive for along with their drive for success.

The Road to Wealthy: Personal Development

Investing in yourself from a young age – or as soon as possible – is akin to planting a seed that will blossom and grow into a sturdy tree that provides both shade and fruit. Like the branches of a tree reaching toward the sky, investing in yourself provides the framework for intellectual curiosity, continuous learning, and generosity that can enable you to adapt to evolving circumstances and thrive in an ever-changing world.

Ultimately, investing in yourself can sometimes be simple, but must always be deliberate. The goal is to achieve both intellectual and financial wealth. Included in this list are a few of the many effective methods, but remember that ideas are less valuable than actions. Those who can build and implement their own strategy will find themselves on the path to wealth and a brighter future.