7.1.2 Investing goals throughout life

Here are descriptions of some people in different financial and life situations, with different investment goals. Which one is closest to your situation?

Akiko has finished college and started her first full-time job. She's making more money than she has in the past, and she's paying down her student debts. "I should do something with this money coming in," she thinks to herself. "It's nice to spend it, but I should invest some of it. But I don't know anything about stocks and bonds. How do I get started?"

Rose and Thomas celebrated the birth of their first child, and plan to have one more. Thomas just got a promotion, so there's more money coming in, but Rose will not be working full-time for a while. They have $25,000 saved in a mutual fund, but it's not making any money. They have new expenses to plan for, and want to be sure their family will be financially secure.

Khaled and Fatima have been using most of their extra money to pay down their mortgage for several years. Now that it's paid off, they plan to use the money they had been paying on the mortgage for investments. They want to have some money to help their children get an education in a few years, and they want to build up some money for their retirement.

Charlotte and Simon have just decided to retire. With their combined pensions, they think they will have enough to live on, but they are counting on the money they have saved and invested to provide them with money for extras, like a lakeside cottage where they can spend the summers. They want to be sure their investments will provide them the income they'll need through the rest of their retirement.