Karen Doyle

Sat, Jun 21, 2025, 8:01 AM7 min read

We’ve all heard about the benefits of compound interest, and how if you start investing early enough, you’ll have a fat nest egg when retirement rolls around, with minimal effort. That’s true, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to start investing in your 40s, 50s, or even later.

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In a recent YouTube video, Ramit Sethi, entrepreneur, author, and founder of the “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” program for building wealth, says no matter your age, it’s not too late to start investing.

Here are 10 ways to get started in your investing journey.

If you are well along in your career and work life, you may need to take a different approach to investing than someone who is in their 20s. It’s not better or worse, it’s just more effective for someone who wants to catch up because they got a late start. But you need to start right now. “The worst investment strategy is waiting for the perfect time because while you’re waiting, you’re getting older anyway, and regret is not helping you,” said Sethi.

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Many people don’t truly understand their finances because they don’t think they’ll like what they see. But if you want to start investing, you have to take a good, hard, unvarnished look at your current reality. And Sethi believes that you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

“Most people, when they finally look at their number, they actually realize that they’re in a better position than they thought,” he said.

To know exactly where you stand, start with your assets. Write down everything you own that has value — your home, your car, jewelry, collectibles, etc. Don’t forget any investments you already have, whether it’s a 401(k) or a savings account at the bank. Next, write down everything you owe. This includes your mortgage, your car loan, student loans, and credit card debt. Subtract your debts from your assets. This is your net worth.

“If that number is negative, don’t freak out,” said Sethi. ‘That’s just your starting point — it’s not your ending point. It’s a snapshot in time.”

One of the primary reasons people put off investing is that they don’t think they have the money to do it. They’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, and there’s nothing left at the end of the month. “A lot of people think that they don’t have enough to invest, but once they actually take a candid look at their spending, they realize money has been slipping through their fingers for years,” Sethi said.