Young adults aren’t exactly known for making smart financial decisions, so much so that the Millennial and Gen Z generation have become the butt of jokes. In fact, young adults today are more likely to live with their parents and be saddled with debt than any other generation in history. The average cost for a 4-year degree is over $120,000. Wages have stagnated, and the cost of living keeps on rising. Is there a way out of this mess?

The best way to secure your financial future is to invest early. Many people associate financial investments with mid to late adulthood, but the importance of starting early cannot be overstated. Thanks to the power of compound interest, the earlier you start, the more money you’ll secure for your future.

Whether you’re thinking of investing in stocks, bonds, or Fair Forex, here are a few investing tips to get you started.

1. Be aggressive

The concept is simple: the higher the risk, the bigger the yield. While a conservative investment strategy is less risky, if you’re serious about increasing your wealth, you would be better off adopting a more aggressive approach. Many people have generated greater returns on their assets by employing leverage and exploring different opportunities for investments.

Young investors benefit more in the long run for the sole fact that they started early. Early exposure to the financial world translates to a better knowledge of the systems and patterns that underlie the markets. And the more you know about investing, the more likely you are to make better and smarter decisions.

2. Ask better questions

People only invest in things that they are familiar with. If you don’t know how a certain financial instrument works, the smart thing to do is stay away. But that also means that your investment options are limited. If you want to diversify your holdings, you first need to know what makes the financial markets tick, and it all starts by asking better questions.

When people buy stock from a certain company, the usual concern is whether the prices will go up or down. But lots of things happen behind the scenes, and the stock price is just a consequence of the many decisions people make daily. Instead of worrying about stock prices, you need to look at the fundamentals.

If you know how a company makes its money, the strength of its market position, and the long-term plan of its executive team, you can make better investment decisions. Just because a company’s stock is high doesn’t necessarily mean it’s well-run. Maybe it’s overvalued, or the market is in a bubble. Consider how events and choices can affect your investments.

3. Look at the bigger picture

Unless you’re a day trader, you don’t have to obsess over the stock market’s minutiae or your investment holdings. Short-term movements are inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Since you’re investing for the long haul, it’s better to look at the bigger picture and see how things will fare in five years or more.

Financial markets are cyclical in nature: there will always be a period of growth and decline. Certain events can also rattle consumers and investors and make the market more volatile. However, smart investors succeed based on the long-term performance of their holdings. Focus on the fundamentals and keep a close eye on the company’s performance. As long as growth is on the horizon, your investment is secure.

4. Know when to sell

That said, you also need to learn when to sell. Many companies seem to go under out of the blue, leaving billions of dollars of losses in their wake. The media will call it a shocking turn of events. However, if you read reports, follow industry news, and talk to the right people, you can usually see the early signs of trouble before the rest of the market catches on.

If you think a company in trouble, you might want to divest your investments to protect your position. Once the stock slide begins, investors will want out, and you’ll be glad to be one of the first ones to do so.

The bottom line

Let’s be honest: we all want to make money. Lots of it. And one of the best ways to do that is to invest. These things will help you make better financial decisions and choose the right investments. It’s always a good idea to start slow while you’re learning the ropes to limit your risk.