15 Stock Market Moves to Make This Fall

The weather is getting colder, so you may start staying indoors more. That's a perfect time to take care of some business, like putting yourself on sounder financial footing. Here are 15 smart moves you might make now or soon that can strengthen you financially. Even if you only act on a handful, you'll likely benefit significantly. Act on most of them, and your future may end up much more secure.

5 Winning Stocks Under $49
We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by the Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true. And while Amazon and Netflix have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Simply click here to learn how to get your copy of “5 Growth Stocks Under $49” for FREE for a limited time only.

Let's start with a big move: Start saving and investing for your future (and for any other long-term financial goals) if you're not already doing so. If you are already doing so, ask yourself whether there's any room for improvement. Are you doing as well as you'd like? Are you on track to have the money you'll need to retire with? If not, resolve to learn more and make some changes.

ALSO READ: These 3 Investments Could Triple Your Money Over the Next Decade

So where might you start to learn more about investing? Here are some great books to start with:

• One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch
• The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle
• How I Invest My Money by Joshua Brown and Brian Portnoy
• The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
• The Essays of Warren Buffett by Warren Buffett and Lawrence A. Cunningham
• The Little Book That Still Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt
• The Little Book of Value Investing by Christopher H. Browne
• The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

Make sure you have realistic expectations when you're investing. For example, don't buy into a mutual fund because it went up 65% last year, expecting it to repeat that. Don't be surprised when there are occasional market corrections and crashes, because they will happen now and then. Similarly, expect your stock holdings to be at least somewhat volatile. Don't invest in individual stocks expecting to average 25% returns over the long haul. It's a nice goal, but the overall stock market's average annual gain over many decades is closer to 10%, and it's not that easy to outperform that.

If you sense that you have a lot of learning before you should invest in any individual stocks, you are probably right. But you can still jump into the stock market -- via a low-cost, broad-market index fund that will essentially have you immediately invested in most or all of the U.S. or world stock markets. Index funds are wonderful even for seasoned investors, and you can do quite well using only them and not spending a lot of time and effort learning to invest in individual stocks.

ALSO READ: If I Could Buy Only 1 Stock, This Would Be It

There are different ways to get into the stock market. As with a swimming pool, you might enter gradually, or you might just cannonball jump into it. If you have a hefty sum with which to invest, you might invest it all immediately. Or if there's a decent chance of a market correction in the near future, you might spend only a portion of that hefty sum now and add more over time. Those of us with no hefty sum can behave similarly, investing portions regularly over time. If you invest the same amount on a regular basis into, say, an index fund, you'll be engaging in dollar-cost averaging, which is an effective strategy. When the index fund has fallen in price, you'll get more shares for your dollars, and when it has soared, you'll get fewer. But over time, you'll keep accumulating shares -- and value.

5 Winning Stocks Under $49
We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by the Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true. And while Amazon and Netflix have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Simply click here to learn how to get your copy of “5 Growth Stocks Under $49” for FREE for a limited time only.

It's always smart to think about inflation and factor it into your investing plans -- because it can have a devastating effect on your finances. Over long periods, inflation has averaged around 3% annually, but there can be times when it's in double digits. Even at 3% annually, over 25 years, that can cut the purchasing power of your money roughly in half. So if you're 40 now and on track to have $80,000 in income when you retire in 25 years, that $80,000 in 25 years may only buy as much as $40,000 buys today. Plan accordingly!

Getting high-interest-rate debt under control is actually best done before you're investing in the stock market in earnest. That's because if you're paying, say, 20% to a credit card company on $30,000 in debt, while earning, say, 10% on the $30,000 you invested in the stock market, you're losing ground, not gaining it. Get out of debt as soon as you can, so you can start building a strong financial future.

ALSO READ: 3 Top Stocks You Can Buy and Hold Forever

As you go through your investing life, be sure to be a long-term investor. You might think you're de facto a long-term investor because you're saving and investing for a retirement 20 years away, but if you're jumping in and out of stocks frequently, not giving great companies a chance to grow for you, you're behaving more like a short-term speculator. If you crave amazing investments that will increase in value tenfold or more for you, you'll need to be patient.

Do pay attention to taxes throughout your financial life, because not doing so can cost you -- a lot. For example, as of this writing, most of us will face a long-term capital gains tax rate of 15% on assets we held for more than a year and a day, and high earnings will face a 20% rate. The short-term capital gains tax rate, meanwhile, on assets held for a year or less, is the same as your income tax rate, which could be as high as 37% for high earners. So whether you sell a holding after owning it for 364 days or 367 days can make a world of difference.

It should go without saying that the more you invest, the more you can amass. That rule of thumb to sock away 10% of your income may be far from enough for you -- especially if you're getting a late start investing in earnest for your retirement. For many people, 15% is a better number, and if you're way behind or want to try to retire early, 20% or more might be best. Consider, too, that your earliest invested dollars are your most powerful ones, because they have the longest period in which to grow for you.

5 Winning Stocks Under $49
We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by the Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true. And while Amazon and Netflix have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Simply click here to learn how to get your copy of “5 Growth Stocks Under $49” for FREE for a limited time only.

Saving aggressively is easier said than done, especially when you have a lot of other financial responsibilities, like mortgage payments and a family to support. You may not love this idea, but it's a powerful way to get ahead financially: Take on a side gig or two -- for a short while or a long while. Try to come up with something you'll enjoy at least a little, like making and selling crafts, tutoring kids, walking dogs, or doing freelance work. If you can bring in an extra $200 per week, that's more than $10,000 extra dollars.

ALSO READ: This Stock Has Been a Big Winner and Could Still Have Tremendous Potential

One of the biggest threats to your future financial security is your dropping the ball. You might get discouraged after a year of poor investment returns, or you might simply forget to be socking money away regularly. A great way to stay on track is to automate your finances as much as you can. For example, you might have a certain sum automatically routed from your paycheck into your savings or investment account.

It's also critical to be investing as effectively as possible. For those without the time or interest in becoming great stock pickers, simply sticking with an index fund is A-OK. You can do very well with that. But if you want to aim for above-average returns, you might invest some of your portfolio in a bunch of carefully chosen growth stocks. We suggest buying into at least 25 companies and aiming to hang on for at least five years. That can increase your odds of having a superstar or two in your portfolio, while giving it time to shine.

Finally, know that there's no shame in consulting a professional, as these are critical matters. Yes, a good financial advisor might cost you a few hundred or possibly a few thousand dollars, but one may well save you much more than that, or help you earn more. Don't just sign up with anyone, though -- interview a few candidates and favor fee-only advisors.

5 Winning Stocks Under $49
We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by the Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true. And while Amazon and Netflix have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Simply click here to learn how to get your copy of “5 Growth Stocks Under $49” for FREE for a limited time only.

Take a few minutes now to review these 15 steps, and see how many you can act on this week. Start taking more control of your financial future, and you'll be very happy you did, come retirement.

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