Start Investing Now? Uh, Yeah

- Ryan Ermey

Washington, D.C., where I live, is a “So, what do you do?” kind of town—no conversation at a party is complete until someone details his or her résumé. When I tell people that I write about investing, I usually end the conversation with a friendly, “Let me know if you ever need help with your 401(k).” An alarming number of people in my age group (I’m 27) say, “Yeah, I should probably get on that, huh?” Uh, yeah. You really should.

If you are procrastinating, you’re not alone. In a recent study from Ally Bank, 61% of Americans said they found investing scary or intimidating, and more than half said they planned to invest, or invest more, in the stock market—“but not right now.” Among respondents, millennials were most likely to report feeling intimidated, and their biggest fear was losing money on investments.