If you’re a young investor, whether your investment of choice is stocks, exchange traded funds (ETFs) or, like a lot of young’ns, nothing, there’s someone out there with a message for you.

Two charities, Citizens Advice and YouthNet, are on a financial investment crusade to the under-25 crowd with podcasts and text messages. The trouble is, at that age, many are not thinking about their pension plans or retirement.

Tom Stevenson for Telegraph remains skeptical about drilling this information into such a young brain. He has a few words of advice, however, for those youngsters who believe that finance matters.

First off, if you are using an advisor, find out how he is getting paid. For example, our firm is fee-only, so we’re not influenced by someone else. Brokers work on commission, meaning the more trades they make, the more money they’re getting.

Other words of wisdom:

• Time is money. Earning interest on the interest is compounding and it is the way many investors turn $1,000 into $100,000.
• Spread your bets and diversify. There are so many choices, especially with the advent of the ETF, so accessing asset classes and sectors, along with international funds has never been easier.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. If a company appears to pay you exceptionally high income, it probably won’t.
• Have an exit strategy and stick to it.
• Don’t rely on your self-discipline to save. Have your money sent directly to your investment accounts, if possible.
• The easiest way to make more money is to spend less of it.

Tags | UNG