Start early and achieve maximum benefit.

Most of the young people believe they do not have adequate knowledge about the market to jump in and start investing. However, fear of unknown and misguided belief that retirement planning can wait can cost you big in long run. There are numerous benefits to getting into investing when you are young. The single biggest benefit is time.

When you start investing in your 20's, you get more returns for your money by the power of compounding. Moreover, the more time you have to invest before your retirement, the more time you have to recover from any market losses.

Start now no matter how much money you have :-  When you are not confident of investing in equity, do not just wait, you have large choices of Mutual funds. Investing in mutual funds is much more easier. And when you are planning to invest in for a larger period of time, choose a good large cap fund to invest. Though the return on mutual funds may not exceed the returns in equity, these are better than any debt funds. However, distribute your money in all the possible forms of investment options.

Keep your eye on long term horizon:- When you are investing in  equity, choose companies that you would like to own. You can not let the everyday ups and downs in market scare you. When you try timing the market you can end up loosing money. However, when you have a good long term perspective, the equity market can outperform any other form of investment. So, look for good stocks that pays good dividend. When there is any dip in these stocks buy them. 

Don't forget debt or savings:-  Never forget to keep some money handy for emergency purpose. Keep money in debt funds or Saving bank accounts, that could cover up for your expenses minimum for next 6 to 12 months, in case of any emergency. 

Invest in Precious metal :- Precious metal like gold has given a good return in past 8 years and gold prices never soar. However, choose a right medium to invest in gold. The traditional method to invest in ornaments, may not give you proper returns. Moreover, we have tendencies to develop emotional attachment with ornaments, so now the market has come up with Gold funds and GOLD ETF's. The Gold ETF is most preferred as they give much liquidity and it is easy to purchase and sell them like any other stock.