3 Types of Investments You Can Do With Your Internship Salary
Everybody knows that it is not easy to live with an internship salary in Brazil — some would say it’s impossible. The money is so low that saving some for future projects becomes a really hard task. However, it is possible not only to save a part of your salary, but also to invest it safely! This means you could make more money by spending your economies the right way. Want to know how?
First of all, you must have a really stablished goal in your mind before becoming an investor. Because the salary is low, there won’t be enough savings to invest without a strategy, so you should ask yourself, ‘what do you want money for?’ and ‘how long are you willing to wait?’ Having decided your investment goal, check out the following list of 3 types of investment you can do with your internship salary.
1. Tesouro Selic
Tesouro Direto (Direct Treasury) is a program created by The Brazilian Department of Treasury in partnership with BM&F Bovespa in order to democratize the access to governments securities through the sale of treasury bonds in the internet at prices as low as R$30,00. This means that if you earn R$1.000,00 per month, you only need to invest 3% of your income in order to make your money work for you.
The Tesouro Selic title is a part of the Tesouro Direto program; it is also one of the safest investment you could do since it is guaranteed by the government and has a daily liquidity, which means you can take your money back whenever you need without any additional fees. However, this title charges taxes over profit, so you should consider this when comparing investments. Also, the Tesouro Selic follows the Selic fee, which is controlled by the Central Bank and, because of it, is usually equal or bigger than the inflation and always bigger than the savings income fees.
According to Nathalia Arcuri, journalist and specialist in finances from the channel Me Poupe! at YouTube, a Tesouro Selic title is the best investment for those who have goal without a set date or want to have an emergency fund.
2. Tesouro IPCA +
Besides the Tesouro Selic, the Brazilian Direct Treasury has other titles, and the Tesouro IPCA + is one of them. This investment is just as safe as the first one since it is also backed by the government. However, unlike Tesouro Selic, this bond covers the inflation plus an extra tax, which means you have a real and guaranteed profit.
When buying this title, you can choose one of the possible repayment dates. Just like the Selic title, the Tesouro IPCA + charges taxes over profit, but the longer you leave the money applied, the lower the tax. Also, it is not recommended to take your money out before the settlement date! You could end receiving less than was promised, and that’s not what you want, right?
Thiago Nigro, specialist in finances and investments of the Primo Rico channel on YouTube, says that this title is ideal for those who have fixed and expensive goals, like buying a car or an apartment, saving money for retirement or having a long trip to Europe.
3. CDB
Unlike the previous investments mentioned, the Certificado de Depósito Bancário (Bank Deposit Receipt) are bonds offered by banks. That doesn’t mean this kind of investment is less safe than Tesouro Direto. To make you feel safe, CDB titles have the FGC (Fundo Garantidor de Crédito or Credit Guarantee Fund), a fund that guarantees that the investor will receive up to R$250,000.00 of your money back. This means that even if the bank that issued the bond fails, you’ll get all of your cash back as long as you have less than R$250,000.00 invested.
This investment yields a percent of the CDI, a tax, larger than the savings and usually larger than the inflation, that is used by banks in order to lend money to each other. Just like the itens 1 and 2, these titles charge taxes that decrease with time. Also, the CDB charges IOF (Imposto sobre Operações Financeiras or Financial Transaction Tax) if the investor let the money invested for less than 30 days — so don’t take it out before one month!
All these investments have their pros and cons, so the decision of which one is better is up to you. Write down your goals, check your savings, stablish some investing habits and make your money work for you! Even interns can be investors, and now you know that. The only thing you definitely shouldn’t do is leave your salary on a savings account — that should be an investor’s crime.
Texto publicado na Her Campus, revista on-line e internacional voltada para o público feminino universitário.
