Kumiko Love Instagram – @thebudgetmom
🏃♀️RUN! Make sure your money is actually invested and not just sitting in cash in your investment account!
Here’s the thing no one tells you! Contributing to a Roth IRA is only HALF the job.
It’s a two-step process for any investment account:
1️⃣ You contribute (add money)
2️⃣ You invest (choose where that money goes)
If you skip step two, your money just sits there in cash doing nothing.
This goes for your Roth IRA, 401(k), brokerage account, or even your HSA if it offers investing.
Once you’ve contributed, you can make both steps automatic! Here’s how to do it through Charles Schwab 👇
To set up automatic contributions:
1️⃣ Log in to your Schwab account.
2️⃣ Go to Transfers & Payments → Automatic Transfers.
3️⃣ Select your funding account (like your checking account) and your destination account (your Roth IRA).
4️⃣ Choose your contribution frequency (monthly, bi-weekly, etc).
5️⃣ Enter the dollar amount (remember the 2025 limit is $7,000 if you’re under 50 or $8,000 if you’re 50 or older).
6️⃣ Confirm your schedule.
Now Schwab will move money into your Roth IRA automatically.
To set up automatic investing:
1️⃣ Inside your Roth IRA, go to Trade → Mutual Funds.
2️⃣ Search for the fund you want to invest in — for example SWTSX (Schwab Total Market Index Fund).
3️⃣ Choose Automatic Investment Plan.
4️⃣ Select how often you want to invest and how much.
5️⃣ Review and confirm.
Now every month, your Roth IRA receives money and invests it for you, no extra clicks needed!
Set it up once, let it run, and check in a few times a year to make sure it still fits your goals.
If you liked this post, make sure to save or comment so I continue to show up in your feed. Follow @thebudgetmom for more! | Posted on 01/Nov/2025 00:31:39
