There’s no doubt about it, the athletes will be doing their best to run and swim faster, jump higher and generally be stronger than their competitors during these Olympic Games. And those who are faster, higher and stronger will take home gold, silver and bronze. Some will end up being much richer due to lucrative offers from sponsors. They have invested their whole lives for this moment of glory.

The investor, on the other hand can start his run to riches at any time of life. He doesn’t have to be young, fit or strong to make a difference to his life financially by investing. And unlike an athlete, an investor can keep on investing and making money right into his old age. Of course the best time to start investing is when you are young, but that is not always possible. Not all young people have well-paid jobs - and they often have to pay off a car or home. But there is one big difference.

An athlete must invest his whole time and effort into training to have any chance of winning. An investor on the other hand, can make a smaller effort and still win. That is, the investor can save just dollars a week - or he may take a part-time job especially to invest that money. No one could hope to win a medal by training only on a Saturday. But an investor can work on a Saturday and invest that money in a high yield saving account or term deposit - and if he does that for long enough, he will end up with a sizeable investment at some stage in his life. So even if you are not faster or stronger than the athletes, you can be richer by some wise investing and just a little bit of hard work. It’s really worth it in the long run.