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omoi-no-hoka · 4 years

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I read your post on how you got started in the translation industry and I was wondering if it is possible to get an entry/basic level translation gigs in Japan with N3-level proficiency or if even those want at least N2 proficiency. Also since you've been living and working in Japan for a long time, what advice would you give those wanting to work in Japan in regards to avoiding black companies?

Finding Translation Work in Japan

Hi there! Thank you for your ask.

To be honest, “translation” is so very broad that I can’t give you a simple “yes” or “no” as an answer. My answer is “Maybe” with the following caveats. For the sake of this post, I’m going to assume that your native language is English, or that you have native-level proficiency, and you plan to do English↔Japanese translation in a Japanese workplace.

Field of Translation

This is perhaps the biggest factor. I understand that in order to translate legal or medical things, there is a particular certification that you must obtain. This requires N1/native level proficiency in both languages. I have thought of attempting to obtain the medical one, but I’m not ready for it. I would need to study a LOT of terminology in both English and Japanese.

As for other fields, I think it really depends on the company and how much they are willing to teach you on the job. Also, depending on the field, many field-specific terminology may be katakana words derived from English, meaning that while they will be new Japanese words for you, they will not be entirely new words.

But if I were to work in, say, the banking industry doing translation, I would certainly have a hard time learning all the words, especially if I didn’t already have some sort of background in banking in English.

For example, I specifically work as a translator for a company that provides services to other very big companies that you have heard of. Technically, I work for an anti-malware software company and the technical support aspect of it. When a product is updated, I will translate internal manuals and things like that. I also translate the Big Wig conversations, which are done in English since the client and our company’s HQs are in America, so that our local guys know what’s going on. I also create/translate/edit/take minutes for presentations given to Big Wigs. I also handle all IT issues in our project, because our IT ticketing system is 100% in English. ANYTHING English-related is funneled to me.

Contractually-speaking, I do not work for any other clients. But since I’m the only translator in our company in Hokkaido capable of interpretation as well, I am often asked to assist under the table. (Translation and interpretation are two entirely different beasts, btw.)

While I don’t have a background in IT or computers or anything like that, since most of the terminology is in katakana and I’m not absolutely clueless about computers, my learning curve wasn’t too sharp. I struggled more with bullshit corporate acronyms and the formalities of Business Japanese (sonkeigo and kenjougo).

A person holding an N2 is considered capable of Business Japanese. Even if you have extensive knowledge in the field of translation, you will have a VERY difficult time adjusting to the Japanese-language workplace if you are not good with Business Japanese. From that standpoint, I cannot recommend someone at N3 to enter a Japanese company to do translation. It will be grueling. I was N1 when I joined the company, and I still had difficulty composing emails and other workplace-related words I hadn’t come across.

Start with Freelance Translation/Proofreading

There was a year or so where I had N1 but was still teaching English. I found freelance English-Japanese translation jobs online. Lots of them were one-shot things, like “translate this brochure about our little tiny town” or “I am a researcher who has written a paper on Persian-French relations during the 16th century, and I need someone to proofread my English.” Lol that one was pretty specific and paid very handsomely. By doing well on a job, I established a relationship with that client and I would get more work either from them or someone they knew. Prices are fixed before translation.

The average price for translation is 3-7 yen per character (if the original text is in Japanese) or per word (if the original text is in English). The price increases depending on the complexity of the material. The brochure about the little town was 4 yen per character, but the research paper was 9 yen word (despite the fact I was only proofreading instead of translating because it was incredibly complex).

Proofreading goes alongside translation. I didn’t really do much of that, but you can see a price range of 1-5 yen per character/word. If you are N3, proofreading is great way to get your feet wet!

NOTE: Do not take on proofreading or translation jobs for a language that is not your native language. No matter how good you think your Japanese is, it will not be good enough to proofread. Even if you have an N1, you will miss things. Even I, as a translator with almost 3 years experience in my field, always have a Japanese coworker proofread everything I translate into Japanese, and 9 times out of 10 they fix at least one thing.

How to Avoid Black Companies

In Japan, some companies are labeled ブラック企業 “black kigyou,” which means that they violate labor laws in some heinous fashion. Denying pay, benefits, or leave, forcing employees to do grueling amounts of overtime that can lead to 過労死 karoushi (death by overwork), etc. These companies will rob you of your sanity at best and your life at worst, and are to be avoided at all costs.

When I was searching for a position teaching English, I googled reviews of each big Eikaiwa school, like AEON or whatever else there is. Many previous teachers air their grievances on places like glassdoor.com. It was easy to learn which schools I should avoid.

Also, I applied online to many different big Eikaiwas. Three of them (sorry, I can’t remember which) immediately emailed me back and said I was hired, without an interview or anything. That should be a HUGE red flag to you right there. Why are they so desperate to hire that they’ll take you without even giving you an interview? And even if they do later say, “Your hiring is dependent upon an interview,” that means that their initial contact email was fraudulent.

Research the company as best you can. See if you can find someone who has worked for them. Beware of smaller, private companies. They tend to fly under the radar and are prone to be even shittier. Then again, there was a woman who died of death by over work a few years ago and she worked for the biggest advertising firm in Japan.

Here’s an article from Business Insider about karoushi and black companies.

A 2016 report examining karoshi cases and their cause of death found that more than 20% of people in a survey of 10,000 Japanese workers said they worked at least 80 hours of overtime a month.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry defines the threshold for karoushi as greater than 80 hours of overtime a month. Since this article was posted in 2018, a new law regarding overtime has been implemented by the Japanese government. Now there is a legal cap on overtime of 100 hours per month (and 720/year) for busier months, with the general upper limit set at 45 hours per month (360 hours/year).

Even if a company isn’t black, be prepared for overtime. My company makes sure that every employee adheres to the 45 hours per month limit...as best they can. If you follow this blog you know that I have done 60 and 70 hours of overtime in certain months, because I am our only translator and when shit hits the fan I’m the only one who can handle it.

However, my company is very good about making sure that I receive all of my overtime pay. Every single minute of overtime I do is properly reimbursed. Sometimes this means that if I work 60 hours one month, I will only report 45 that month, and then report 15 extra hours the next month. Or I will take a couple days off but claim that I worked (with my bosses’ approval, of course).

I can’t speak for other companies for sure, but I fear that when this law was introduced in 2019, many companies did not change their business models and instead forbid employees from reporting overtime that exceeded legal limits, meaning they would be going without compensation.

So be aware that if you are going to work in a Japanese company, you are likely to have overtime. Some people don’t, and congratulations to them! But it is an extremely real possibility. Make sure that you can handle it physically and mentally, and that you are being properly compensated. After my first month of Big Overtime, my boss told me, “I’m surprised that you managed to do all that. I thought that Americans had a poor work ethic compared to Japanese people, but now I see that’s not true.”

kinda racist, but thx

If you have an interview and it goes well and you receive a contract, ask to take the contract and have time to think about it. Then, have a Japanese person you trust read the contract and make sure there is nothing shady hidden in there. Contracts and legalese are difficult enough in my own native language--I don’t trust myself to catch something in Japanese.

If your friend thinks that the contract is fair as well, and if you feel like the company has a good atmosphere, take the job. That is what I did, and I am glad I did.

Translation and Interpretation

A lot of people don’t know the difference between “translation” and “interpretation” and use them interchangeably, but they are actually entirely different tasks that require different skills.

Translation: the conversion of written text from one language to another.

Interpretation: the conversion of spoken word from one language to another.

You will most likely be hired as a translator, because translation is much cheaper than interpretation. However, if your company is like mine, you will have interpretation work to do as well. You may be asked to take part in meetings and facilitate communication between the English-speaking and Japanese-speaking people, or act as a guide to a client from American headquarters, for example.

With translation, you usually have the blessing of time. You can look up a word you don’t know, you can think about the grammar, you can think about tone.

But with interpretation, you need to be:

Listening to Speaker A’s English and mentally summarizing their words

Starting to say Speaker A’s words in Japanese while holding on to the bits that will come later because English and Japanese word order is so different

Continuing to listen to added speech from Speaker A as you concurrently are relaying their previous speech in to Japanese and retaining the parts that you can’t say yet because of word order.

Then do it all for again for Speaker B’s reply, and repeat.

Basically, your mind has to be doing three things at once. Does your head hurt? Mine does. If I have to do simultaneous interpretation like that for more than a couple hours I literally develop a headache.

I will NEVER recommend an N3 person attempt interpretation in a business setting. Nor N2 for that matter. It is hard and you do not have the benefit of time to think and double-check things.

Also, many people don’t understand exactly how difficult it is to do interpretation. I have to sometimes just say “Sorry, pause” to the speaker because my head can’t retain any more, especially if figures and data and dates are referred to. Thankfully my coworkers have come to understand my method and are just happy that I can facilitate communication for them.

If you have any other questions regarding job hunting, please let me know and I’d be more than happy to offer what advice I have! 💖

#Anonymous #work in japan #life in Japan #expat in japan #japanese translation #japanese interpretation #job hunting #job hunting in japan #japan #ask me anything #asks are open

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cyanpeacock · 4 years

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Time for a little reductionism.

There are three paths in life.

1. It is fundamentally negative.

2. It is fundamentally neutral.

3. It is fundamentally good.

You're likely to walk all these paths, at some point or another. Think hell/purgatory/heaven, or Hekate at the triple crossroads, or the Maiden, Mother, and Crone... whichever triumverate fits your belief system.

Feelings can be physical, as in, bodily sensations, or cognitive, as in, shaped by your thoughts.

Thoughts can evolve and change. There are logical arguments for every catastrophic thought you might have, and logical arguments against.

The goal of meditation, DBT skills, therapy, counselling, even the scientific method, and so on, is to give you the ability to make these arguments yourself. You can cognitively regulate all that arises in the body or mind (allelic dysfunction omitted, because that's where psychiatry and pharmaceuticals come into it).

Say you have chronic pain, and it hurts like hell. This might lead you to believe life is fundamentally bad, and that you want an end sooner rather than later.

Pain can be managed through dissociation. Dissociation can be generated through cognition (or the controlled absence of it). Numbness of feeling leads to relaxation, which leads to the relief of pain, or at least relief from the perception of it.

Relief changes your perception of life. Sustained relief can change it profoundly.

Humans have a cycle to relief. It's a little different for everyone - we call it the circadian (approximately-24-hours) rhythm.

So, feeling the goodness in life requires identifying your cycle.

When do you wake best?

When do you work best?

On what do you work? Does it give you interest and attention?

At what times do you eat, and what do you do with your post-prandial dip (after-eating sleepiness)?

When do you sleep best?

Where do you do all these things?

How much movement do you do in a day?

Are you getting the right balance of macronutrients and micronutrients?

Are you spiritually nourished with a philosphical system(s), as well as physically nourished?

Life can be very difficult when you're young, if you aren't naturally inclined to favour attention to your bodily sensations (e.g. because of traumatic experiences, a neurodivergence, or painful genetic condition like osteoporosis or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome). Instinctively, you'd rather escape your body through cognition. Maybe you stayed up all night reading as a kid, because to try and settle down quietly was uncomfortable or painful, despite an awareness your body needs to sleep.

As kids, we don't have enough information to make the logical arguments to cognitively regulate discomfort and pain, and it's easy to either dwell on them, or dissociate from bodily sensations to a degree where your thoughts are in a spin and your mind can't calm down enough to let the body rest. Obsession vs. distraction.

As adults, we've gathered more information, and the rate of growth and hormonal change has stabilised and become familiar. We also become familiarised with our brains, and the circuits that tend to habitually fire. We get to know ourselves, and recognise our habitual patterns, shaped by the environments we have been given and sought.

Habitual patterns can be changed, once they are noticed. The thought "life is bad" can be countered with "life is good" (and yes, the precursor of "what is bad/good?" is another argument, but let's take it to be Maslow's hierarchy - it is good to self-actualize, and bad to have needs unmet or insufficiently met).

This leads you to a place of cognitive neutrality. It doesn't feel great, but it doesn't feel horrible, either. It's just a question that can be proven or disproven - a null hypothesis.

We don't like being neutral for long. We want proof or disproof of the neutral perspective. Living things want to feel good, as in, have their needs met, giving them the freedom to wander, wonder, and appreciate the beauty in their surroundings.

Over time, once the counterpoint is constructed, a mind makes the argument for life being bad less and less, until a need is unmet. One can get used to needs being unmet and maintain the "right" philosophical standpoint for survival in dire conditions, although it might not feel "good" - this might be described as ascetism. However, one probably shouldn't and won't, where needs can be met - because you have come to know "better," as in, what makes your body specifically feel better.

So, in this manner, health can be managed. OCD can be countered, BPD can be regulated, the worst of some forms of bipolar can be mitigated, anxiety can be relieved, depression can be lifted.

Growing your own neuronal networks and firing the impulses you want to (as well as getting comfortable with the ones you don't) takes time. Plenty of people will try to change you to fit their normal. Part of the process is learning that individual bodies' normals (including memories!) do not always agree, so you should find and talk to the ones who support and add to yours, rather than subtracting from it, and to hold your own when you must speak with a challenge.

That said, it may be the more effective means of coping over pharmaceutical drugs. A highly sensitive body responds better to its endogenous ligand (natural molecule) than a replacement, exogenous ligand from outside. On a physical level, the kinetics of dissociation and association of the endogenous ligand are the body's "normal." We just have to make the impulses work for our wellbeing.

If the "normal" is truly unattainable (significant allelic variation), or temporarily unattainable (environmental hardship, changes in epigenetic expression), an exogenous ligand can be applied. It won't have the same effect, because of differing chemical structures, and this is why we get side effects. The receptors get hit slightly wrong, and the pathways fire a bit funny, which has implications for the rest of your body as well as your mind.

Side effects may be bearable. They may be unbearable. You will form a perception and a judgement of the effect of application of an endogenous ligand, and pick the path that is right for your homeostasis, your maintenance of your understanding of "normal," or to fashion a path that returns you to your "normal" (your best epigenetic expression and physical patterns).

We've got a lot of language for attaining the normal, "right" perspective. There's "feeling right." There's "nirvana." There's possessing the "Sight." There's "recovery." It's all about directing energy flow to your will, and knowing the functional bounds of mind and body (which may not be the actual bounds, say, if you have a connective tissue disorder, or a predisposition to emotional intensity).

So, find the structures you have. Do you know about Wiccan practice? The Christian God? Science? Maths? Literature?

Know your language. All that you know can be related using a series of logical connectives and grammatical structures. Assume there is no mutual exclusivity here, because all of this exists, even if it hasn't been fully explained by science. Even a psychotic or psychedelic experience has basis in the physical reality of matter and energy. Your subjective, internal reality is real, because it is here.

This is hard in English, because it's often structured illogically and still understood, but remember irrationality too is part of an equation. Remember 2πr, from geometry in school? Pi is an irrational number. It's okay, and important, to be irrational sometimes! You'll find the integers, or points, that you require a return to.

You are part of the process. Numerically, you are supposed to be here. The cost-benefit analysis for your body favours you.

Hello, world.

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ultrasfcb-blog · 6 years

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German GP: Jolyon Palmer column - Ardour, brilliance & pricey errors

German GP: Jolyon Palmer column – Ardour, brilliance & pricey errors

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, who left Renault through the 2017 season, has joined the BBC group to supply perception and evaluation from the standpoint of the rivals.

I like sport due to the emotion, the eagerness, the highs, the lows, the moments of brilliance and the pricey errors. On the German Grand Prix, all that occurred in simply 24 hours.

First, there was the drama of qualifying. Lewis Hamilton, who was already on a troublesome run in latest grands prix, had extra dangerous luck.

A non-finish in Austria after a torrid race he had initially led, after which defeat in his dwelling race at Silverstone final day trip had left the Mercedes driver barely on the again foot in his championship combat with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

However dangerous luck hit once more in qualifying on Saturday in Germany. This time, it was a hydraulic leak and it meant Hamilton was consigned to beginning 14th.

This stuff occur now and again. Actually, earlier than Austria, Hamilton had been within the extraordinarily lucky place of not having a retirement brought on by a mechanical challenge since his pricey engine failure of Malaysia 2016. Nevertheless, the harm was very apparent on this case.

I used to be racing for Renault when Hamilton’s engine blew in Malaysia, successfully costing him the title to team-mate Nico Rosberg. He prompted a little bit of a storm when he complained on tv about it, saying “one thing or somebody does not need me to win this yr”. However I do not keep in mind his response being as downbeat and as little as he was after qualifying on Saturday.

Anguish for Hamilton; a excessive for Vettel

Hamilton suffered hydraulic failure within the first a part of Saturday’s qualifying session and began the German Grand Prix from 14th on the grid

On Saturday, Hamilton was so determined to get again to the pits he began pushing the automotive again – when he nonetheless had greater than a 3rd of the lap to go! It was by no means going to work.

The desperation was clear, and so was the despair as his automotive was in the end pushed by the marshals to the aspect of the observe so qualifying may resume with out him.

Hamilton did his now trademark crouch down towards the automotive, head bowed, and appeared a determine of distress.

The fallout from it, with everybody making an attempt to establish whether or not it was his fault or not, did nothing to elevate his temper both.

At first, it appeared as if Hamilton had prompted the failure by operating over the kerbs. Mercedes initially mentioned as a lot earlier than each group and driver concluded the automotive had already failed, which prompted the kerb-bouncing incident.

Finally, it did not matter. The injury was achieved. However Hamilton appeared affected. He posted Nelson Mandela quotes concerning the that means of affection and hatred on his Instagram web page, and what was a foul day appeared to be spiralling emotionally uncontrolled.

The distinction on Saturday was Vettel.

He took an excellent pole place in entrance of a rejuvenated German dwelling crowd, the most important I’ve seen at Hockenheim by far (I wasn’t round for the Michael Schumacher glory days).

The eruption as Vettel crossed the road to take pole was loud – loud sufficient for Hamilton to listen to and deepen the injuries of a torrid day.

Destiny activates its head

From 14th to first, this was an enormous win for the four-time world champion

The important thing factor for skilled sportsmen is to cope with adversity. It occurs to everyone sooner or later to various levels.

I had a turning level in my profession after I acknowledged I may now not management something that had already occurred. It appears such a easy, apparent factor, however there is no level holding on to the frustration of days passed by or desirous about what may have been.

You need not neglect concerning the previous; it is good to study classes from it. However at any time when a brand new session or a brand new day comes it is all about maximising what you are able to do on that day.

On Sunday, Hamilton did precisely that. Beginning 14th, with the tempo benefit of the highest three groups over the others and with Daniel Ricciardo ranging from the again in a Pink Bull, a superb haul of factors was certainly the minimal expectation, as long as he saved his nostril clear via the opening few corners within the midfield melee.

Prime 5; minimal. A podium? Presumably. However a win? Certainly no likelihood.

Nicely, simply over an hour and a half after the lights went out, Hamilton was someway coming again with that win. As he celebrated, his engineer Pete Bonnington declared “miracles do occur, mate” over the radio.

Hamilton’s nice drive

However this was no miracle. This was pure dedication from a driver who had firmly put his dangerous luck behind him. His first stint was essential, maintaining his delicate tyres alive whereas others struggled, and matching the Ferraris for tempo on a lot older tyres even after they’d pitted for brand spanking new.

That meant Hamilton may pit for brand spanking new ultra-soft tyres simply because it began raining and the observe started to get slippery, and with that his tempo was electrical. Hamilton all the time shines when it rains, and at occasions he was lapping three seconds a lap sooner than these forward of him.

Even with out Vettel going off it is conceivable Hamilton may have received the race, such was his tempo within the circumstances.

The rain teemed down after the rostrum celebrations, however Hamilton did not care. He was still celebrating with fans, amid lightning forks and claps of thunder.

The identical followers had cheered Vettel to pole 24 hours earlier than. That they had witnessed not solely a implausible race, however a implausible efficiency from a driver who had been via all of the feelings in that very same interval.

A pricey error from Vettel

Vettel went from first to out after a crash on Flip 13 of Lap 52

The distinction on Sunday was once more Vettel.

He led from the entrance and, barring some needly exchanges between himself, the group, and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, he was in full management… till lap 52.

When you find yourself on untreaded, ‘slick’ tyres and it begins raining, they’re the toughest circumstances in racing. There may be now sufficient rain to pit for treaded ‘moist’ tyres – as others had achieved erroneously – so that you simply need to slither round on a tyre that is not designed for the circumstances, with a tiny margin for error.

Vettel bought it incorrect. He misjudged the circumstances, braking too late into Sachs Kurve, a notoriously punishing nook within the Stadium part of Hockenheim, and ended up within the wall.

He instantly began swearing and hitting the steering wheel in frustration and sounded virtually in tears as he apologised to the group for the crash.

It was a triple whammy of ache. Firstly, crashing out of the lead of the race. Secondly, as a result of it was his dwelling race, one which meant a lot and he had crashed out proper in entrance of the majority of the 120,000 followers. Thirdly, as a result of he then needed to watch Hamilton drive flawlessly to take all of the plaudits and a 17-point championship lead as effectively.

What may have been.

How does Vettel bounce again?

Vettel says he will not have bother sleeping after crashing out of the German Grand Prix

Vettel should now transfer on, simply as Hamilton did earlier than the race.

It was a really totally different accident to his one in Singapore final yr, when he arguably triggered a multi-car pile-up in the beginning, however in some ways it’s a related state of affairs.

In Singapore, Vettel began on pole and Hamilton was fifth and up towards it. And, simply as in Germany on Sunday, Vettel crashed out and Hamilton received. It appeared like a turning level within the championship as Vettel by no means recovered.

Whereas there are similarities, this yr feels totally different. Not least as a result of Ferrari are extra aggressive on the entire. However Vettel actually must hit again this weekend in Budapest.

A 17-point lead in the championship on the midway level is tiny, virtually irrelevant. But when Hamilton wins on the Hungaroring on Sunday and something occurs to Vettel, the lead may leap as much as 42 factors on the summer time break. The hole would go from virtually irrelevant to very massive, virtually insurmountable.

It is a good factor for Vettel that he wants to attend just a few days to be again within the automotive and making amends. As a driver, the worst factor is to make a mistake and be left stewing on it for too lengthy with no likelihood to rectify it.

A season to savour

This good season has been an epic two-way combat for the title between the giants of the game – Hamilton versus Vettel; Mercedes versus Ferrari.

It has been a beautiful yr stuffed with twists and turns and I am positive there are a lot extra to return.

However in so many championships you’ll be able to look again with hindsight at a key second that determined the vacation spot of the title.

On Saturday, everybody was questioning whether or not Hamilton’s hydraulic failure could possibly be a turning level within the season. Clearly now it will not be.

As a substitute, the query marks are all about whether or not Vettel’s crash would be the decisive second of the season. It is as much as him to reply now in the identical manner Hamilton did on Sunday and guarantee it will not be.

BBC Sport – Formula 1 ultras_FC_Barcelona

ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/formula1/10739/

#Barcelona

#formula1

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davidcdelreal · 6 years

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Best Long-Term Investment Strategies & Products

There’s an almost constant investment push-pull going on between safety and growth. Safety offers protection of principal, but not much future potential.

In fact, with today’s interest rates, safe investments can lose money through inflation.

That’s where growth becomes necessary. It has risks, but the best long-term investments will overcome those risks, and grow your money many times over.

Why Long-Term Investments Need to be Just That

If short-term investing is about capital preservation, long-term investing is about wealth creation.

It’s about building the kind of investment portfolio that will provide you with income for later in life, and for the rest of your life. That could be retirement, or sometimes sooner.

But it can only happen if you create the amount of wealth necessary to provide the level of income you need to live.

Long-term investing means accepting a certain amount of risk in the pursuit of higher rewards. This generally means equity type investments, like stocks and real estate.

They tend to be the best long-term investments because of their potential for capital appreciation.

They need to make up the bulk of your long-term portfolio allocation.

An interest-bearing security may produce only a few percentage points gain each year. But capital appreciation can produce double-digit returns, and lead to increasing your portfolio many times over in the future.

Be Prepared to Ride Out the Ups and Downs – They’re All Part of the Game

The risk with long-term investments is that they can fall in value at any given time. They are of course, equity investments, and have no guarantee of principal.

But because you’re holding them for the long term, they’ll have a chance to recover. That stacks the deck in your favor. Though an investment may be down 20% over the next five years, it could double or triple in value – or more – in the next 10.

That’s why you have to think long-term – to give yourself a chance to overcome the short-term dips, in favor of longer term returns.

You also need to do it to maximize investment returns. Rather than selling a stock that has a 50% gain in five years, you should instead hold on longer, to get 100%, 200% or more.

Those are the kinds of returns you can expect when you become a long-term investor. And there are plenty of investments out there that can make that happen.

There are different types of asset classes, with different levels of risk. Since there’s no way to know for sure which will perform the best, or avoid dips in the near-term, the best strategy is to invest in all at the same time.

Here are the best long-term investments, and where to invest in them to get the best possible returns.

1. Stocks

In a lot of ways, stocks are the primary long-term investment. They have the following advantages:

They’re “paper” investments, which means you don’t have to manage a property or a business.

They represent ownership in profit generating companies. In a real way, investing in stocks is investing in the economy.

Stocks can rise in value, often spectacularly over the long-term.

Many stocks pay dividends, providing you with steady income.

Most stocks are very liquid, enabling you to buy and sell them quickly and easily.

You can spread your investment portfolio across dozens of different companies and industries.

You can invest across international borders.

The many benefits of investing in stocks haven’t been lost on investors. The average annual return on stocks, based on the S&P 500, is on the order of 10% per year.

That includes both capital gains and dividend income.

And when you consider that it’s the return on investment over something close to 100 years, it means it has produced those returns in spite of wars, depressions, recessions, and several stock market crashes.

For that reason, nearly every investor should have at least some of his or her portfolio invested in stocks. Though some investors are active traders, and there are even some who engage in day trading, a buy-and-hold strategy over many years tends to produce the most consistent results.

There are two very broad categories of stocks you might be interested in: growth stocks and high dividend stocks.

Growth Stocks

These are stocks of companies with the primary attraction of long-term growth.

They often pay no dividends at all, and even if they do they’re very small. Companies with growth stocks primarily reinvest profits in growth, rather than paying dividends to stockholders.

The returns on growth stocks can be dramatic. Apple stock is an excellent example. As recently as 1990, it could have been purchased for less than $1. But as of today, Apple is trading at about $168 per share.

Had you invested $1,000 in the stock in 1990, you now have about $168,000!

Of course, Apple is an example of a classic successful growth stock. There are other success stories, but there are at least an equal number of growth stocks that never go anywhere.

And even among the success stories, there’s often a lot of volatility. A stock that rises by 100-fold could experience wild swings in both directions along the way.

High Dividend Stocks

Much the opposite of growth-oriented companies, high dividend stocks are issued by companies that return a substantial amount of net profits to shareholders.

From an investor standpoint, high dividend stocks often pay yields higher than fixed-income investments.

For example, while the current yield on a 10 year US Treasury Note is 2.79%, high dividend stocks often pay more than 3% per year.

Examples include AT&T, with a current dividend yield of 5.57%, Verizon, with a current dividend yield of 4.92%, and General Electric, with a current dividend yield of 3.61%.

This isn’t a recommendation of any of these stocks, but more of an example of the kinds of dividend yields that are available.

High dividend stocks have another advantage. Since they’re stocks, they also have the prospect of capital appreciation. An annual dividend yield of 4% or 5%, plus 5% to 10% per year in capital appreciation, could produce one of the best long-term investments possible.

In fact, some investors prefer high dividend stocks. The dividend paid often makes the stock less volatile than pure growth stocks. There’s even some evidence that high dividend yields provide some insulation against downturns in the general stock market.

But high dividend stocks aren’t without risks either. A decline in earnings could make it difficult for a company to pay dividends.

It’s not unusual for companies to either reduce or eliminate their dividend completely. As you might expect, the stock price can collapse when they do.

The best way to buy individual stocks is through a large, diversified low-cost investment broker. They offer the best combination of investment options, investor information, and low trading fees.

Here are some of the possibilities:

Scottrade

E*TRADE

TD Ameritrade

2. Long-term Bonds – Sometimes!

Long-term bonds are interest-bearing securities with terms greater than 10 years. The most frequent terms are 20 years and 30 years.

There are different types of long-term bonds, including corporate, government, municipal and international bonds.

The primary attraction of bonds is usually the interest rate. Since they’re long-term in nature, they usually pay higher yields than shorter-term interest-bearing securities.

For example, while the yield on the US 5-year Treasury Note is currently 2.61%, the return on the US 30-year Treasury Bond is 3.03%. The higher yield is to compensate investors for the greater risks involved in longer-term securities.

The biggest risk to bonds is that interest rates will rise. Let’s say you purchase a 30-year US Treasury bond with a 3% yield in 2018. But by 2020, the yield on similar securities is 5%.

The risk is that you will be locked into the bond for another 28 years, at a below-market interest rate.

But that’s hardly the worst of it. Bond prices tend to move inverse to interest rates. That means when interest rates rise, the market value of the underlying bond declines.

In the example above, a $1,000 bond paying 3% – or $30 per year – would have to fall to $600 in order to produce a 5% yield, consistent with the new market conditions.

You’ll still get your full $1,000 face value on the bond if you hold it to maturity. But if you sell it at the discounted market price, you’ll lose money.

How Bonds can Become One of the Best Long-term Investments

If interest rates fall below the rate you purchase your bond at, the market value of the bond could rise.

Let’s use the same example as above, except that in 2020 interest rates on the 30-year bond have fallen to 2%.

Since your bond is yielding 3%, it may rise to a market value of $1,500, which would produce an effective yield of 2% ($30 divided by $1,500).

In a falling rate environment, bonds would not only provide you with interest income, but also capital appreciation – much like stocks.

Now in all fairness to reality, that’s an unlikely scenario right now. Interest rates continue to be running at near record lows. For example, the 30-year US Treasury bond yielded over 15% back in 1981, and spent much of that decade in double digits.

The long-term average yield has been more in the 6% to 8% range. If that’s the case, declining interest rates from here looks pretty unlikely. But who knows?

Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)

Mutual funds and exchange-traded funds aren’t actually investments themselves. Instead, they function as portfolios of a large number of different stocks and bonds.

Some are professionally managed, while others track popular market indexes.

But because of that diversification and management, each can be one of the best long-term investments available.

Funds are particularly valuable for people who want to invest but don’t know much about the process. All you need to do is allocate a certain amount of your investment capital into one or more funds, and the money will be invested for you.

Also, most people who invest in individual stocks and bonds don’t perform as well as funds do.

Funds offer advantages beyond investment management. You can use funds to invest in the financial markets virtually any way you want.

For example, if you want to invest in the general market, you can choose a fund that’s based on a broad index, like the S&P 500. Funds can also invest in either stocks or bonds.

Bonds are particularly well-suited to funds. As an individual investor, it may be difficult to diversify among a large number of bonds. Lots of investors don’t fully understand bond investing either. Using a fund for your bond allocation can give you a professionally managed, well-diversified bond allocation.

You can also invest in specific market sectors. That can include high-tech, where you choose a fund with that specialization. You can do the same thing with agriculture, energy, real estate, healthcare, or pharmaceuticals.

It’s even possible to invest in individual countries, or specific regions, such as Europe or Latin America.

In today’s investment environment, there’s a fund for just about any specialization. This makes it very easy for you to invest based on favored industries or geographic locations.

3. Mutual Funds

Mutual funds generally fall into the category of actively managed funds. That means the purpose of the fund isn’t to simply match the underlying market index, but to outperform it.

For example, rather than investing in all the stocks in the S&P 500, a fund manager may choose the 20, 30 or 50 stocks he or she believes to have the best future prospects.

The same is true within industry sectors. Though there may be 100 companies engaged in a specific industry, the fund manager may choose 20 or 30 he or she believes to be the most promising.

The fund manager may use various criteria to determine the top performers – it all depends on the purpose of the fund.

For example, some funds may favor revenue or earnings growth. Others may look for value – investing in stocks that are fundamentally strong, but are selling below those of competitors in the same industry.

Mutual fund managers have varying degrees of success at active management. In fact, most don’t outperform the market. Only about 22% of mutual funds outperform for as long as five years.

4. ETFs

ETFs are set up similar to mutual funds, in that they represent a portfolio of stocks, bonds or other investments.

But unlike mutual funds, ETF’s are passively managed. That means that rather than specific securities being selected within the fund, it instead invests in an underlying index.

The most common is the S&P 500. That gives the fund full exposure to the US large-cap market.

And since it includes the largest companies in virtually every industry, all major industry sectors will be included.

ETFs can also invest in mid-cap and small-cap stocks, based on indexes that represent those markets.

In each case, the ETF attempts to closely match allocations in the underlying index. This includes not only the number of stocks in the index, but also matching the percentage representation in the index of each security.

The limitation of ETF’s is that they merely seek to match the performance of the underlying index, not to exceed it.

But ETFs are generally lower cost than mutual funds. For example, a lot of mutual funds charge load fees of between 1% and 3% of your investment. ETF don’t charge load fees.

The primary trading fee on ETF’s is the broker commission. That’s usually comparable to stocks, and runs between $5 and $10 at major discount brokerage firms.

The specific market exposure, combined with low trading costs, makes ETFs perfect if you’re mostly concerned about creating a well-balanced portfolio allocation.

And since they can be purchased on a per share basis, they require a lot less investment capital than mutual funds, that typically require a flat dollar amount investment, say $3,000 or more.

5. Real Estate

Real estate is frequently mentioned as an alternative to stocks as the best long-term investment. That’s because real estate has produced similar returns to stocks, at least since World War II.

For example, according to the US Census Bureau, the median price of a single-family home in the US was under $3,000 in 1940. But as of March, 2018, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis reports that the median price of an existing home sold is $241,700. That’s a more than 80-fold increase in price!

The most basic way to invest in real estate is by owning your own home. Unlike other investments, real estate can be heavily leveraged, particularly if you’re an owner occupant.

For example, it’s possible to buy an owner-occupied home with as little as 3% down.

That would give you the ability to purchase a $200,000 house with just $6,000 for the down payment.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that house prices will continue to rise the way they have in the past. But if the value of a $200,000 house doubles in 20 years, you’ll get a $200,000 return on a $6,000 investment!

That doesn’t even count the fact that the mortgage on the property will be more than half paid after 20 years.

And don’t forget – while the house is rising in value, providing an incredible investment return, it will also be providing shelter for you and your family.

Investing in Rental Real Estate

This is the next step up from owning your own home. It’s more complicated than an owner-occupied house because buying it has to make sense from an investment standpoint.

For example, the purchase price and carrying costs have to be low enough to be covered by the monthly rent payment.

Another complication is that investment property has to be managed. But you can hire a professional real estate management company to do that for you – at a fee.

Still another issue is the down payment requirement. While you might be able to purchase an owner-occupied home with 3% down, an investment property will usually require a minimum of 20%.

If the purchase price of the property is $200,000, you’ll need to come up with $40,000 upfront.

There are two ways to make money investing in rental real estate:

Rental income, and

Capital appreciation.

In most markets today, it’s very difficult to buy a rental property that will reduce a positive cash flow at the very beginning. Breaking even is a more realistic goal.

But as the years pass, and rents rise, you’ll begin to make a profit. This will produce a monthly income.

Best of all, once your mortgage is paid for, the positive cash flow will increase dramatically.

But it’s more likely most rental real estate is purchased for capital appreciation. It works the same as it does for an owner-occupied property.

For example, if you make a 20% down payment ($40,000) on a $200,000 property, and it doubles in value in 20 years, you’ll have a $200,000 return on a $40,000 upfront investment.

And once again, after 20 years, the mortgage on the property will be more than half paid.

Rental real estate is one of the very best long-term investments.

Real Estate Investment Trusts

If you want to own real estate over and above an owner-occupied home, or if you don’t want to take on the complication of rental real estate, there is a third option. You can invest in real estate investment trusts, or REITs for short.

The advantage with REITs is that you can invest in them the same way you do with stocks. You buy into the trust, and participate in the ownership and profits of the underlying real estate.

The return on REITs generally comes from either mortgage financing or equity ownership. Where equity is involved, properties are usually commercial in nature.

This can include office, retail, warehouse or industrial space, or large apartment complexes. It’s an opportunity to invest in commercial real estate with a relatively small amount of money, and the benefit of professional management.

What’s more, you can buy or sell your REIT position anytime you like.

REITs function something like very high dividend paying stocks. This is because at least 90% of their income must be returned to investors in the form of dividends.

That can make it one of the highest yielding investments you can have.

For example, the website Reit.com has data showing that REITs had an average annual rate of return of 12.87% between 1970 and 2016. This means they outperformed stocks, which had an average annual return of 11.64% over the same timeframe.

Given the income and performance history of REITs, they can be one of the best long-term investments in a well-balanced portfolio.

Real Estate Crowdfunding

Real estate crowdfunding is still another way to invest in real estate – without getting your hands dirty! It’s much like peer-to-peer lending, except it’s focused on real estate.

It mostly involves commercial real estate, but crowdfunding platforms give you the ability to choose just about any method for investing in property.

Unlike REITs, real estate crowdfunding gives you an opportunity to select the specific real estate investments you want to participate in. You can also choose the amount of your investment, though that can be as little as $1,000.

One of the best real estate crowdfunding platforms is Fundrise.

You can invest on this platform with as little as $500, and average returns are running between 12% and 14% per year.

The one of the biggest advantages with Fundrise is that you don’t have to be an accredited investor.

That’s a requirement with most real estate crowdfunding platforms, and it essentially requires that you be a high income/high asset investor. Other real estate crowdfunding platforms worth checking out include Realty Mogul, RealtyShares, and Peerstreet.

Just be aware that most real estate crowdfunding platforms do require you to be an accredited investor (high income/high net worth), and won’t be available to the average investor.

But that’s also why I like Fundrise, since they don’t have that requirement.

6. Tax Sheltered Retirement Plans

These aren’t actual investments, but they add an important dimension to any investment strategy. When you hold investments in tax-sheltered retirement plans, you get important tax benefits.

First and foremost is the tax deductibility of your contributions. But even more important is tax deferral of investment earnings.

It means your investments can earn income and capital appreciation year after year, without immediate tax consequences. Funds become taxable only when they are withdrawn from the plan.

For example, let’s say you invest $10,000 in the taxable account, with an average annual return on investment of 10%. If you’re in the 30% tax bracket, your after-tax return on investment will be just 7%.

After 30 years, the account will grow to $76,125.

If the same $10,000 is invested in a tax-sheltered retirement plan, with an average annual return on investment of 10%, there will be no immediate tax consequences.

After 30 years, your investment will grow to $174,491.

You’ll earn an extra $98,000 just for having your investments parked in a tax-sheltered retirement plan!

That’s why no discussion of the best long-term investments is possible without considering tax-sheltered retirement plans.

You should take advantage of any accounts available to you, including:

Traditional IRA

Roth IRA

401(k)

403(b)

TSP

Solo 401(k)

SEP IRA

SIMPLE IRA

Any of these accounts should be a priority for holding long-term investments.

Roth IRAs

The Roth IRA deserves a special mention.

That’s because it offers tax-free income in retirement. That’s right – tax-free, and not just tax-deferred.

With the Roth, as long as you are at least 59 ½ years old when you begin taking distributions, and you have been in the plan for at least five years, any withdrawals you make are tax-free.

And since you may have more income in retirement than you think, having at least some of it coming from Roth IRA is a brilliant strategy. Some people get confused about Roth IRAs because of the word “IRA”.

They might confuse them with traditional IRAs.

But while there are similarities, there are a lot of differences between Roth and traditional IRAs. I love Roth IRAs, and once you learn more about them, you’ll want to start one right away.

7. Robo-Advisors

This is another important consideration when investing, particularly if you’re new at it and don’t know how to do it successfully. Robo-advisors have come up fast in less than a decade, and are attracting investors at all levels of experience.

The reason is because robo-advisors handle all the investing for you.

All you need to do is fund your account, and the platform will create and manage your portfolio. That includes reinvesting dividends and rebalancing as necessary.

Many even offer special services, like tax-loss harvesting.

They construct a portfolio of both stocks and bonds, using low-cost ETFs. But some also invest in alternatives, like real estate and precious metals. You can find a robo-advisor covering just about any investment angle you can think of.

Some of the robo-advisors we like include:

Betterment

Wealthfront

Ally Invest

If you’d like to begin investing, but you don’t know how, robo-advisors are an outstanding way to start.

8. Annuities

I have to confess from the start that I have very mixed feelings about annuities.

Some annuities are solid investments, but others are best avoided completely. Annuities are less of an investment, and more of an investment contract you make with an insurance company.

You put up a certain amount of money, either upfront, or over a specific amount of time. In exchange, the insurance company will provide you with a specific income. That term could either be a fixed number of years, or for life.

That all sounds good, but what I don’t like is the fine print.

Since their contracts, annuities come with a lot of details, and some of them aren’t so pretty.

For example, while a lifetime annuity will pay you an income even if your investment is exhausted, should you die before that happens, the remaining balance reverts to the insurance company.

So for example, if you begin taking income payments at 65, and you live to be 95, you win. But if you diet 75, you lose. Or at least your heirs will.

Most annuities are not good investments. Variable annuities come to mind quickly. They invest in insurance company-sponsored mutual funds, which are usually not as good as the ones you can pick for yourself.

Insurance agents often make a hard push for these annuities, which should be a warning in itself.

Good Annuities worth Considering

But there are a few that are worthy of consideration as long-term investments.

One is the Fixed Indexed Annuity.

What I like about this one is that there truly safe – the value can only go up, not down.

Another that I like are Fixed Annuities.

They’re good for retirees because they work much like CDs. You invest money, and you’re paid a fixed rate of interest that’s guaranteed and tax-deferred. They can be set up to provide you with an income for life.

And still, another is Deferred Income Annuities.

These work much like an IRA. In that, you invest money for a time, accumulate investment income on it, and later distributed as a guaranteed lifetime income. These also come with a guaranteed interest rate.

They’re an excellent choice if you’re not covered by a traditional pension plan.

Final Thoughts on the Best Long-term Investments

There’s something of an ongoing debate between which is the best long-term investment – stocks, bonds, or real estate. But from an investment standpoint, it’s a debate that’s probably not worth spending too much time on.

The best course of action is usually to put some money into each of the three.

Different investment assets outperform others in different financial markets. Stocks may be the primary investment today, but real estate might take its place in a few years, and bonds after that.

Focus less on which asset class you should favor, and more about achieving a solid allocation between the three.

Since we can’t know what the future holds, and how investments will perform, the best strategy is to be invested in all three, at all times.

The post Best Long-Term Investment Strategies & Products appeared first on Good Financial Cents.

from All About Insurance https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/best-long-term-investments/

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floydl25690370-blog · 6 years

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sleepadvisor · 7 years

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Our Top 5 Highest Rated Mattresses for Teenager in 2017 Reviewed

In today’s world teenagers have it so much easier than we did. They have the latest phones, clothes, laptops and video games. So why are they still sleeping on last year’s mattress?

I know what a struggle it can be to live with an adolescent, especially when they hit that point of exponential growth. You’ll soon find they’re in need of a new mattress so that finally they can get a good night’s sleep, wake up in a better mood and hopefully pass those exams.

If you’re in a hurry check out the Tuft & Needle: This is the best option for a teen, because it has a perfect materials, size and comfort, and it’s 100% Made in the USA.

However, buying the right one isn’t so simple. Not only do you have a fussy teenager to find the “perfect” bed for, but you more than likely have a budget. There’s nothing worse than buying something that they’ll outgrow in a week or that isn’t comfortable.

Therefore, We’ve carried out some extensive research to create a guide that will solve your problem and show you how to choose and which is the best mattress for a teenager once and for all. I’ve scrolled through dozens of reviews from parents and teens alike so you can save time and money when buying a bed, skipping straight to the ones you need.

IMAGENAMETYPETHICKNESSWARRANTYRATING Tuft & NeedleT&N adaptive foam10"10 Years8.6/10 Best Price MattressMemory, Super Soft and high density foam10”10 Years8.5/10 LinenSpaMemory Foam and Innerspring8”10 Years8.2/10 Signature SleepMemory and high density foam12”1 Year7/10 Englander FinaleInnerspring 10”1 Year6.5/10

Mattress Considerations for Teenagers

Invariably you’re going to need to consider 3 main things when deciding which mattress is best suited for your teenager.

Best Bed Size for Teenager

Whether they’ve shot up, grown sideways or suddenly developed a lot of muscle, chances are their old childhood mattress just isn’t big enough any-more.

From an economic standpoint, you’ve probably already worked out that it’s best to get a twin. But what’s best for your wallet, unfortunately, might not be best for your teen, especially when their feet are hanging off the end of the bed each night!

If they’ve grown tall with no indication of slowing down anytime soon, you’d be best off looking at larger beds, maybe even a queen. Yes, it’s going to cost more money up front, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than replacing both a bad and mattress after future growth spurts.

This handy chart from shows just how different twin and queen sizes are:

SizeInches Twin39 x 75 Double54 x 75 Queen60 x 80 King76 x 80

Sleeping Position

From early on in life, we know which sleeping position works best for us. Therefore, to make the best choice you’ll need to find a bed that supports your sleeping position, even as teenagers.

A standard position is one we have carried with us since birth, the fetal position. A bed needs to be relatively firm to support this position. Too soft and you may find yourself rolling onto your front.

Side sleepers – try out a memory foam type or others that are described as soft. This is the trickiest sleeper to find a mattress for because it comes down to personal preference. The arm tends to get in the way when sleeping sideways, so a soft bed will mold more to your shoulder/arm area. However, some side sleepers will still prefer a firmer innerspring bed.

Stomach sleepers – Sleeping on your front also requires reasonable firmness to ensure that you don’t awaken because of sinking into the mattress and feeling as though you may suffocate. Choose a firm bed: avoid a foam one but don’t go for a super hard innerspring one. You need a bed that stops your spine curving too much as it causes lower back pain but also stops you sinking in too much at the chest. This will put pressure on the lungs and make it difficult to keep your head turned to the side.

Choose a mild or slightly soft innerspring, or perhaps a latex foam for both support and stability.

Back sleepers – This is the final and most common position. You can choose either firm or soft depending on your personal preference in this position. It all comes down to how much lumbar support is comfortable to get the best night’s sleep. Make sure to check our recommended beds for back sleepers if your kid sleeps in that position 90% of the time.

Innerspring offers most support and keeps the spine nicely aligned. But this is not particularly good if you occasionally roll over onto side. Foam type is often the worst for sleeping on your back as they offer the least support.

Cost vs. Quality

The cheapest beds are usually innerspring types, simply because they are the most common ones. Of course, there’s still going to be a huge variation depending on brand, etc. If this is what your child is used to, then it’s a good shout. You will find both high quality and poor-quality ones so be careful.

Memory foam products aren’t as expensive as they used to be, so you may be able to find one for the same price as a good innerspring one. HOWEVER, you need to look at the quality of the cheap memory foam beds, there have been some scares in the past due to cheaper materials have more toxic components.

The most expensive products are usually made latex as they can last for over a decade and consumers everywhere seem to rave about them. However they’re hard to come by, you’re unlikely to find one in your local store. You may have to specially order one. Additionally, you should take into consideration that your teenager is probably going to out-grow it or perhaps want a bigger one. It really is important that if you decide it is worth buying, that you select one that will stay suitable for your teenager for years to come.

Water beds are comfortable but do have huge risk associated with them, it’s no stretch of the imagination to realize they can be very messy. Teenagers tend not to be the most careful with their possessions, so the likelihood is; it will burst. The comfort isn’t to everyone’s taste, and the feeling can become unpleasant once the novelty has worn off making them poor long-term options and as a result, we have not included them on this list.

Which Type of Bed?

You’re going to see the following 3 terms thrown around a lot when you’re shopping about and trust us, you’re going to want to know what these actually mean, they’re not just marketing terms! Each mattress type will have different benefits for your teenager, so it’s important to understand.

Don’t worry, everything you need to know is here.

Memory Foam

It’s important to remember that only the top couple inches are memory foam, below that it is generic foam. The optimal density is 4.0-5.3 lb. (per sq. ft.) Try to avoid anything below this as they may fall short on quality.

The foam supports the body well, is usually good for side sleepers and you can find both cheap and expensive ones. It also provides great middle of the road comfort (not too hard not too soft) making them ideal for sharing. When you sit on one side, it supports you, unlike some innerspring mattresses that push up the person on the other end. This is a pretty good benefit if your teenager plans to take this bed with them further through life.

Latex

These are made from foamed latex but don’t confuse them with memory foam as they are quite different, especially when it comes to price.

Latex tends to have hypoallergenic properties (but always check individual product descriptions) and are durable compared to memory foam products. They’re also the eco-friendliest of the 3 types we discuss. They provide the gentle support of a foam mattress without getting overly hot and sweaty.

Innerspring

The type we’re most used to. If a bed is marketed as foam but has springs somewhere in it, you should technically classify it as an innerspring regardless of the foam.

This is the one we’ve all been conditioned with so they will feel quite natural. As you probably already know, they can take a while to break in at first, but once you’ve molded it to your sleeping position, nothing is quite like it. They are the firmest of all the bed types in this article and last several years, although unlikely to last 15 years plus like the other two. There is a huge variety in prices and firmness and depending on quality there’s an innerspring mattress for every budget.

Sleeping Challenges for Adolescents

Teenagers seem to have it tough, don’t they? Or so they would have us believe. The truth is though that they do have a few challenges particular to them that should be considered when selecting the perfect mattress.

Rapidly Growing Body

Most growth spurts happen in early teenage years, so if you’ve made it through that stage with the same bed, that means one of 2 things: your bed is now probably no longer fit for purpose, or the growth spurt hasn’t happened yet.

Either way, this is the opportune time to find a good bed to help the body relax and recover from growth spurts as they happen. Growing pains can be intense and keep us up at night. Foam and latex mattresses are reportedly much better for easing aches and pains compared to innerspring, so if growing pains or aches in general (maybe your kid is into sports) are a real problem, look at these types first.

Body’s Circadian Rhythm Is Reset

The circadian rhythm is like the rhythm of life. It keeps our bodies in sync with the world around us, helps us wake up when the sun is up and makes us get tired when it gets dark. This is disrupted when we’re around 14-15 years old, and it takes some time to adjust with puberty, and hence you’ll find them getting up later than normal and not feeling tired in the evenings.

This is completely normal, while a new bedding might not bring that rhythm into a good cycle, it’s still going to ensure that whatever sleep they do get, even if it’s very little, will be very restful and of good overall quality.

More Sleep Needed

Teenagers need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night depending on which study you believe, but if the bed is uncomfortable and they’ve just got that new game on the Xbox, they’re more likely to stay up late anyway. A good mattress is not only going to support their body and ensure any sleep they get is deep, but fingers crossed it will encourage them to settle down that little bit earlier too.

Top 5 Teenage Bed Reviews

Below are 5 of my favorite highest rated options as a good reference of what you should be looking for:

Tuft & Needle – Best Queen Size Option

100% Made in the USA.

This queen size one is very supportive like all memory foam, but without the heat retention.

Developed in Arizona by scientists, this bed ships across the states.

It was rated a Best Buy in 2016, and there are thousands of happy customers across the states already.

There’s plenty of space on this bed for your growing kid, and you’ll find it very supportive and comfy for easing those growing pains.

This is a mattress they can proudly take with them when they move out.

Material

Lifespan

Price

Warranty

OVERALL RATING: 8.6 out of 10

PROS

Crafted from high-quality T&N adaptive foam

Memory foam is firmer than other brands

Non-sweaty; foam that breathes and won’t overheat

Other sizes available for smaller adolescents

100-night sleep trial just in case you’re not happy with it (unlikely)

CONS

Costs more than the first options, but you’re supporting a homegrown US business.

Best Price Mattress 10-Inch (Ideal Full-Size Option)

This is a fantastic full-size memory foam mattress.

It is designed with comfort and posture in mind to counter any abnormal sleeping positions and alleviate any pain by cushioning the joints and supporting them gently.

Your kid is likely to appreciate this after a football tournament or a dance rehearsal.

The brilliant 10-year warranty will see your child clearly through their teenage years and give you that extra piece of mind that you are really getting great value for money.

It boasts a pressure point system to ease tension across various locales on the body, which most buyers rave about.

Material

Lifespan

Price

Warranty

OVERALL RATING: 8.5 out of 10

PROS

Highly supportive

Full size for growing teens

Tension reducing pressure point system

Available in smaller sizes if needed

CONS

Some people find this too soft compared to other memory foams, but that’s just down to personal preference

Not all sellers will deliver to every state so check around before buying

LinenSpa 8-Inch – Good Twin Size Option

The first hybrid on the list! This product is a combination of both innerspring and memory foam, so it really brings you the best of both worlds.

It has a medium firm feel that you get with innerspring with added support from the foam.

It even has a soft quilted top over the 1.5-inch foam layer.

This bed has been particularly popular with heavy and muscular sleepers.

It arrives rolled up, so simply unroll onto the bed and you’re ready for a good night’s sleep.

Material

Lifespan

Price

Warranty

OVERALL RATING: 8.2 out of 10

PROS

Perfect for back and side sleepers who move around

Twin size is great value for money

Super supportive while still feeling like a foam

Foam won’t dent or condense under heavy weights due to springs

Quilted cover reduces foam heat retention

CONS

Quite thin compared to a true innerspring, but much softer too

Steel coils are bouncy – make sure your teen doesn’t bounce and break the mattress, as fun as that is

Signature Sleep 12-Inch Memory Foam – Twin

This one is made from CertiPUR-US certified foam, so you know you can trust it.

The 12-inch signature model fits a twin size frame but may come up a bit higher than you’re used to.

The first layer of foam is 3.5inches, but it’s the under a layer of 8.5 inches of high-density foam that makes this unique.

It will distribute weight easily and stay firm no matter how much tossing and turning, meaning this is a good choice for stomach sleepers.

The people that love this mattress say it absorbs movement well, keeping you snug and supported all night through.

Material

Lifespan

Price

Warranty

OVERALL RATING: 7 out of 10

PROS

Easy to clean due to high-quality cover

2 layers of memory foam at different densities for luxurious support

Arrives compressed, rolled and vacuumed to keep delivery costs down (springs back up in no time, trust me)

Tried and tested – this memory foam is safe to sleep on

CONS

Some people find this quite firm for a memory foam because of the double layers, but that just makes it even more suitable when transitioning from an innerspring the first time

Englander Finale 10-Inch Innerspring – Twin

It may be the last on our list, but by no means is it the least impressive.

For a twin sized bed, this is the innerspring option.

If you’re unsure if the foam is right for you, stick with this one as it’s simply the best innerspring mattress option available for teenagers, adults and kids alike.

The manufacturers themselves say it’s perfect for the spare room and can take a beating with ease, so when your child has outgrown it there’s no need to throw it away; it will still be as good as new.

Almost all buyers agree this is fantastic value for money.

Material

Lifespan

Price

Warranty

OVERALL RATING: 6.5 out of 10

PROS

Firm and supportive, this is a strong mattress for those not keen on foam

Easy on your budget but still a huge, permanent mattress you can rely on

1 year’s warranty included, just in case

Made in the USA with a plush quilted cover

CONS

This mattress might not be the comfiest, but the price is low and it’s perfect for a teen that’s just going to outgrow it next month anyway

Conclusion

So, as you’ve seen, there’s a bit more to picking a mattress to suit those growing (and often moody) adolescent bodies than you first thought. If you’re not keen on any of my top five or want to purchase something a little extra special, keep in mind a few things when shopping around:

Do you want a long-term bed or a short-term solution to a growth spurt?

How does your teen sleep?

Are they going to keep growing, thus meaning you’ll need a new frame next year anyway?

And finally, your budget – are you more concerned with cost or quality?

To wrap this article up neatly for you, I’m going to narrow it down even further and say that The Tuft & Needle queen size is the ultimate mattress for growing teenagers.

Not only is it huge and supportive, but it’s also soft and perfectly designed for growing and aching teen bodies. Furthermore, it’s made here in the USA. What more could you want? It’s going to cost more, but it will be so worth it when your teenager finally gets a good night’s sleep on a bed that they fit on! Out of all that we tried, this one passed the test of time better than any other. It has also been rated #1 Company Culture in America by Entrepreneur Magazine 2017, so keep an eye on them in the future for more top-rated beds.

See Editor's Choice

Back To The Comparison Table

Sources and References:

Common Sleep Disorders in Teens – WebMD

Teens and Sleep – University of LA