The excitement that comes with learning about Financial Independence , choosing platforms, and picking ETFs tends to fade once your strategy is automated. It can leave you wondering how to stay engaged and excited about investing without falling into the trap of taking unnecessary risks.

If you’ve been asking yourself how to spice up long-term investing while keeping it smart and strategic, you're not alone. In fact, one Get Rich Slow Club listener dialled in to find out exactly that.

This episode explores practical tips to keep your long-term investing journey interesting, drawing on Tash and Ana’s own experiences.

Embrace the boring (to some extent)

One thing that might be surprising to hear is that long-term investing isn't meant to be exciting. As Ana says: "It's supposed to be boring. That's why it's long-term investing."

The fact that it feels like a "set it and forget it" process is actually a sign that you're doing it right. If you've automated your investments into low-cost ETFs or other well-chosen assets, you’ve already done the hard part. Now, it's just about staying consistent and letting time do its work.

But as Tash points out, it's easy to want a bit more excitement.

"I get the thing about wanting it to be more exciting, but take a moment to ask yourself: 'Does it need to be more exciting?'"

Before you take drastic action, consider whether you're craving excitement in your financial life – or just generally.

Find excitement in other financial areas

If long-term investing feels like it’s not moving fast enough, find ways to stay engaged with your finances through other means. Personal finance is a broad landscape, and while investing itself can become routine, managing and optimising other aspects of your financial life can bring excitement.

Whether it’s hunting for bargains, improving your budget , or maximising your rewards points, there are plenty of ways to get a thrill while still maintaining a stable, long-term investment strategy. For instance, Tash talks about how she shifted her excitement to tracking travel deals and credit card points.

Track your progress for motivation

Keeping an eye on your financial growth – whether it's through your net worth, dividend payments , or achieving smaller savings goals – can provide a much-needed boost of motivation.

Many investors, including Tash, enjoy watching their net worth climb: "I just hit over $600,000 of my net worth the other day... That's pretty exciting."

Ana also shares how tracking can keep her motivated, especially when it comes to debt: "The other big excitement for me right now is watching my mortgage go down."

Set exciting, shorter-term goals

When you're focused on long-term goals, like retirement or Financial Independence, it can feel like you’re stuck in a distant future. Instead, break down your objectives into smaller, more achievable milestones. Tash mentions an exciting short-term goal: "I need to invest $200,000 more to have my dividends pay for my rent."

By setting these shorter-term goals, you not only stay motivated but also make long-term investing feel more immediate and exciting. These mini-goals can range from saving enough to cover a specific expense to paying off a chunk of debt or hitting a particular net worth figure.

Explore new areas of learning and investing

Another way to inject some excitement into your investment journey is to continue learning.

Ana shares how important it is to stay curious and explore different financial strategies . "As you build more wealth and as you're learning along the way, there are going to be other things that can excite you," she says.

Whether it's researching new industries, exploring ethical investing , or diving deeper into alternative strategies like debt recycling or property trusts, learning keeps you engaged and excited about the possibilities.

Small investments for excitement

If you're still craving some excitement but don’t want to disrupt your core investment strategy, you could consider dedicating a small percentage of your portfolio to more speculative investments. This is known as a core-satellite approach .

Ana and Tash talk about how they dabbled in small investments for fun, like cryptocurrency or individual stocks.

"I had friends buy Nvidia … and now it's up to $1,600 or whatever. It's such a small amount of money, but it's got them excited again," says Tash.

Ana adds a word of caution: "If you're going to dabble in it, make sure you're aware of what percentage of your overall money you're putting aside."

Both Tash and Ana agree that these should be a small part of your portfolio to minimise risk while still giving you something exciting to track. As always. it's worth talking to a financial adviser if you're thinking of changing your financial strategy.

Look to the future

One way to get excited about your investing is to dream big. What will your investments enable you to do?

Both Ana and Tash talk about how long-term investing isn’t just about the money – it’s about what that money can help you achieve. Ana shares that she's excited about using points to plan a family reunion in Europe. Tash is dreaming about going on a gorilla trek in Uganda, with the hope that her dividends might eventually fund the trip.

As Ana explains, "Thinking about my investing and my money enabling me to do these things as opposed to my investing just kind of sitting there" keeps the excitement alive.

Hypothetical conversations to keep it fun

If you're looking for a simple way to make investing more fun, try having hypothetical conversations with friends or family about what you would do with extra money. Tash and Ana talk about how they enjoy these "what if" scenarios, like "What would you do if you got an extra $3 million?"

Even if the likelihood of receiving a large sum of money is low, these conversations can reignite your passion for investing. They can remind you of the bigger picture and what you could achieve in the long run.

Final thoughts

Long-term investing is inherently slow and steady – but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. As Tash and Ana emphasise, there are plenty of ways to stay engaged, whether through tracking progress, exploring new strategies, or simply dreaming about future possibilities.

The key is to keep your core investments stable while allowing yourself to have fun in other areas of personal finance. Remember, if you're feeling bored, it means you've likely already succeeded in setting up a sustainable long-term strategy. Celebrate that!

If this episode sparked something in you, give it a five-star rating, drop a review, or better yet, share it with a friend. And if you're just starting out, the first ten episodes will get the financial gears turning. Follow us at @getrichslowclub and catch our personal updates at @tashinvest or @anakresina.

Happy investing!