Now that you have built room into your budget for saving and investing, it's time to start investing.
Putting money into the markets is tough for most middle-class Americans. They do not trust that the markets will work in their favor.
The first step to investing in the stock market is passive index funds. These ETFs track a particular index.
The simple idea is to consistently invest in these index funds (weekly or monthly) throughout your working years.
You will build a massive nest egg that you can convert into income. The most challenging part of index funds is learning how to make them into dividends. Good Luck!