You have probably heard before that you should be investing. And the truth is that investing can be an extremely good way to boost your personal wealth. However, that does not mean it is without its pitfalls. With investing comes certain risks. The higher the potential earnings, the higher the risk, and that is true over pretty much any form of investment. But, if you are prepared to do the research and investigation needed to make a go of investing, there is no reason why you cannot mitigate all the potential risks and be one of the lucky ones.
After all, it’s not what you have, or earn that counts, it is what you do with it. Indeed, someone earning over $100,000 a year may be more in debt and be worse off financially, in real terms, than someone earning $25,000 a year who is wise with their money and invests appropriately, according to thorough independent research.
People are only too happy to take your money, it is you that has to part with it. One thing’s for sure though, although saving money in a bank account is good, it is in no way comparable to investing. Savings accounts generally have very little interest and are usually outpaced by inflation. This means that any money you have saved is going to be worth far less in the future. Investing can, in many cases, outpace inflation and make you more affluent in the future. So, let’s take a look at some investment ideas:
Your Financial Situation
One thing that is of primary concern when it comes to investing in your financial situation. If you have a lot of debt, for example, is it wise to invest or should you pay off the debt first? You need to make a call on that, weighing up the pros and cons of the interest vs. the income gained. If you are someone who struggles financially, then one of the first investments you need to make is learning how to organize and manage your money. In reality, how are you going to manage stocks and shares or cryptocurrency if you cannot look after your own personal bank account?
Getting to grips with your finances and making a relevant budget, and the right kind of personal lifestyle changes are all great ways to manage your money better. It is all about being aware of what you spend. So, if you are one forever using your card and tapping away or buying online after a few drinks, you need to stop this now. One way is to only spends physical cash money. That means no buying online for a whole unless you can get someone else to do it and hand then the cash, for example. But having physical money is a much better way of becoming aware of how much you spend. Another avenue you could go down is seeking helo from a financial planner, who can help you with debt and possibly give you some advice in regards to investing too. Investing is usually best done when you are in a secure and stable financial position. Else you may actually make things worse.
Cryptocurrency
One of the newest forms of investment you can make is with cryptocurrency. A cryptocurrency is a digital form of currency, which has a decentralized intrinsic nature, meaning no one country or institution controls it. It is becoming more and more prevalent among internet transactions. This is due to its convenience and conjunction with new technology such as blockchain, making it easier than ever before to use crypto. The technology associated with crypto makes this form of currency ideal in the online sphere. It is far more transparent, traceable, trackable, simple, efficient, and easy to use. It is simply revolutionizing certain industries already, such as the shipping and logistic industries.
As time goes on, it is expected to only grow in popularity. It is against this backdrop that we have seen a massive rise in the number of companies investing in cryptocurrency. Financial institutions are getting in on the bandwagon, too and making it easier for individual investors to invest via crypto. If you have a Paypal account, you may well have noticed that crypto now appears on it. That is of October 2020 for the US.
If you want to invest in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, it is possible to borrow the funds. Take a look at how to get a bitcoin loan if that avenue is of interest to you. Crytocuirecnt could be a great long-term investment, and it seems certain that it is only going to get more popular as more and more of the world transforms into the digital sphere. However, it is with bearing in mind that although it has a decentralized nature at the moment, it may not always have one. Governments and institutions may still be able to regulate it like the banks. Additionally, at the moment, cryptocurrencies do have a rather volatile nature. And although the potential is great, as seen with Bitcoin, the reverse is just as viable.
Real Estate
Instead of renting, you are far better off owning your own home. That is because, instead of giving a landlord money, you are plowing money into your own investment. Also, property is still rising in value and showing no signs of slowing down at the moment, which makes it a great investment choice. If you do own your own home, then you need to give it certain upgrades to ensure that it increases in value as expected. In certain cases, a mere paint job is enough to keep things looking spic and span. You can also invest in real estate by buying extra properties for the rental market. Just be sure you set everything up legally and protect yourself from bad tenants in the meantime.
Also, buying to sell is a great way to make money on property. If you have a background in construction or can work closely with a builder, this can prove very economical. If you have a large amount of capital, you may be able to get some very cheaper bargains at auctions or by speaking to the banks about foreclosures. Remember though, it is important to do your research as you don’t want to buy somewhere in an area with a very limited price cap or is in such a bad condition that it needs to be bulldozed and rebuilt from scratch. You will have, in effect, bought a very expensive piece of land. However, real estate can be a great area to go down as long as you don’t mind doing a fair bit of work.
The Stock Market
The stock market is a great way to invest, and it can be done with a relatively little bit of money, to begin with. All you need is a share account which you can open at certain banks or with independent online brokers. Remember, independent brokers may offer cheaper transaction fees but are more likely to fold, meaning anything you invested through their platform is lost too. Once you have the account, all you need to do is find a share you like and buy it. However, if you want to be good at investing this way, you need to do a fair bit of homework.
The stock market is about investing in companies, and that means you can look at the company websites, read reviews and other sources of information about them to discover if they really are a great bet. Although the market fluctuation chart can show you where they are trending, it cannot tell you anything about the internal structure of the company. People and their habits ultimately determine the value of a stock, so find out about the companies products and services, etc.
You can make long-term or short-term investments and everything in-between with the stock market. Long-term investments may be great if the company has a high dividend rate, so that is something to be aware of. There is no limit to the number of companies you can invest in. So, ensure that you diversify your investments to protect yourself from the chances of one of your stocks crashing in price.
Bonds
Bonds come in two forms Government and Corporate. Corporate bonds are issued by individual companies, whereas Government bonds are issued by either the federal Government as treasury bonds, or by the local Governments, city, or state and are called Munipicial bonds. Corporate bonds generally offer higher rates of interest than Government bonds. However, they are a riskier option because a corporation is more likely to collapse than the US Government. Bonds are basically where you loan money to the institution for a set period of time; this can be as long as thirty years. Over the set period of time, you will get regular interest payments known as coupons paid to you every so often, like annually or quarterly, depending on your agreement. When the terms ends, the bond matures, and you are usually repaid the full amount of your loan.
