December 18, 2018 What to Invest In

Be sure to do your research before investing. Here are some ideas.

When you have some money in a savings account, it might not be doing very much for you, and it can be tempting to think that you should take it out and invest it somewhere else. This can be an excellent idea, and one that many people have carried out with great success. However, there is also plenty to be careful of when investing. You should only even invest what you can afford to lose, for example, and carrying out a lot of research before you make the deal is also crucial.

Part of that research will necessarily need to be on exactly what you are going to invest in. We’ve put together some ideas that you might like to investigate. There will be a type of investment that suits everyone, so make sure you find the right one for you.

Bitcoin

You will undoubtedly have heard of bitcoin: it is a cryptocurrency (that is, a digital currency) that has had massive gains in terms of investments. It is no exaggeration to say that there have been a relatively high number of ‘bitcoin millionaires’ made from those who chose to invest in this way.

However, just because other people have made their fortunes from bitcoin, that doesn’t mean you can do the same without plenty of research first. There is a lot to learn. From bitcoin mining to the digital wallets that you need to keep your purchases in, from where you can spend bitcoin to how long it might take to make you money, carrying out research is a good idea. The rewards can be huge with bitcoin, so speak with the experts if you want to know more.

Gold

Gold is another form of currency, but this one is tangible rather than digital. It might not have seen the massive rise that bitcoin has, but it is its very stability that many investors like and it is why they have bought gold over anything else.

The key to gold is that it is finite – it will one day run out. It might take a long time, so potentially gold is a long-term investment rather than something that will bring you riches overnight.

Other Companies

If you have some ‘spare’ money and you aren’t sure what to do with it, you might look at investing in another person’s company. You don’t have to have any business know-how to do this, as you can be a ‘silent partner’, but you can, if you choose wisely and the company is successful, make a good return. Do this enough times and you could be very wealthy indeed. Start with something simple like a company using a maquiladora as the profits will be easier to come by since the initial costs are lower.

Property

Property and real estate is a fantastic idea when it comes to investing as long as, once again, you can be patient. Buying a property and then paying off the mortgage will mean you have an asset that is worth a lot of cash after the initial 25 or 30 years or owning it had gone.

During that time you might:

• Live in the property yourself: If you do this, you can add rooms, change the layout, create more outside space and parking, and keep it well-maintained. Once the mortgage is paid off, you will not only have the initial value of the property, but the changes you have made will make it worth even more.
• Rent it out: If you rent your property out you might not want to make all the changes you would potentially make if you were living there, and therefore the property might not be worth quite as much when you do come to sell it. However, you will be receiving a monthly income from the property, and this can be high depending on where the house is and what condition it is in.
• Do both: Some people buy a property to live in as a long-term investment, but they don’t want to or can’t (due to work commitments or personal circumstances) live there all year round. They may need to live in a different country for half the year, or perhaps they want to go traveling. If that’s the case, they can rent out the property for a short amount of time, perhaps as a holiday let on a week by week or months by month basis. Doing so will still bring in money (maybe as much as a yearly income through standard rentals for half the time), and you can enjoy the house too.

Dan Cormac knows how to make his money go further. A freelance financial journalist, Dan is passionate about personal finance. Whether you hope to escape the chains of debt, to save for a house, or to retire within a decade, Dan explores the most effective ways you can achieve your financial goals.

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