Deciding to invest your money is a smart initiative that merits a pat in the back, but knowing where to invest it is what counts the most in your quest to be financially well-off. And while it seems simpler and more straightforward to just drop your eggs into either one basket or all baskets available, knowing where to funnel your savings into and how much it can grow over time can help you maximize returns on investment. Here are five of the best ways to make your extra cash work for you:
Strike a Balance Between Safety and Risk
Safe stocks are attractive for people who aren’t really risk-averse. Yet while they offer the safety that many volatile and unpredictable assets cannot, they lack the potential high returns that riskier financial instruments offer. Divide your portfolio into a 50/50 mix between safe assets, like value stocks and government bonds, and riskier assets, like currencies and cryptocurrencies.
Pay Off Any Outstanding Debt
While it doesn’t sound as attractive of an investment as investing in stocks, bonds, precious metals, and properties, you shouldn’t ignore the money you’re losing from paying the high interest rates attached to your outstanding titleloan-tampa.com. If you have money to invest, make sure to pay off debt first. This will improve your credit scores and effectively lower the interest rates on your next loans.
Dumpster Dive Cheap Stocks
There are dozens of cheap stocks that have underlying value; one needs only look to find them. Nowadays, investors and traders are paying attention to financial instruments that self-described financial experts and pundits mention and recommend. The problem with these instruments is that they are either too expensive or the stock is just being hyped and the source was paid by the company itself to hype up the market. Do your own research when it comes to selecting the assets you invest in. After you have all the information or at least enough to make an informed decision, only then should you start pouring money into it.
Buy Land
By far the safest type of investment is one that involves land or space. Real estate has, for centuries, been one of the most valued assets and will only continue to increase in value as the human population continues to grow. That being said, the location where you buy property matters. Properties in developing neighborhoods and cities will obviously fetch a higher return on investment over time compared to those in secluded and impoverished areas.
Let Compounding Work For You
Compounding is a simple yet incredibly powerful technique that can amplify returns on investment tenfold. Instead of day trading your portfolio, keep the initial investment amount and any dividend payouts in the account. The larger the account size, the higher the dividend payout is. For instance, if you invest $10,000 at a five percent per year interest rate, in five years, you’d have $2,500 from the interest alone. Now, you have $12,500 paying a five percent per year interest.
Final Thoughts
Investing your money is an art. There is no one linear path to successfully growing your savings into a livable retirement nest. The key is to adapt to changing market conditions and to stick to core investment principles that advocate capital safety.
