A lot of people want their money to do more than just sit in a bank, so they will look into various ways to invest it. There are investment opportunities for people in most financial situations, from small and lower risk, to large and complex. If you are considering investing your hard-earned money, then just be sure you have done your research.

What is investing?

Investing is when a person, or company purchases assets that either increase in value, or at minimum hold their value over time. You can also invest in opportunities and people that create revenue so that your money then starts to work for you rather than just sitting in a bank.

Why should you invest?

When your money is invested correctly, you stand a chance of potentially building your wealth since your money is working for you and trying to outpace inflation. Over time, if you just save your money, it can depreciate in inflationary times, making it harder to increase your funds over a larger period of time.

Top things to invest in

If you are considering what you could invest your money into, here are a few of the top things that people will look to invest their money in.

Real estate investments

For many years people have invested in real estate. This is because there are several ways to acquire a positive return from your investment. If you are just starting out you might want to look at low-end properties such as trailers, and smaller homes to rent out, or renovation projects to fix and sell on after the work has been completed. This could help boost your funds to take the next steps.

The next level is creating a portfolio of properties. This takes you beyond managing just 1-2 properties, and instead, you will have a collection of houses that you own merely for the purpose of investment, with the goal of increasing your wealth. At this stage, you may hire a manager to help you with the workload and keep it an investment, or you may choose to create a company and use it as your business.

Another project in real estate that you can embark on is property development. There is a lot more work involved in this investment, but it could be worth it in the long run as there is a chance to generate a larger return on investment. In this scenario, you will purchase land or property, with the intention of building or renovating a development of value. Topographic Surveys will be undertaken, to provide an overview of the site layout, and then the relevant project managers and contractors are hired to complete the work. However, you need to be aware that most real estate investments are long-term investments that require a lot of capital. 

Investing in smaller assets

If getting into real estate investments is currently out of your reach, or not something that you are interested in, then there are other options you can look at investing in. These options generally carry a lower risk of investment due to the smaller outlay, but due to this, the return on investment is usually lower than if you were to have a long-term and high-value project.

Vehicles

Some people will choose to invest their money into vehicles that appreciate value over time. This doesn’t mean buying a brand-new vehicle from a dealer and hoping that it will eventually be worth a lot of money but instead looking for classic or limited vehicles. Often there are investment opportunities in restoration projects of vintage vehicles too.

Watches

Watches, when kept for long enough, and kept in pristine condition can become extremely valuable, and desired by many. Even if this is not the case, it is very hard to lose money on a high-quality watch if you take proper care of it. This is a reason that many people will create watch collections, not just  because they like the watches, but because it is a fairly risk-free investment with growth potential. Almost everyone has heard of Rolex, and Patek watches but there are many other brands out there in which you can invest, just be sure to do your research and get proof of authenticity.

Jewelry, gold, and silver

Similarly to watch investments, jewelry, gold, and silver are items that very rarely decrease in value. The great thing about investing your money into these assets is not only can you look good wearing them, but it is a great place to start investing if you do not have a great deal of capital available.

If you are new to working with your money, then you should look into where to start investing before making your first purchase or investment and consider these top things to invest in.