This article looks at: What Is The Safest Investment Strategy? If you are new to investing, the options can seem daunting. Often, new investors are looking for the investment opportunities with the lowest risk.
High returns are the best way for investors to double their money. The highest-yielding investments are also the riskiest. To the contrary, low-return investments are typically safer.
Investment considerations
A couple of potential outcomes exist, depending on your level of risk tolerance:
No danger — There will never be a decrease in your primary. There is a chance that you could lose money or not make any progress at all. However, there are two caveats:
Inflation can eat away at the purchasing power of money invested in low-risk assets, and the returns on such assets are lower than those on riskier investments.
If you solely invest in safe options, your purchasing power will decrease with time. That’s why savings in low-risk plays or other short-term assets is a preferable option for your emergency fund. In contrast, higher-risk investments typically produce larger returns over the long run.
The Rule of 72
Every trader should be familiar with the Rule of 72. An old but reliable method for calculating how long it will take for your money to double in value.
If you want to know how long it will take for your investment to double, divide 72 by the yearly growth rate or interest rate you’re using. Consider the following as an illustration:
72 / 2% Growth r. 36.0 Years
It would take 36 years for your investment to double if you earned 2% annually.
The preceding calculations show that if you want to see a return on your investment of 100% within five years, you need a growth rate of at least 15% per year.
There are three ways you can produce a higher growth rate:
Put More Money into It
There is a direct correlation between the amount of money invested and the amount of money earned. As a general rule, it’s smart to put as much money as you can into an investment in the hopes of increasing your profits as quickly as possible. You should do all in your power to raise your annual contributions to your investments, whether you have a retirement fund or hold shares.
Invest for a Longer Period
If you can’t afford to put away a lot of money every year, don’t worry; even a small amount invested each year will grow into a sizable sum over time.
You won’t feel as much pressure to make large contributions if you’re a long-term investor, and this is especially true if you’re investing for retirement. You’ll be able to put a lot more cash toward your monthly goals.
Choose High-Return Investments
Generally speaking, blue-chip companies provide the best returns, at around 10% annually. However, investing in individual stocks has a higher degree of risk because of the increased potential for loss, especially if you plan to retain the stocks for a short period of time (less than three to four years).
Yet, with yields in the range of 5% to 6%, it’s tough to get enthused about low-risk investments like government bonds.
Finding a compromise is your best bet. The low risk and high expected returns of broad market index funds and ETFs make them great investment vehicles. Look for ones that mimic the S&P 500, a historically stable and diverse index.
Keep in mind that it’s preferable to invest over a longer time frame rather than relying on potentially high-risk rewards.
The best low-risk investments
High-yield savings accounts
Although a savings account is not technically an investment, it does provide a small rate of return on your funds. Looking online will help you identify the greatest earning possibilities, and if you’re prepared to compare rates and shop around, you can obtain even more return.
Series I savings bonds
There is little to no danger with a Series I savings bond because of the automatic inflation protection it provides. The bond’s interest rate increases in line with the rate of inflation. However, the bond’s payout decreases as inflation decreases.
Certificates of deposit with a short term
If you keep your CD funds in an FDIC-insured bank account, you can never lose money. Banks’ interest rates vary, so it pays to look around online and check what each one is offering.
Money market funds
Brokerage businesses and mutual fund companies commonly sell money market funds, which are pools of certificates of deposit (CDs), short-term bonds, and other low-risk investments pooled together to diversify risk.
Treasury bills, notes, bonds and TIPS
Treasury bills, Treasury notes, Treasury bonds, and Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) are all products of the United States Department of the Treasury.
All of these investments are easily traded and held, making them ideal for trading often.
Corporate bonds
Bonds are another type of security issued by businesses, ranging in riskiness from quite safe (those issued by large, profitable corporations) to extremely dangerous. High-yield bonds, also known as “junk bonds,” are the absolute worst type of bond available.
Bonds with short remaining maturities offer investors protection against rising interest rates. Bonds with a longer maturity period are more susceptible to interest rate fluctuations. High-quality bonds issued by large, reputable corporations, or funds that invest in a diverse portfolio of such bonds, can help mitigate default risk for investors.
Dividend-paying stocks
While stocks do include some degree of risk, they are generally safer than more volatile investments like options and futures. Equities that pay dividends are generally considered safer than high-growth stocks since the payouts assist to smooth out the stock’s volatility. This means dividend stocks will experience the same ups and downs as the market generally does, albeit they might not suffer as much during bear markets.
Preference shares
Preferred stocks are similar to junk bonds in terms of risk and return. However, their worth may change significantly if the market crashes or if interest rates increase.
Preferred stock, like bonds, pays interest or dividends on a set schedule. Preferred stock issuers have the rare option of temporarily suspending dividend payments, albeit they often have to make up any missing payments.
Money market accounts
A money market account provides many of the same features as a savings account, such as the ability to make withdrawals with a debit card and earn interest. In contrast to a savings account, a money market account often necessitates a larger opening deposit.
You can get a better return on your money if you open a money market account instead of a traditional savings account. On top of that, you can take the money whenever you need it, albeit the money market account (which acts like a savings account) may have a monthly withdrawal limit.
Fixed annuities
In exchange for a lump sum payment, an annuity from an insurance company will provide a guaranteed stream of income for a set length of time. Payments from the annuity can be spread out over a certain number of years (say, 20) or continue indefinitely (until the client dies).
