You can choose to turn 2019 into a year of prosperity by exploiting the top-most investment opportunities in the world.
The good news is that your income group doesn’t matter. Whether you fall among the low, medium, or high-income individuals, you want to make sure that you put money into a deal that reaps you the highest returns at the lowest risk. That’s what I have here.
In this article, I explain the 15 most exceptional investment opportunities to explore for the best returns. These opportunities are applicable on a global scale, everywhere.
I’ve categorized the 15 opportunities into three main categories, taking into account all the existing levels of income as below.
The first category includes those who get quite a high amount of money. Category two is for those that get the highest amounts of money. The third category is for the salaried as well as the lowest income groups.
In my list, I’ll start with the first category of individuals: the high-income earners. I have 7 opportunities listed for them as below:
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Exchange Trade Funds (ETFs).
If you’re ready to take up long-term Equities investments with minimal risks, ETFs are what you need.
Exchange Trade Funds invests in stocks that track an underlying index.
ETFs offer the flexibility of the stock it invests in, alongside the protection of a fund. So, if you feel that the Equities market is always risky, you can go by the ETFs.
ETFs often conglomerate securities like stocks, currencies, real estate, and others. Therefore, you can choose to invest in any of your choices since ETFs allow you to diversify your investment. This is explained below.
Let’s take, for example, that you wanted to invest in stocks using a capital of $6,000. With ETFs, you have the option of breaking the same capital so that you can invest in several securities. For instance, the $6,000 can be diversified such that $2000 goes into Stocks, $1000 to Real Estate ETF, $1500 into Euro ETF, and the remaining $1500 into Gold ETF.
Nonetheless, the ETF security also has a shortcoming. The brokering charges are often quite high. Some brokers charge as much as 10%, which has a blatantly significant negative impact on the trader’s proceeds.
To invest in ETFs, you need to:
- Have a yearly income that’s $10,000 or above.
- Afford to part with between $5,000 & $10,000 in the name of capital.
The proceeds usually lie between 10% and 12%. There’s high risk, too.
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US Equities.
For those who opt to invest in stocks/equities, US stocks offer an unsurpassed advantage.
Investing in stocks of emerging markets isn’t a good deal at all. You need a stable and growing market. The Chinese market isn’t a good one, for its economy has been slumping. Other Western countries’ economies have also shown the same trend as with chine due to Brexit and other factors, too. The United States’ market, however, seems to be on the upward trend.
So to be on the safe side, you need to buy stocks of companies in the United States economy. And, since technology stocks have the least amounts of risks, you can consider buying stocks of companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, and others of the type that are listed on NASDAQ S & P 500.
To stake in US equities, you need to have a yearly income of an average of $100,000. A capital amount that ranges between $1000 and $10,000 can be invested. You can invest for between 5-10 years. The risk is medium to high.
Returns from US equities often range from 10% to 20%.
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Mutual Funds.
Mutual Funds stacks up well against ETFs, and people don’t usually know which one is better. Well, that depends on who you are as an investor.
If you fall among the investors who aren’t keen on market trends on a regular basis, Mutual Funds fits you the best. Why? You may ask. It’s because equities have more risk than Mutual Funds.
Mutual Funds that are under active management are the best. Their fund managers make all the decisions with a focus on minimizing risks as much as possible.
A twelvemonth’s fee is often charged on Mutual Funds. It may range between 1.25% and 2%.
You need to be pocketing around $125,000 annually, as well as be able to part with a capital of $1,000 at least. You can invest any amount above this as there’s no extremum investment amount. Your patience is needed for 10-15 years before reaping the return of 10%-12%.
Low risk is involved.
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Bonds.
If Mutual Funds and Equities don’t make sense to you, you can try bonds. A good thing with Bonds is that they offer you many options so that you can choose the one that you deem fit.
Private bonds are the ones that you’ll buy when outside the United States. Most of them are under the government’s regulation. They’ll pay you approximately 8% in terms of returns over ten years.
In the United States, however, there are two types of Bonds; Series EE and Series I bonds. Series EE bonds will pay you a constant interest rate while series I pay an interest rate that’s adjusted for inflation.
A minimum investment amount of $5000 and a maximum of $10,000 is required. The investment lasts for 10 to 15 years to yield a return of not less than 8%. High risk is involved.
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Commodities (Gold, Silver).
We’ll now take a look at the returns for investing in physical commodities like gold.
Gold bullion is often the most precious gem among all. Silver also sells at great prices. However, these prices as very volatile, thus there’s a risk.
You can purchase gold coins, bars, or gold bullion, keep them somewhere safe (in the bank or your house), and later sell them at the right time (when the prices have shot up high).
Such investments have returns that range from 3% to 10%.
At the moment, an ounce of gold retails at around $1,482. Premium charges are always charged when you buy gold. Make sure that the costs do not go beyond 10 percent. Shall it surpass the amount, you won’t realize any profits.
Some people may feel insecure with physical gold. The gold ETF is an option for such people.
High-income Individuals are welcome to give it a try. It needs a lot of startup amount (not less than $5000). The amount of risk involved is medium. The investment requires patience for not less than ten years.
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Fixed Or Term Deposits.
These are some of the safest ways to invest. You get to reap from predetermined interest rates, which are always higher than in savings accounts.
However, the interest rates on fixed deposits and savings bank accounts are usually meager in countries like the US, Germany, and others.
India pays better, between 4%-7.5%, a rate that relies on your investment period. The fixed deposits are often taxable, and Indian banks deduct a TDS if the interest amount exceeds RS 10,000. For those who own a Pan Card, a 10% tax rate will be applicable. Those without Pan Cards will bear with a deduction of 20% in terms of tax.
So the ultimate best, long-term (10 years), safe investment with a return of between 8%-10% is a Fixed Deposit investment.
Recurring Deposit is another type of a Fixed Deposit investment in India that allows for depositing money each month during the investment period.
Fixed Deposits often work best in India. Those who’re salaried and earn medium income fit in this category. The risk involved is very minimal.
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Company Fixed Deposits.
If you don’t like banks’ fixed deposits, companies also offer them.
The advantage with them is their reward of a higher interest rate. Best-rated FDs offer rates that are as high as 10%-12%.
You’ll have to time the apt investment period to come out with maximum profits, and so that you don’t withdraw your money before its maturity date.
As you can predict, the higher interest rate is associated with a higher risk than in banks. In fact, there also exists some differences in interest rates between the companies. This is always as a result of the number of risks anticipated.
A salaried class with high income is suited for this investment. An investment amount of Rs 500,000 to 1,000,000 over ten years does it best. The risk is higher than in banks but medium with regard to all others.
The investments that follow (from #8 to #11 are for the highest earners. They need an investment of high amounts ($500,000 to $1million).
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Initial Public Offerings (IPO).
Also known as stock market launch, they are usually sold to institutional and/or big investors. The investors, on the other hand, sell the stock to the public.
With IPOs, you have to choose the underlying company very wisely. You must only go for a winning company. And, if done smartly, it is a rapid means of maximizing your investments.
Only investors who dare huge risks are permitted to invest in IPOs. In fact, insiders, who often have a better understanding of the company, are at the best chance of exploiting this investment opportunity. Less reputed IPOs aren’t safe, but those with powerful underwriters are.
Investors must be earning $500,000 or more, and be ready to part with $50,000 to 100,000. There’s a very high risk involved, and the investment period is the choice of the merchant.
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Invest In An Ambitious Business.
For those who’re ready to offer some seed money/seed capital/seed funding in exchange for shares in a growing business, this is your chance.
With investing in a growing business, you give out cash and become a co-owner of the company. You participate in all its activities to make sure that it’s trailing in the right direction for minimal losses. So it’s different from giving out a loan to a business.
You get to enjoy part of the business’s proceeds in the ratio of your contribution. In fact, it’s a continued investment in as much as the business exists.
With this investment, a sagacious decision is needed. The capital involved is so vast that losses may have lifelong impacts on your financial status. You also have to ensure that all decisions regarding models and other activities are viable. It’s like owning a company.
Statistics have recorded such investments where the investor comes out with more than 1000 times benefits.
The investment amount ranges from $50,000 to $1million. Risk is mediocre to high, depending on your decision criteria.
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Peer To Peer Lending.
Peer To Peer Lending works out as naturally as the name implies. You lend money to others, who then give it back at an agreed-upon interest rate at a later time.
The interest rate often depends, chiefly, on the time that is taken before payback, the amount lent the borrower’s credit score and a lot more things. Lending Club is one of the ‘s, and they always offer an interest rate of between 5% and 7%.
To invest, you need a minimum of $5000 and an unlimited maximum. The worst risk in Peer To Peer Lending comes from loan defaulting. When someone defaults, you lose your money.
The concept of P2P lending is native to the United States.
Summary.
The return on this investment depends on the interest rate, borrowers’ default rate, and the amount invested, among other factors. The risk involved is high, and you should invest for over five to ten years. The upper limit in terms of investment capital is infinite and the minimum is $5000.
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Real Estate.
This is the investment that’s considered the most valuable. It can be done in a number of ways, which I explain in this section.
To begin with the most popular one, one can choose to buy the property. When a property is purchased, the investor/buyer has three choices for generating income. The first is by rent, the second by capital gains, and the final one is flipping the property for fast profits.
I can advise you to choose to earn from capital gains. In this case, you need to search for lowly priced houses now. This is after determining that they’re likely to appreciate price-wise over a few years to come. A good example is in Manhattan, New York City. Prices there are on the rise, while in Dubai, prices are flat.
In Hong Kong, prices have appreciated over a few years ago. India’s prices are falling right now, and it’s a good idea to buy a property there now. So you can choose to buy from the countries with low property prices at the moment and sell later IFF you project an increase in the prices.
The people that qualify to invest in real estate are those who earn $250,000 to $1 million annually. The risk is medium, and the returns are always very high if you play your cards right. The investment amount depends on the property’s price. You can invest for up to 5 years.
The opportunities below suit those with fixed incomes and regular investment profiles. They are best for those who are risk-averse.
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Pension Plan or Public Provident Funds.
If you’re entitled to a median income, you’ll definitely love to put in some of the income into Provident Funds. It’s a very successful long-term investment.
To have it done, you start by opening an account with a bank or a post office. After depositing the investment amount, the money is tucked in the account for the next 15 or more years.
After that, you aren’t allowed to access the money up to after a minimum period of 6 years. The interest rate stands at 8%.
This form of investment best suits those with a constant influx of money each month. It suits them because the money is invested and forgotten for this long, a period within which the investor will need another money for upkeep.
Low-salaried workers can invest in Public Provident Funds. It’s risk-free, and any amount can always be put in.
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Individual Retirement Plans and 401(K).
Pension plans exist in many options, but the IRAs and 401(K) are often nonpareil. So if you wish to invest in pension plans, you need to look into the direction of these two.
Breaking them down, IRAs are also many. However, the Roth and Traditional IRAs walk off with the victory. To be even more specific, the Roth IRA has zero risks!
With the Roth IRA, you get more accessibility to your funds with tax-free benefits, unlike the Traditional IRAs that do not allow for tax benefits of the investor withdraws money before retirement.
On the other hand, the 401 (K) is also a great investment with tax benefits except for the high costs.
One can invest $1000 to $5000. The investment term can be as low as five years and as high as 20 in other cases. Interest rates lie between 5% and 8%. There’s also no risk in this one.
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Treasury Securities.
Treasury securities are numerous. They include bonds, bills, and the Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) among myriads others.
Bills are often traded over a short period (1 year). And, that’s not a long-term investment that’ll earn you a lifetime interest. On the other side, bonds are quite risky and need enormous amounts of cash. So let’s look at TIPS.
As the name has it, this security is inflation-proof. Meaning, it is protected from inflation. As inflation increases, it increases, too. When there’s deflation, the security also decreases with respect to the deflation rate.
On the maturity date, the investor is paid tye more significant amount between the adjusted principal and the original one. Whichever the case, it’s a win-win for the investor.
The minimum purchase amount for a TIPS Treasury Security is $100. The investment period can be anywhere between 5 to 30 years inclusive. Interest rates are between 5%-6%. Any average rate salaried individual can invest in it, and there’s no risk involved at all.
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Collectables.
After going through all the most lucrative investment opportunities for all the income classes (low, medium, and high), I now choose to conclude the content with art collectors.
Art collectors are simply people whose hobby is collecting art. This is their opportunity.
This opportunity is always easy to oversee as not many people have risen to fame for it. Further, the industry is less explored. As a hint, you can invest your money in precious stones, artwork, paintings, and a lot more of the type.
All it takes to succeed in this field is playing safe. You need to buy the artwork at low prices and sell them at higher prices. You also need to link to potentially lucrative markets. So e buyers are always willing to pay as much as $1 million for a single artwork! These are the types of buyers you need to link with.
Mostly, this investment opportunity is for Avid Art Collectors. Starting from nowhere onto this opportunity successfully is harder than usual. The investment amount can run from between $1000 to $500,000. It’s a business, so the investment period can be as long as the investor chooses. Risk is low, and return can be as much as 1000%!
Bottom Line.
Such a long piece, right? Nevertheless, you now have the top 15 best investment opportunities in the world. The opportunities take care of each and every class of earners. Low, medium, high, and very high earners are all covered.
Another good thing about them is that each is explained alongside the amount of risk it carries. You can notice that the higher the amount investable, the higher the risk.
Meanwhile, it’s now your turn to swing into action and take up the opportunity that best fits your profile — wishing you the best of luck, pals!