Safe investment for some of my income?

I'm happy to admit that I know nothing about 'wise investments' but recently I seem to find myself spending wages on things I don't need, just because the money is sitting there. I'd like to know if there's any safe options to invest my money (not in the bank) I'm not looking to make huge amounts of money, I just want somewhere else to put it where I won't just spend it all! Thanks!

 

First off, there is no such thing as a 100% safe investment. If there was one and you asked someone, they most likely would have said gold, after it's sustained rise in value over the past 12 years. However, nothing is safe and gold has plummeted in value, leaving 'sure' investors out of pocket.

Regardless, if you want somewhere to invest in, I can offer a couple of pieces of advice:

1) Banks (I know you said apart from this, but I have reasoning)

Depending on the state of the economy and the governments monetary policies, the interest rate will vary. Currently the UK is at a 0.5% interest rate, as they are hoping to increase spending throughout the economy, however if your country's economy is in good shape the interest rate will generally be held around 3-7%. £100 in the bank at say 5% is £50 per year for doing nothing, and the incentive it to keep your money there and not spend it as you'll end up getting less interest as your initial deposit is lower.

In summary, you are less inclined to withdraw and spend, it is always there at your disposal if you urgently need it, and you will make small, but some returns. I currently have all my money in single year cash ISAs. This means I cannot touch the money for a year, but instead get a mucher better interest rate (3.5% instead of 0.5%). Banks aren't just about a place to store money and get a little bit out of it, snoop around and look into ISAs or Government Bonds if you want a slightly better rate.

2) Shares in Businesses & Assets

Investing into Businesses can be very rewarding, if choosing wisely. Take Apple for example. In 1984 when Apple first put its shares in the stock market, they were valued at $26.50. On 21st September 2012 the share hit a new high price of $705.07. However when playing with any form of shares, you need to keep a watchful eye and know when to sell. Stocks and shares most of the time are not something you can just leave lying around for several years and then sell for a profit (A few exceptions, such as rare resources which normally steadily increase over the years such as Gold, Silver, and most recently Platinum). Apple's share price has been dropping at a steady rate since it hit its peak in September. Currently it stands at $390.53, as it has lost its market monopoly power over the smartphone industry, with Samsung taking top spot. In order to make money this way, you need to keep in touch will all the latest news. Cyprus is in huge financial difficulty and decided to sell all it's gold reserves = mass increase in gold supply = price level fell.

Going back 3 or so years, I found out that Rockhopper had bought a new site in which they intended on digging for oil. This of course, slightly raised the share price, however I was optimistic and bought about $500 worth of shares. Sure enough, they hit the jackpot, and so did I, with the share price almost tripling. I wish I could just say to you "Invest in .......", however I'm still studying Economics and markets myself, and do not have the time to pay all my attention to them to see what I feel would be a good investment. On top of this, it really isn't straight forwards, or people would all do the same thing. If you want to see how you would fair in trading shares, I suggest you try out a site called Bullbearings, which is a simulator which is updates with all the current share prices. You can also track and follow the changes in shares, and decide for yourself if you think something will be a good long term investment like gold has been the past 12 years.


So I reiterate, there isn't a safe investment. Stocks and Shares can be fun and rewarding, but no matter how good you are with them there is always a chance everything could go wrong.

Hope this helps in some way, shape or form. I did briefly mention that rare natural resources have a general upwards trend over time, and they slowly get lost and there will always be a limited supply but fairly stead demand. Check the annual trend growth rates for Gold, Silver and Platinum. In the long term they are good investments, however stay on your toes for global market changes which will affect the current market position. Also keep an eye on manufacturers of smartphone and tablet technology, global demand has increased and even in the computing secotr companys such as Microsoft have come out with good Q3 profits, and their share price is likely to rise a lot.

 

Buy silver right now. It's gone down a bit and at around $24 an ounce spot. In my opinion, it'll either stay stable or rise.

 

You could try investing in some preferred shares of a well established company. They don't fluctuate all that much in price but the dividend yield is often much higher than what you'd receive from fixed-income investments like GICs, T-bills and bank interest.

There's a lot of preferred shares available, each with different perks and disadvantages so you might have to do a bit of research.

 

Lump it all on Bayern to win the UCL final and enjoy the rewards of odds at around 1.9. Which, if you didn't already know, turns 2 grand into 3,800.

 

He wants safe investment info, not risky gambling info.

 

Hi this is tinajulie. Today i am going to share you about customer relationship software. Visit herecustomer relationship software and see about them. Hope you can get get lot of news.

 

Precious metals seem pretty solid and they're pretty too

 

I'd put my money in Visa Stock, stocks may sound sketchy but in the long run you'll probably double your money within a few years.They've already made me several thousand in the 5 months I've owned them.

 

You picked a good time to start investing, the whole market's been going up quite a lot for roughly the past 6 months. It's only a matter of time before the market settles down (as of recently its slowed down a lot) so it's unlikely your investment will continue to grow at the same rate. Curious as to why you like Visa though?

 

That's £5 a year, mate.

Anyway, I'll be honest with you and say it's nobodies responsibility but your own to make sure you don't blow your money. If you can't keep money in your bank without spending it then you need to evaluate your spending habits. You're not a child, you're not some materialistic 15 year old girl, stop spending your cash unnecessarily.

Base minerals and metal markets are pointless unless you know and have studied the market well, otherwise it's just a gamble, and trust me, people on here do not know that market well enough for you to invest in it. You also need to consider buyers fees, commission and transfer losses. Unless you're investing a decent sum and for a long period of time then it's pointless.

I know you don't want to hear it, but the answer for you is a bank. Throw it in a high interest savings account. Do your research, find the best deal and throw a lump sum in there. Are you a student? Are you a child? Are you a dependent? All these factors and more can boost up that rate. UK can get you around 3.5%, which is a kind £35 a year to every £1000 you throw in.

Yes, at any point you could go down to your bank and cancel the account, but at the end of the day it's your job to make sure you have a scrap of self control about your money.

 

Pick an amount that you want to save each paycheck. Deposit that money in an online brokerage. Then invest the money in a commission-free ETF that the brokerage offers.

The people here saying precious metals have no idea what they're talking about.

 

I wouldn't invest in silver if someone gave me money to do so. It's at a point where investment demand and not industrial demand is guiding the prices.

As Adamh previously stated, there is no such thing as a riskless investment but Visa stocks come pretty close.

Although most transactions are paid in cash, the demand for credit is high. With Visa making big inroads overseas the opportunity for growth within credit processors is amazing.

 

The majority of the 3rd world still uses cash, Credit card use has gone up, and visa has to potential to double once it has tapped into 3rd world pockets.

Also, Gold Fields (GFI), is at an all time low (due to labour strikes and low gold prices), a risky invester has the chance to reap 50%+ growth in a year once the gold market settles.

 

Maybe coca~cola stock pretty low risk slowly but steadily rises. I own some

 

Don't put all your money in one stock either, there is way too much variance with that for it to make sense for an investor like you.

 

I wouldn't deal with metals right now like some others are suggesting. Basically all precious metals follow the price of gold and it has been too volatile in recent months. First it absolutely boomed then when through what seemed like the mother of all corrections.

One of the safest options is to buy corporate bonds. The yield isn't going to dazzle you but it will be better than spending the money or having it sit in a 2% account.