Investing is one of the best ways to secure your financial future, and one of the best ways to invest is over time. It may have been tempting in recent years to abandon a long-term strategy in favor of chasing quick returns. However, it is more important than ever to focus on long-term investing while sticking to your game plan. Here, you\u2019ll see the best investment vehicles you can choose for your long-term goals. Let\u2019s delve right in.<\/p>
Online savings and cash management accounts offer higher rates of return than traditional bank savings or checking accounts. Cash management accounts are a cross between a savings account and a checking account: They may pay similar interest rates to savings accounts, but they are typically offered by brokerage firms and may include debit cards or checks.<\/p>
Savings accounts are ideal for short-term savings or money that needs to be accessed only on rare occasions, such as an emergency or vacation fund. Savings account transactions are limited to six per month. Cash management accounts provide greater flexibility and, in some cases, higher interest rates.<\/p>
If you’re new to saving and investing, a good rule of thumb is to keep three to six months’ worth of living expenses in an account like this before allocating more to the investment products listed further down on this list.<\/p>
A certificate of deposit, or CD, is a savings account that is federally insured and offers a fixed interest rate for a set period of time.<\/p>
A CD is for money that you know you’ll need at some point in the future (e.g., a home down payment or a wedding). CDs typically have terms of one, three, or five years, so if you’re looking to safely grow your money for a specific purpose within a specific time frame, CDs could be a good option. It’s worth noting, however, that if you want to withdraw your money from a CD early, you’ll almost certainly have to pay a fee. Don’t buy a CD with money you might need soon, as you wouldn’t with other types of investments.<\/p>
Money market mutual funds are an investment product that should not be confused with money market accounts, which are bank deposit accounts that function similarly to savings accounts. When you invest in a money market fund, you are purchasing a portfolio of high-quality, short-term government, bank, or corporate debt.<\/p>
You have money that you may need soon and are willing to expose to a little more market risk. Money market funds are also used by investors to hold a portion of their portfolio in a safer investment than stocks, or as a holding pen for money set aside for future investment. While money market funds are technically an investment, they do not provide the higher returns (or carry the higher risk) of the other investments on this page. Money market fund growth resembles that of high-yield savings accounts.<\/p>
A government bond is a loan made by you to a government entity (such as the federal or municipal government) that pays investors interest over a set period of time, typically one to 30 years. Bonds are classified as a fixed-income security due to their consistent stream of payments. Government bonds are almost risk-free investments because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.<\/p>
What are the disadvantages? Government bonds, in exchange for their safety, do not provide as high a return as other types of investments. It would be much more difficult to meet your retirement or long-term goals if you had a 100% bond portfolio (rather than a mix of stocks and bonds).<\/p>
Conservative investors who prefer a lower level of volatility in their portfolio.<\/p>
“Bonds provide a ballast to a portfolio, usually rising when stocks fall, allowing nervous investors to stick to their investment plan and not panic sell,” says Delia Fernandez, a certified financial planner and founder of Fernandez Financial Advisory in Los Alamitos, California.<\/p>
Bonds are popular among investors nearing or already in retirement due to their fixed income and lower volatility, as these individuals may not have a long enough investment horizon to weather unexpected or severe market decline.<\/p>
Corporate bonds function similarly to government bonds, except that you are making a loan to a company rather than the government. As a result, because these loans are not backed by the government, they are a riskier option. And if it’s a high-yield bond (also known as a junk bond), these can be significantly riskier, with a risk\/return profile more akin to stocks than bonds.<\/p>
Investors seeking a fixed-income security with potentially higher yields than government bonds and who are willing to accept a little more risk in exchange. The higher the yield on corporate bonds, the greater the likelihood that the company will fail. Bonds issued by large, stable companies, on the other hand, will typically have a lower yield. It is up to the investor to find the right risk\/reward ratio for them.<\/p>
A mutual fund pools investor money to buy stocks, bonds, or other assets. Mutual funds provide investors with an inexpensive way to diversify \u2014 spreading their money across multiple investments \u2014 and hedge against the losses of any single investment.<\/p>
Mutual funds are a convenient way to gain exposure to the stock market’s superior investment returns without having to purchase and manage a portfolio of individual stocks if you’re saving for retirement or another long-term goal. Some funds limit their investments to companies that meet specific criteria, such as biotech technology companies or corporations that pay high dividends. This allows you to concentrate on specific investment niches.<\/p>
Where to Purchase Mutual Funds: Mutual funds can be purchased directly from the management companies or through discount brokerage firms. Almost all of the mutual fund companies we review offer no-transaction-fee mutual funds (no commissions) as well as tools to help you choose funds. Be aware that most mutual funds require a minimum initial investment of $500 to thousands of dollars, though some providers will waive the minimum if you agree to set up automatic monthly investments.<\/p>
An index fund is a type of mutual fund that invests in stocks from a specific market index (e.g., the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average). In contrast to an actively managed mutual fund, which pays a professional to curate a fund’s holdings, the goal is to provide investment returns equal to the performance of the underlying index.<\/p>
Index mutual funds are among the best long-term savings investments available. They are less volatile than actively managed funds that try to outperform the market, in addition to being less expensive due to lower fund management fees.<\/p>
Index funds are particularly well-suited for young investors with a long time horizon, as they can allocate more of their portfolio to higher-returning stock funds rather than more conservative investments like bonds.<\/p>
Young investors who can emotionally weather the market’s ups and downs may benefit from investing their entire portfolio in stock funds in the early stages, according to Fernandez.<\/p>
Consider the performance of the S&P 500 since 1990 to gain a better understanding of this. An S&P 500 index fund would have attempted to replicate these results:<\/p>
Stock market data may be delayed by up to 20 minutes and is only intended for informational purposes, not trading.<\/p>
Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are similar to mutual funds in that they pool investor funds to purchase a collection of securities, resulting in a single diversified investment. The distinction is in how they are marketed: ETFs are purchased by investors in the same way that individual stocks are.<\/p>
If you have a long time horizon, ETFs, like index funds and mutual funds, are a good investment. Furthermore, because an ETF share price may be lower than a mutual fund minimum, ETFs are ideal for investors who do not have enough money to meet the minimum investment requirements for a mutual fund.<\/p>
Dividend stocks can provide both fixed income like bonds and growth like individual stocks and stock funds. Dividends are regular cash payments made by companies to shareholders, and they are frequently associated with stable, profitable businesses. While dividend stocks’ share prices may not rise as high or as quickly as those of growth-stage companies, they can be appealing to investors due to the dividends and stability they provide. Keep in mind that dividends in taxable brokerage accounts are taxable in the year they are paid. Stocks (which do not pay dividends) are primarily taxed when they are sold.<\/p>
Any investor, from novice to retiree, though certain types of dividend stocks may be preferable depending on where you are in your investing journey.<\/p>
Young investors, for example, should look into dividend growers, which are companies that have a strong track record of increasing their dividends consecutively. These companies may not have high yields now, but if dividend growth continues, they will in the future. Over a long enough time horizon, this (when combined with a dividend reinvestment plan) can produce returns comparable to those of dividend-free growth stocks.<\/p>
Stocks that pay consistent dividends may appeal to older investors seeking greater stability or fixed income. Reinvesting dividends on a shorter time frame may not be the best option. Rather, receiving dividends in cash could be part of a fixed-income investing strategy.<\/p>
A stock is a share of a company’s ownership. Stocks provide the highest potential return on investment while exposing your money to the most volatility.<\/p>
These words of caution are not intended to scare you away from stocks. Rather, they’re intended to point you in the direction of the diversification that buying a collection of stocks through mutual funds provides over buying individual stocks.<\/p>
Best for diversified portfolio investors who are willing to take on a little more risk. Because individual stocks are volatile, investors should limit their individual stock holdings to 10% or less of their overall portfolio.<\/p>
If you’re not investing in the above-mentioned stocks, bonds, or cash equivalents, there’s a good chance your investment is in the alternative assets category. This includes gold and silver, private equity, hedge funds, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as coins, stamps, alcoholic beverages, and art.<\/p>
Best for investors (many of whom are accredited investors) looking to diversify away from traditional investments and hedge against stock and bond market downturns.<\/p>
Traditional real estate investing entails purchasing a property and later selling it for a profit, or purchasing a property and collecting rent as a source of fixed income. However, there are several other, much less hands-on ways to invest in real estate.<\/p>
Real estate investment trusts, or REITs, are one popular method. These are businesses that own income-generating properties (such as malls, hotels, and offices) and pay out regular dividends. Real estate crowdfunding platforms, which frequently pool investors’ funds to invest in real estate projects, have grown in popularity in recent years as well.<\/p>
Best for investors who already have a well-diversified investment portfolio and want to diversify further, or who are willing to take on more risk in exchange for higher returns. Because real estate investments are highly illiquid, investors should not put money into them that they will need to access quickly.<\/p>
US Treasury securities are widely regarded as among the safest investments on the planet. Because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.<\/p>
Millionaires have a variety of investment philosophies. These can include, among other things, investing in real estate, stocks, commodities, and hedge funds. Many people prefer diversified investment portfolios in order to reduce risk.<\/p>
To double your money in five years, you’ll need 14-15% annual returns. While a double-digit investment may appear to be high, there are many investment tools that can provide you with this kind of return.<\/p>
According to Fidelity, stocks provide the highest average annual returns: 13.8% on average, compared to 1.6% on bonds, 0.8% on gold, 8.8% on real estate, and 0.38% on CDs.<\/p>
Investing for the long term is one of the most effective ways to accumulate wealth over time. The first step, however, is to learn to think long term and to avoid obsessively following the market’s daily ups and downs.<\/p>