Investment portfolios consist of a combination of high as well as low-risk investments. Riskier investments typically have greater loss potential but there’s also a greater chance for profit. Low-risk investments, however, are viewed as safer alternatives that tend to bring smaller returns. Visit MultiBank Group

Both investments could help you achieve your financial goals but first, you need to determine whether you are open to taking risks or averse.

It is easy to establish this by answering this– do fret over falling stock markets?

If the decline in the stock market affects you adversely, you’re risk averse but if you can stay calm in those low periods, risks are not a huge problem for you.

Understanding low-risk investments

Low-risk investments have a degree of consistency. It could provide assurance to investors who may have a hard time dealing with volatile markets but it comes with a condition: Contrary to high-risk investments, the probability of getting large financial returns is low. Yet, using safer assets, you’d be able to diversify your portfolio while also hedging your investment risk on the whole. It becomes particularly significant in case your portfolio includes high-risk assets that make you more prone to losses. Here are some instances of low-risk investments.

Bonds

Bonds enable you to lend money to various government agencies, municipalities as well as corporations which could then be repaid in the course of time along with interest.

Savings Accounts

A high-yield savings account allows you access to a lot of liquidity as well as increased rates as compared to a typical savings account. If you come across a financial emergency, you must have easy access to your funds even though your bank could cap the number of withdrawals you’d be allowed in a single billing cycle.

Money Market Accounts

If you’d like greater flexibility in a savings account, you’d prefer a money market account. You would be able to earn interest on your funds while also being able to access your money easily with a debit card or check. There could be monthly withdrawal caps, but rates are typically more than what a traditional savings account could offer. It may even be better than what a high-yield savings account could provide but this would depend on the financial institution.

Certificates of Deposit (CDs)

Your money remains inaccessible till the CD’s duration but once it expires, your investment is returned with interest. The downside here is that you’d end up paying a penalty if you’d want to withdraw your investment before the CD period expires. In general, the longer you leave your money out in a CD the better rewards you’ll get.

Understanding high-risk investments

High-risk investments could lead to a possible payout, but no one could speculate accurately which investment would rise and which one would underperform. Note that high-risk investments such as stocks are important for long-term financial planning. How suitable they are for you can be determined on the basis of your risk tolerance, financial situation, and personal goals that are unique to you. Bear in mind a few options such as:

Stocks

In the course of the last hundred years, the average annual stock market return hovered near 10%. When you purchase a stock in publicly traded companies, the goal is to purchase at a low rate and sell at a greater price. However, there’s a lot of guesswork required here. It may be wiser to opt for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds which combine stocks as well as other different assets into a fund and could help in bringing down the risk. Rather than purchasing individual stocks, you could buy smaller shares of various securities in a portfolio of investments to be able to diversify.

Cryptocurrency

Crypto assets have a reputation for their volatile nature but the growth potential here is immense. Bitcoin shares sold close to $210 in 2015. By November 2021, the rates soared to a whopping $69,000. It implies that the traders who chose to buy and hold only to sell at the appropriate time received incredible returns. The tricky part about cryptocurrency is that it could fluctuate rapidly without a warning resulting in devastating losses on very short notice.

Investing in Businesses

There are a number of ways to start investing. Ensure that you’re diligent with your trades since there is no guarantee of success.

• Angel investing: This type of investing includes a high-net-worth individual who provides support to a business with industry guidance as well as capital in exchange for equity.
• Venture capital (VC) investing: Having a VC firm or fund as a partner makes it easier to invest in startups. Typically, only the financially well-off investors opt for this kind of investments.
• Crowdfunding platforms: These platforms can be great for people wanting to make small investments in young businesses.
• IPO investing: Yet another alternative is to wait for a company to go public and invest when it has just released an initial public offering (IPO).

Real Estate

Investing in real estate could be tempting as well as risky. Purchasing investment properties typically require plenty of capital right at the beginning and not everyone can afford to be a landlord. Purchasing and flipping homes demand hefty pockets. With that said, people with the right kind of money and skill could thrive in this sector.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are a safe, less expensive option to invest in real estate. Rather than buying properties, investors invest in stocks of firms that have a good real estate portfolio.

Which is a better investment type?

High-risk as well as low-risk investments could be important in building a strong portfolio. High-risk investments would bring us greater returns, whereas safer options could curtail the risk and offer increased stability. This is what makes both diversification and asset allocation such an essential part of investing. Our aim is to spread yourinvestments and thereby the risk in various asset classes, industries, sectors and geographic locations. This could make it easier to deal with investment losses.

Financial well-being would have several different components. Investing is definitely one of the key aspects but so is strong credit health.