What are the best investments now and in the future?

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by: Keith Cooper
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Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 Time: 10:36 AM
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First stop for me would be to start with interest rates being so low in the UK, the bank may be a relatively safe place to put your money but you are not going to get much return on your investment. It is therefore best to look at alternative investment opportunities, whether that be low risk ones such as ISAs, medium risk ones such as the stock market and gold or even depending on your balance in the bank high risk ventures such as purchasing overseas property.

Let's start with the low risk strategy and commence with an ISA, which stands for Individual Savings Account and it was an initiative launched by the Government in 1999 to encourage people to save and invest. They are designed to help the value of your increase over time and have a lot of tax benefits. There are two types of ISA, a Cash ISA and a Stocks and Shares ISA, you can invest in either one or divide your allowance between the two.
In October 2009 the allowance was raised and investors over the age of 50 can top-up their Cash ISA by £1,500, whilst for those under 50, the Cash ISA allowance was increased in April 2010 from £3,600 to £5,100. It is important to research carefully as high street banks and building societies offer varying rates but they currently range between 2% and 3%.

The stock market can be one of the best investment options for those that are prepared to take risks for high capital gains. Stock markets around the world are currently in state of consolidation after the recent crash, which suggests there is definite potential for growth over the next few years, this is a long term strategy and is not a quick win. It is possible to make quick gains through short term investments but it is a more sensible option to pursue a long term investment plan, especially if you are new or only have a little experience of the stock market. The markets have see-sawed throughout 2010 and there are reasons to be cautious about investing in the FTSE because of the continuing threats to Britain's economic and stock market recovery. The risk factor is that if you purchased your shares in April and sold in July you would have lost 20% of your money but the same works if you bought the shares in July and sold them in November you would be 20% up.

The price of gold has risen more than 300% over the last decade and some experts are predicting that gold prices could even exceed $2000. One of the major reasons for the increase in the price of gold was the collapse of the value of the US dollar and the need for emerging market countries to build gold reserves. It is difficult to predict whether gold prices will continue to rise, as the recent run could be similar to that of housing prices a few years ago. However, investment advisors suggest it is a sensible option to include gold in any investment portfolio.

Property prices remain stagnant at best in the most of the UK and in many areas house prices are actually dropping but investing in overseas property - while risky - could deliver some serious return on investment. Brazil is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and some local experts are predicting that prices could rise by up to 200% over the next decade. Norway, Switzerland and Malaysia are also places that property speculators suggest could make for a worthwhile investment.

When considering which investment opportunity to take, it is extremely important to examine the potential risks and consulting an expert is always advisable.

About the Author

Keith Cooper writes about all things debt related, whether you need Debt Management Solution advice or Bankruptcy Advice then Keith will have come across these areas in his decade of experience in all things debt. Keith Works for one of the Largest Debt Companies in the UK Baines and Ernst