No one would have expected the virus-shaped pandemonium to hit at the start of 2020. But here it is.
And one year later, the lingering effects of the pandemic continue to wreak havoc, tightly gripping our finances.
While retail therapy might prolong our final semblances of sanity, your one-time purchase is better off invested for the future.
Because, let’s face it: with the sheer volatility of our current situation, safeguarding your finances should be your top priority.
With that said, let’s look at six investment vehicles to grow your wealth for 2021.
Savings Account
First on the list is the good old savings account.
Unlike a normal bank account, a savings account allows you to generate interest relative to a percentage of your savings. This encourages you to continuously deposit and withdraw while keeping a large sum to gain higher earnings through interests.
Since owning a savings account is the easiest investment option available, it’s no surprise that it’s the slowest too. It’s a low-risk, low-reward option. However, some banks do provide incentives and rewards for saving. So it’s best to stay on your toes on potential offerings by asking your bank about them.
Minimum investment: None
Term Deposit
If you’re planning to invest in the long-term while having control over your money, a term deposit is a good option.
The process of depositing a term deposit in the bank is similar to depositing it in a savings account. The only difference is that, unlike savings accounts, attempting to withdraw your money in a term deposit is not easy. Once you deposited money in this account, it usually stays there until the pre-set term is reached.
The longer your term is with the bank, the higher the rate of interest you can earn. Usually, the percentage depends on the bank, so be proactive with your research.
Minimum investment: Depends on the bank, from $1,000 to $5,000.
ETFs
An exchange trade fund, or ETF for short, is a type of security that invests its wealth in a range of assets — like a commodity, sector, shares, currencies, or other assets. It can be structured to track prices from a single commodity to a diverse collection of securities.
An ETF is also a type of market security, enabling it to be sold or bought if you so choose. To acquire one, you have to go through a brokerage firm and pay the respective broker fees. It’s similar to equities in that regard.
Minimum investment: Can be bought in minimum parcels of at least $500.
Index Funds
According to Investopedia, an index fund is an ETF portfolio with a portfolio constructed to track or match the components of a financial market index. The returns you gain will be based on the asset value along with the amount you’ve allocated to the fund.
These types of funds provide the following:
- Broad market exposure
- Low operating expenses
- Low portfolio turnover
Investor billionaire Warren Buffet recommends index funds as a vehicle for long-term savings. Instead of picking and following individual stocks, an average, busy investor could find it more time-saving to buy all blue-chip company stocks through index funds.
Minimum investment: Ranges from $1000 and $5000
Cryptocurrencies
While the pandemic takes up a sizable portion of media screen time, cryptocurrencies are the next huge thing of 2021.
To put it in perspective, Bitcoin was hovering around AU$13,000 in the second quarter of 2020. Now, it’s grown exponentially and peaked respectably at AU$74,000 per Bitcoin.
While the time of lucking out on the value of a Bitcoin has come to pass, investing in this digital asset is still valuable.
It’s not difficult to start investing in cryptocurrencies. You simply have to sign up in coin trading apps or websites, deposit money online, and bam. You’re pretty much set to start dealing with cryptocurrencies.
Minimum investment: None. You can buy Bitcoin with Independent Reserve at any amount of your choosing. Other cryptocurrencies are also available.
Property
Getting your hands on real estate as a newbie investor is difficult, to say the least.
But once you’ve acquired enough wealth and have dealt with debt repayments, you can gain some passive income through it.
You can make money with a property investment in two ways:
- Renting it out for monthly income
- Buying, renovating, and flipping at a higher future price
While property and real estate may seem lucrative once you get the ball rolling, there’s no guarantee of getting buyers. Your renovated property may end up sitting for months with no tenants, so always prepare for that outcome.
Minimum investment: Your city’s average housing rates. Usually, you’d have to loan to reach the required amount too.
