Ways To Grow Money (for Unsophisticated Investors)

I wrote this blog a couple months ago in my other blog, but copied it over as I feel it is more suited here.

This is what I have written for a couple of friends whom I have been hoping that they would invest some of their money rather than putting them in banks a few months back. Basically, what I have written in point form are only very basic information about each instrument, where you can put your money in. Please note that the figures are true(to the best of my knowledge) at the time I write this article.

1) Savings Account
Banks (~0.25% - 2.48%)
Financial Institutions (~1% - 2.9%)

2) Fixed Deposits
Banks (~0.5% - 3%)
Financial Institutions (~0.5% - 3.215%)

3) Currency Deposits
Banks
Financial Institutions
Additional currency fluctuations

4) Structured Deposits
Slightly higher returns but issuer can terminate any time they want.

5) Bonds / Treasury Bills (2.8-3.5%)
Govt or private companies
Bonds are longer term

6) Equities / Stocks
Returns depend on company performance
Growth or Stable or Income stock
IPO, pre-IPO & post-IPO

7) Unit trust / mutual funds
Big basket of stocks / bonds / deposits depending on structure of fund
Region, Industry, Type(growth, emerging, income, bond)

8) Investment Linked Insurance
Same as unit trust except a portion of premium is to cover insurance.
Fund to choose are normally from the insurance company.

9) Warrants / Options
Buying into future equities

10) Property
Spore or overseas

11) Land Banking
UK or Canada

12) Business
MLM, Insurance, Property agents, shop owner, internet marketer, service or product provider.

13) Commodities
Gold, Silver, cotton, cocoa etc

After going through what I have written, I think there are a lot of decisions you have to make in order for you to do good investments. One of the foremost is to gauge your risk appetite. On one extreme are people who don't mind losing all their money in hope of very big returns(1000s%). On the other end are people who cannot sleep if their money depreciates. I will write more on each instrument and some strategies in time to come.

Happy Investing.