Middle class Americans often feel like they are stuck in their current status and have no way of reaching the level of financial freedom that they desperately desire. Wealth is not something that is easy to come by, but if you are willing to do some work and make some sacrifices early on, you can build to the prosperity that you desire.
Even if you do not have a lot of money on hand, there are some investment strategies that will create a solid financial foundation, and take you out of the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck.
Here are three of the best investment strategies for people without much cash on hand.
Mutual Funds
A mutual fund pools together the investments of multiple people to buy into stocks that the individuals might not have been able to afford on their own. Mutual funds tend to be very safe investments, and most of them are run by large investment firms with a solid track record of success. If you are looking to make good money, you should invest in a fund that pays dividends on a regular basis.
This will give you some additional capital to reinvest in the mutual fund, or you can use the extra dividends to supplement your existing income. These funds tend to be very safe, and invest in some of the biggest blue chip companies on the exchange, so you can feel secure when you invest in them. If you are feeling a little riskier, you can invest in high yield funds that have a big upside, but tend to have much higher rates of failure.
Precious Metals
Another relatively safe investment is in the precious metal market. For hundreds of years gold and silver have trended upwards in value, and during periods of economic hardship, precious metals have been considered a very stable investment. You can start investing in precious metals without the need of a broker or a middleman; all you need to do is purchase bullion from a reputable source.
There are some risks involved, especially right now. Gold and silver can be susceptible to market bubbles, and there is always a chance that the market will take a sudden downturn to correct for over inflation.
Property
The one investment opportunity that gives the best balance of risk and reward is investing in real estate. Between commercial and residential properties you have a lot of choice in what you want to buy and how much you want to spend. Because the value of the property is used as collateral in a mortgage, as long as you have a solid credit history, you should be able to get decent terms on a loan.
In addition, through the use of real estate syndication you can pool your investment dollars with others and purchase much larger properties without the need to go into debt at all. A property is a valuable investment not only because of the appreciation of the land and the building, but because the property can provide a passive stream of revenue.
Eventually you will be able to roll this money over into another property and within a few years of sound investing you will have a nice, steady income stream. If this is something that you want to get started doing, consider taking a course from a company like Go CMREI to learn the basics.
All investing involves risk, some more so than others, but you will never reach financial freedom without a willingness to take a risk. It is never too early to get started, and do not let a small initial bank roll keep you from pursuing an investment.
I am Mike Lawson and I have been an investment advisor for six years. These are the investment strategies that I recommend to all of my new clients.