Investment tools. Where to invest money? Overview of instruments for investment. Poll: Where is the best place to invest?

Hello! Today we will analyze the main directions and specific financial investment instruments together with VillaCarte specialists, based on open information sources.

Before starting the analysis of each tool, let's systematize the information a bit. We divide investment instruments into 3 main groups:

1. Basic investment tools
   1.1 Bank deposit
   1.2 Acquisition of real estate
   1.3 Precious metals
   1.4 Purchase of securities
   1.5 Buying currency
2. Modern high-risk financial instruments
   2.1 Investing in mutual funds
   2.2 P2P lending
   2.3 Binary options
   2.4 PAMM accounts
3. As an alternative to the classic view of investing
   3.1 Investing in art
   3.2 Business and Internet projects
   3.3 Invest in yourself

We have also prepared a summary table on the Basic Investment Instruments.

Basic investment tools
Bank deposit

The most common way. An agreement is concluded with the bank, on the basis of which all the funds you deposit are not only preserved, but also multiplied, according to the deposit rate.

With this type of investment, the investor has complete confidence that after a specific period he will receive a specific percentage of the deposit. In addition, it is beneficial for both parties, since the bank, by investing this money, is working to increase the total capital.

Another significant advantage of this method is the insurance of deposits by the state, in different countries it is different, in Russia, for example, it is 1,400,000 rubles.

A bank deposit has three big disadvantages that call into question the choice of this investment tool:

• a low percentage is always set on deposits, relative to other investment methods from 0.1% to 9%
• funds are constantly depreciating, and regardless of the deposit currency. Inflation is a property common to all economies, the only question is its magnitude.
• the risk of a complete loss of savings if the economy of the country of the currency in which you made the deposit fails. This applies to a greater extent to the currencies of the unstable economies of the CIS countries (ruble, hryvnia, etc.), but it is for them that the highest annual interest on deposits is recommended for deposits by banks.

As a result, here are the TOP-5 reliable banks for investment in Russia

• Sberbank
• Rosselkhozbank
• "VTB 24"
• Gazprombank
• "Alfa Bank"

The reliability rating of banks changes slightly over time. But the first three banks are almost always in their places, as these are large banks with state financial support.

Acquisition of real estate

This method has always been the most effective for investing money. The acquired property almost never loses its price, and if you buy property in a country where the exchange rate is rigidly pegged to the dollar, then there is a very real opportunity to receive a high annual income in a stable currency.

Unique advantages of buying real estate:

• over time, the value of real estate grows sometimes in leaps, sometimes systematically, but in general, the trend is to increase your capital
• the opportunity to receive a consistently high rental income. Here it is important to consider highly liquid types of real estate that are popular with tenants already in the buying process. Centers of large cities, resort areas, etc.
• a separate plus when buying and renting real estate abroad is the receipt of annual income in dollars, and the amount of this income will exceed the income from deposits in banks

You should also understand that you can always sell property. In addition, you can easily donate your square meters, transfer them by inheritance or bequeath to a specific person.

This tool, like others, has its drawbacks, and the main one is the high cost of the property. It is difficult to even roughly operate with numbers, it all depends on the place and type of real estate in which you want to invest money - whether it is a small apartment on the outskirts of the city or a luxury villa in a world-class resort.

Another serious minus is the risk when concluding a transaction. There are a lot of scammers in the modern world, so before you buy a property, carefully study your partner. Trust money only to specialists.

Buying precious metals

A common way to invest has become the purchase of gold. It is purchased in bullion and, as a rule, kept in the same banks, creating a special account.

In the short term, precious metals prices may even fall, but in the long run they bring small but steady profits.

If the transaction takes place in an impersonal form, then VAT on the fact of sale or purchase is not charged. But the formation of metal into an ingot involves the payment of value added tax.

In addition to gold, silver, palladium and platinum are actively sold. In fact, the entire income of the depositor is formed due to the growth in the cost of precious metals in world markets.

Be prepared that when closing the contract, the bank has the right to give you not only financial resources, taking into account the increase in the amount, but also the bars themselves.

This investment tool has two main advantages:
- protection against inflation of your savings
- high liquidity. That is, a quick transfer to cash as well as a stable increase in the cost of them.

The disadvantages of investing in precious metals are the need to create special storage conditions and rather slow capital growth.

Follow simple rules when investing in precious metals:

1. The acquisition of precious metals is important to carry out in the most favorable period. Try to identify the underlying price decline.
2. It should be understood that such investments will pay for themselves only in the long term.
3. Before starting the main actions, try to preliminarily study the market, understand the peculiarities of the extraction and consumption of each metal, and also analyze the forecasts of experts.

Buying currency

This method of investment can be carried out both with the help of banks and by attracting brokerage companies to trade in the foreign exchange market.

The most popular currencies today are: the US dollar, the euro, the Japanese yen, the Swiss franc, and the British pound sterling.

Pros of this tool:

1. If you know the dynamics of the growth of the exchange rate, then it becomes possible to protect yourself from inflation. You can independently choose a currency, determine its changes and predict further consequences.
2. You can buy currency quickly, this process does not take much time.
3. You are able to independently control the situation, monitor course changes, and determine the effectiveness of your further actions.

There are two drawbacks: This is the unpredictability of the exchange rate, as well as inflation, which affects absolutely all the economies of the world.

If the safety of funds is a priority for you, despite the difficult political situation, turn your attention to pounds sterling or the Swiss franc. Of course, their purchase is more expensive, but this operation gives stability, because their position is more stable in the foreign exchange market..

Purchase of securities

Investing in such instruments becomes profitable in the long run. The main types in your portfolio are stocks, bonds and Eurobonds.

Thus, a "share" is a security that makes it possible to confirm one's right to a share in the company's capital. It allows not only to receive dividends, but also to participate in the management of the enterprise itself.
The main advantage of such an acquisition can be considered the opportunity to earn a lot of money if the company in which you invested money is booming
Experts call the negative point the high risk of storing these tools. Such an acquisition is done at your own risk. No one gives good guarantees of the success of such an event.

"Bonds" allow their owners to increase capital gradually. Its growth is slow, but it makes it possible to become stable. In the general portfolio of securities, they are most likely acquired for diversification, that is, expanding the range.
They reduce risk and are suitable for those users who can expect a long period of adding initial funds.

"Eurobonds" are issued most often by corporations and the government in foreign currency denomination. The starting bid to purchase them is $1,000.
The main advantage of this method of investing lies in the cost difference between currencies. Due to this, you can get a good income and sell bonds at any time without losing interest.
The disadvantage of this method is that it is very difficult to choose the right stocks or bonds for your portfolio on your own. You will have to resort to the opinion of professionals and experts.

Modern high-risk financial instruments

Mutual investment funds are a collective investment of funds and their further management. All money is collected in a common fund, and then, with the help of a professional manager, is directed to the chosen method of use.

By investing money in mutual funds, we get the opportunity to purchase those stocks, bonds, gold or currency that have fallen slightly in price, but are able to gain their positions in the future, determining good growth and a significant share of profits.
Thus, the advantage of an investment fund is that at any stage you are provided with maximum support and various options for investing funds, from which you can choose the most optimal one.

It should be understood that the activities of any management company are subject to constant control by the state, and this is already confidence for you in honest cooperation.

All available capital can be initially distributed among several mutual funds, which will allow you to create your own portfolio, limiting your share of risks.

The negative side of this method can be called your own indiscretion, when a young unverified specialist who takes up a case “lets you down” and your expectations. It is quite difficult to check his actions in advance, so there is a risk of losing the accumulated money.

P2P lending

When choosing this instrument, you provide money to the borrower on special terms. It is important to draw up a contract correctly, assess all the risks and losses, study the personal data of the person with whom you will work.

Your advantage is high returns. Providing credit obligations from one individual to another for a short period allows you to receive up to 50% per annum. But the disadvantages of this method are also serious.

There is a possibility of non-repayment of borrowed funds. Even a very thorough search for borrowers does not guarantee their honesty.

Binary Options

Your task is to provide a correct forecast for the price of the asset being used. For example, it is most convenient for a person to work with stocks. By purchasing an option on them, he is betting that, for example, exactly in a day their value will become much higher than indicated at the moment.

After the specified time, the result is evaluated. In the case when the assumptions are confirmed, the amount of profit will range from 65-85%. This is a significant increase in invested capital. But do not forget that you may not guess. It is then that 80-100% of the bet is lost.

Marketplace websites have rules that may differ slightly, but in a nutshell, this is a very risky way of investing with the possibility of rapid capital growth if you do not succumb to excitement and be economically savvy.

PAMM accounts

This is another way to manage your finances, which allows you to entrust personal savings to a specialist.

It is worth immediately understanding what is the difference between a mutual investment fund (PIF) and a PAMM account. If in the first case the manager has full access to your funds and can dispose of them at his own discretion, without being liable even in case of losses, then the second option assumes only the presence of a deposit, which can only be handled by concerted actions.

PAMM - an account is intended for trading, making deals, but only in a technological way. Moreover, all the funds provided for investment on this account can not only be checked at any time, but also the actions of the manager can be stopped at any time.

As alternatives to the classic view of investing Investing in art

This is one of the alternative ways to save and increase your funds. To do this, it is important not only to really understand art, but also to attend special events, selecting your future buyers.

The first and significant advantage of working with masterpieces is a very simple procedure for acquiring works. There are no special formalities, licensing, special checks. The investor selects a future acquisition from the catalog or by visiting the gallery itself. If necessary, an expert is involved to confirm the authenticity of the work.

This investment tool has a number of disadvantages.
Let's start with the fact that this market has low liquidity. Auctions are held with a frequency of 1-2 times a year, and the sale itself can take from 6 to 18 months.

In addition, the availability of buyers who are able to pay you the required amount is very limited and it is important to convince them of the importance of the acquisition.

No work can bring its owner an intermediate income, such as renting an apartment or buying shares, but the costs can be significant. The owner needs to ensure not only the correct storage conditions, but also insurance, security, delivery.

Even at well-known auctions and auctions, there is no 100% protection against fakes. Often, the staff of experts there is very limited and it is not physically possible to check all works of art purely physically.

It should be understood that only the canvas that has not been put up for sale for a long time and spent it in one collection has a serious chance of increasing its value.

Business and Internet projects

Creating and developing your own business, as well as participating in an Internet startup, involves special risks in the initial stages. In general, of course, the sphere of investing money is considered profitable, but it can be very difficult to achieve such a result.

There are a number of factors that can disrupt the original plans. This is the presence of competitors, poor relations with partners, changes in legislation, and much more.

The advantage of such investment can be considered the possibility of joint ownership of the business, collegial management of it and the search for a niche poorly occupied by competitors.

Under such conditions, as well as competent business management, you can not only receive a good income, but also be sure of its constancy.

The negative side of this method is the lack of 100% guarantees. Your invested funds may, in the end, not only not return, but also impose special obligations to eliminate debts resulting from activities.

Any area of ​​business requires special attention, constant work and personal dedication. You will either have to constantly monitor the course of affairs with the money invested, or independently participate in them, achieving positive results.

Invest in yourself

In general, this type of investment has 3 main directions.

Health

Even if it seems, at the age of 18, you do not have problems in this area, be sure that they will appear without due attention to you. And how well you take care of him now, depends on your condition in adulthood.

Therefore, investments in this area can be considered proper nutrition, taking vitamins, walking in the fresh air, visiting doctors for examination.

Appearance

This is a constant work on yourself. In order to be normally perceived, it is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of clothes, your own fragrances, skin, nails and hair.

Try to join the sport in order to have a beautiful figure and a toned belly, watch your hairdo, sign up for manicure and pedicure procedures.

Schedule a trip to another country or city, choose excursions with which you can study the history and culture of another country.

Investing in yourself is knowledge, experience, skills, the ability to apply the whole range of acquired skills in practice at the right time for you.

Greetings dear readers.

This article has been brewing for a long time, but something prevented me from releasing it, well, as usual

In this article, I want to tell you a little about what investment tools are, I will touch not only on Internet investments, although for me today this is the main type of investment, but also on other tools.

Within the framework of one article, we will not be able to cover all the varieties of investments, so this article will be introductory, and later I will try to disclose this material in more detail.

Let's make a short outline of the article for your convenience:

1. Bank deposit
2. Investments in mutual funds
3. Investing in gold
4. Internet investment
5. Real estate investment
6. Investment in your business
7. Invest in yourself
8. What tools do I invest in

There may be many points, but I will try to briefly describe each.

Investment in

This is probably the most famous way to invest money. I think 90 percent of people in Russia use this method. A bank deposit is used not to get a good income, but to accumulate money or save it.

A bank deposit is the main investment tool used to create a certain capital, and it is also a very convenient tool for creating a financial airbag, I will talk about this in future articles, so subscribe to blog updates by entering your details in the subscription form, immediately below this article .

But back to bank deposits. Now the rate on bank deposits reaches 12%, and even more in some banks. Shelf life of 1 month or more. Different banks attract different people, but remember, in banks, we do not earn money, but we save and accumulate. Banks are safe havens in a turbulent financial world, so this investment tool should not be neglected.

Investments in mutual funds (Unit investment funds)

This tool is very extensive and entire courses have been written about it, but I will try to tell you about it in a nutshell.

Mutual funds are trust management in the stock market. Mutual funds are managed by professional managers. Many advise beginners to start with this type of investment, because. portfolio management takes place once a year. No, you can buy and sell your units at any time if you are investing in an open-ended mutual fund and not an interval or closed-end one.

Mutual funds are essentially like a basket of various stocks or other instruments. With the help of mutual funds, you can invest not only in shares, but also in real estate, the money market, etc.

And given that investing in mutual funds starts with small amounts, then this is a very promising type of investment for many who have accumulated, after using the first instrument, about 30 thousand rubles.

Now I am starting to deal with this topic in more detail, since I consider this type of investment to be very successful in the long term, since this area of ​​investment is controlled by the financial authorities of the Russian Federation and there are definitely no “scammers” and other scammers.

Of course, the income here is small, but they are definitely more than bank deposits and start, with proper investment, from 20% per annum.

Investing in gold and other precious metals

This type of investment is quite specific, but many successful investors who have been investing for a long time and large sums must keep this investment instrument in their portfolio, since gold will always be valued, since it is an exhaustible resource and its price will only grow.

There are many ways to invest in gold, but the main type of investment is OMS (Unallocated metal accounts), you do not buy real gold, but its equivalent at today's prices and in the process of gold growth, you can sell it at current prices, this type is good for investors who invest for short periods of 1 year, because in this case, taxes are not paid.

Buying physical gold bullion, here you get a gold bar, this is good if you use gold to reduce investment risks and are ready to invest for the long term, since when you sell gold you pay an 18% tax, so you need to get income significantly more than these 18 % so as not to go negative.

Buying coins from precious metals is another type of investment in gold and other precious metals. I chose this path for myself, since it is investing in precious metals and numismatics, any of these coins can grow in price for incomprehensible numesmatic reasons, and at times, and provided that precious metals grow in price, then in any case you you will not lose everything, but you can sell the same coins at the price of gold or other metal on the day of sale. By the way, when buying and selling coins, taxes are also not paid.

Income depends on the growth in the price of precious metals, which is about 5% per year, sometimes more.

Internet investment

I wanted to break this topic into several, but I understand that the article will then turn out to be huge, but this is not required for an introductory article.

Investing on the Internet is the main type of investment that I have chosen for myself today, of course, I use a bank deposit, I have my “financial airbag” there, but this is a different story.

What investment instruments do I use in this type of investment.

• PAMM accounts
• DU(Trust management)
• HYIPs
• Lending to individuals
• Stock

I have already written quite extensive articles about some tools, so I will briefly talk about those that have not yet been described on my blog.

PAMM accounts are the main component of my portfolio, they are one of the types of trust management in the forex market, the essence of this method is that a trader trades not only with his own money, but also with the money of investors. Moreover, profit increases in equal proportions, losses are written off as well.

If, for example, when a trader increases his capital by 5%, all investors, regardless of the amount they put in, increase their income by the same 5%, and if the trader loses 3%, then all investors lose the same 3%.

Lending to individuals, on this topic, I wrote as many as three articles,.

Income from Internet investments can exceed 100% per annum!

Real estate investment

This type of investment is the most interesting, because all investors come to the conclusion that they begin to invest in real estate. There are a lot of strategies for investing in real estate, but at the same time, much more than $ 1,000 is required to start investing.

Below I will describe one of the strategies that you can choose to invest in real estate, codenamed "New Building".

In fact, the strategy is insanely simple, we buy an apartment in a house under construction, at the stage of excavation and sell it when the house has already been built and commissioned.

The income from this strategy depends on many factors, but as practice shows, it is about 1 million rubles per transaction.

This type of investment is very interesting, but it is not yet available to me personally and therefore I will not write much about it.

Investment in your business

Everything is clear and without words. If you have your own business, then you simply have to invest your money in it. The more money you invest in your business, the more it will bring you income. Without an injection of money, the business goes out.

But when you invest money in your business, you know what to expect, because everything depends on you, on your experience and skills, you trust the money to yourself, and not to some incomprehensible manager, as in other cases, or to a bank.

I invest in my blog because I think it's a good investment. So far, of course, this is a small amount of money and they are mainly spent on maintaining the blog and creating its subscription base, as well as not encouraging my readers and subscribers.

And I also buy products with resale rights, which helps me earn extra income.

By the way, the income from my business is about 300% per annum, so I think it's worth it.

Invest in yourself

But this is a very important type of investment, because all other types of investments depend on your professionalism. Without investing money in yourself, you will get tangible results. In the modern world, everything flows and changes very quickly, and your income and earnings directly depend on how you change. The more money you invest in yourself and your education, the more you gain new knowledge and implement it into your business, your investments, and so on. The more you get, the more you will be appreciated.

People who constantly study and improve their skills receive much more money than people who don’t want to do anything, they sit at their jobs and just “turn sour” from doing nothing, they don’t even try to go and learn something new.

There is a lot of knowledge in the modern world, you can change professions and fields of activity, you can increase and improve knowledge in your main profession or just because you are interested, in any case, learning and gaining new knowledge by investing in yourself is very important.

So study, study and study again.

What tools do I invest in

Well, we got to the last and important point, now I will tell you briefly what I invest in. The main type of investment that I now use is Internet investment, as they help to quickly disperse the deposit to large amounts and allow you to start investing with small amounts.

1. Well, firstly, I am constantly learning, so I invest part of the money in myself.
2. Secondly, I maintain a blog, pay for hosting, mailing list service, sometimes I buy advertising, etc.
3. Thirdly, I use a Bank deposit, on which I have my financial airbag, I don’t say anything about it, because this is not my main investment, but a way, in which case, to survive from half a year to a year, do not fuss and calmly.
4. Fourthly, I invest money in PAMM accounts and use two companies Forex Trend and Pantheon Finance for this, I consider these companies to be the best in the field of PAMM investment.
5. Fifthly, I use remote control in the companies MMSIS and Mill Trade, which I wrote about above.
6. Sixth, I invest money in HYIPs, but not large amounts.
7. Seventh I have a block of shares
8. Eighthly, I give out loans and also earn small amounts of money from this.

In general, while I use such tools. In the future, I think to transfer part of the money to mutual funds, since I think this instrument is quite good and worthwhile.

We are sure that sooner or later every person faces the question: “How to make money work and make a profit?”. Moreover, in this case, abstract knowledge about the theoretical side of investing is of little help. This is where real practice is needed. A potential investor should not only clearly understand what investment instruments currently exist in the financial markets, but also have at least a general idea of ​​the fundamental principles of their use.

Without this, it is simply impossible to receive a stable high return on invested money. Playing blindly significantly increases the level of actual investment risks and threatens the investor with a serious financial disaster. In order to prevent this from happening, I propose to dwell on the study of this topic in more detail.

Investment instruments are specific ways of investing money. In other words, this is everything in which an investor can invest money and receive a certain level of income, which depends on the specific type of asset acquired.

In the understanding of most people, the category of investment instruments automatically includes bank deposits or profits from securities. Most of the time this is where knowledge ends. However, in practice it is a much broader concept.

Existing classification

Existing investment instruments are usually divided into three separate types:

• real;
• intellectual;
• financial.

By real investments it is customary to understand the investment of funds in objects and objects that exist in life. The most striking example is the purchase by an investor of an apartment or land.

Intellectual investment can be understood as capital investment in a person. It can be about your own education, studying at a prestigious university, taking courses, and so on. In addition, you can invest in employees working at your enterprise or company. Such investments can be made as part of their retraining or professional development.

Financial investments are commonly understood as those instruments that are most often of interest to private investors. Here we are talking about shares, bank deposits, operations with national currency and so on.

For more detailed information on this topic, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the materials of the article “Types of Investments”.

Main varieties

Currently, there are a huge number of investment instruments in the financial markets. Each of them will be analyzed separately. In this article, we will present only the best and most popular investment instruments.

Bank deposits

Deposits in banks today in Russia are the most popular and at the same time the least risky ways of investing money. The last part of the statement applies to all deposits up to and including 1,400,000 rubles. This is their advantage.

The main disadvantage is the minimum amount of profitability. Currently, it is from 5 to 10% per annum. That is, depending on the chosen bank and the specific deposit, the income received under certain conditions may not even cover the annual inflation rate. Simply put, this means that with such an investment instrument we will not only not multiply, but we will not even save our own savings. However, in any case, this method of investing is much better than keeping money at home.

When choosing a deposit, you should remember the following points:

• the existence of the possibility of replenishing the deposit;
• the existence of the possibility of withdrawing part of the funds from the account without losing interest;
• the presence of a monthly interest capitalization or, in other words, the addition of interest to the deposit amount.

Company shares

Shares are a type of securities issued by a commercial company in order to raise private money from investors. They can be ordinary and privileged. Only owners of ordinary shares can participate in the management of a joint-stock company. At the same time, the holders of such securities do not have a guaranteed income. The decision on its payment is made at the end of the year at the general meeting of shareholders and depends on the actual performance of the company. The preferred holder does not manage the company, but he is guaranteed to receive dividends. Moreover, their size is known in advance when buying these securities.

However, most private investors playing on the stock exchange do not prioritize dividends. They are primarily aimed at the income that they can receive from the resale of shares that have risen in price. It is clear that if, on the contrary, they become cheaper, then such an investment instrument will bring only losses to its owner.

The easiest way to understand this is with a concrete example. In 1999, one share of Gazprom was sold and bought for 8.5 rubles. To date, its price is 155 rubles.

Currency operations

Such instruments are in the focus of attention of investors playing on the currency exchange. The principle of their activity is completely the same as described above. You need to buy the currency cheaper and sell it more expensive. The difference between the two prices is precisely the profit of the investor.

Naturally, in practice, everything is much more complicated. First of all, you need to choose the national currency for trading. You can earn a lot in two ways. First, the investor can operate with a large sum of money. In this case, even a small income from the resale of the currency will bring a significant profit from the volume of the transaction. Secondly, you can choose the national currency, which is expected to grow significantly in the near future.

Every successful player in the foreign exchange market understands that currency fluctuations depend on many factors. For example, the value of the US dollar is affected both by events within the United States and far beyond its borders. The same applies to the euro, Russian ruble, Chinese yuan and so on.

Other tools

Now let's briefly mention other tools that an investor can use. These should include:

• government bonds;
• shares in investment funds;
• futures and options;
• real estate objects;
• precious metals;
• art and antiques;
• information websites;
• investment programs of IFIs;
• much more.

As you now understand, the right choice of investment instrument plays a decisive role. Without it, the investor will not be able to succeed.

Investing today is an absolutely legal and, no doubt, profitable way to generate income. However, it will only be so if the investor knows the principles of functioning of the entire investment market, and also has basic knowledge of the narrow area in which he finances. If he does not know this, is not oriented in the subject and does not understand what investment tools he should use, then such deposits are doomed to failure.

Indeed, even in the manufacturing sector, the manufacture of different types of products has its own characteristics, which form certain advantages and risks. Without taking into account such factors, it is impossible to make a successful investment.

In order to benefit from the investment of funds, the competent use of investment instruments will be required. What are they and what is their function, and most importantly - what is it all about?

Investment instruments are absolutely everything in which you can invest money and get a certain income from it. Such instruments are absolutely everything that generates income from a previous investment.

For example, this can include not only securities or deposits in a bank that bring a percentage of their volume, but also vegetables bought at a wholesale price, which will be sold at retail, will bring a certain income. This example simply illustrates more clearly how absolutely everything that can improve the well-being of an investor belongs to this financial category.

What tools are

All investment instruments can be divided into types of deposits:

• Real - this is an investment of capital, for example, in the construction or reconstruction of production and non-production structures;
• Intellectual - the contribution of funds to intellectual development - education in one's own country or abroad, retraining of personnel, advanced training, etc.;
• Financial are the most commonly used instruments. These include deposits, securities, and the like.

Popular investment instruments

Here is a small list of investment tools that are most commonly used:

1. Financial investments in banks, this also includes depository deposits. Income is derived from the percentage specified in the contract;
2. Savings programs of insurance companies, as well as;
3. Securities such as bonds and shares of organizations;
4. mutual funds or mutual funds. This tool involves the creation of a common capital for all investors, from which, in fact, income is obtained. Further, the management company divides this income between all investors, depending on the initial amount of investments of each participant;
5. Shares of exchange-traded funds. This is a new tool that is more progressive and compares favorably with the previous one. These shares constantly rotate on the stock exchange, but at the same time, all operations on them can be performed throughout the day, and their price also changes depending on the activity of trading and traders;
6. Funds that are engaged in the purchase and subsequent more profitable sale of shares - hedge funds;
7. Precious metals. This type of deposits will not bring any special income, however, it will keep the capital safe and sound, regardless of the economic situation in the world - precious metals practically do not change their market value;
8. Real estate;
9. And the last option is an alternative. This category of instruments includes all types not previously described - gems and antiques, collectibles, cars, antiques, stamp collections,

As you know, investing is the investment of funds with the aim of increasing them in the future. There are many ways to invest in order to make a profit. I will try to consider them as objectively as possible in this review.

Actually, investment instruments are everything where we can invest money to achieve profit. Naturally, no one will invest money in something else, unless, of course, this is charity or patronage. But in order to deal with the latter, you still need to reach the level of well-being at which you can afford it, and for this you just need to be able to choose the right investment tool. So, investment instruments are any kind of investment that provides an opportunity to increase the invested amount in the future, and preferably in the near future.

Based on this offhand definition, it becomes clear that there are a lot of investment instruments - from buying a centner of potatoes for its subsequent retail sale with a markup per kilogram or purchasing a starter package of some type of network marketing like Avon to financial participation in the construction of a new skyscraper in Dubai or the development of an oil field in Siberia, which implies dividends from the successful implementation of these projects. All these types of investments, one way or another, relate to some kind of financial investment instruments. Let's consider the main ones.

First of all, investment instruments are divided by investment types into:

Real - capital investment;
intellectual - investment in education, retraining, etc.;
financial - securities, deposits, etc.

Each of the types of investment listed above includes some of its specific tools.
In this regard, the following investment instruments are distinguished in the economic literature:

1) bank deposits (or deposits);
2) insurance and pension accumulation programs;
3) securities (shares and bonds);
4) structured products of banks;
5) mutual investment funds (UIF);
6) shares of exchange-traded funds or exchange traded funds (ETF);
7) hedge funds;
8) precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, etc.);
9) real estate;
10) alternative - precious stones, antiques, luxury and art items, collections of old coins, wines, etc.

Recently, the possibility of Internet investment has also appeared, which allows you to make transactions related to almost all of the listed investment instruments through Internet banking, whether it is currency exchange, the purchase of mutual fund units or simply profitable investments of money at interest. If you have enough start-up capital, you can also invest in the development of an Internet business or open your own project on the global network.

Whatever investment tool you choose for yourself, each of them is associated with certain risks, therefore According to the degree of risk, investment instruments are divided into:

low-risk;
medium-risk;
high-risk.

Unfortunately, there is a direct relationship between the profitability and the degree of risk of any investment instrument: the higher the expected profit from the investment and the sooner it is expected, the more risky it is, as a rule. And it is the riskiness of the chosen instrument that is the main criterion for the investor when evaluating it. For this reason, we will consider all three types in more detail.

To low-risk include instruments that provide conditionally guaranteed income. The percentage of profitability of this group is comparable with the profitability of deposits of the most reliable banks, and its value is on average from 5 to 7% per annum.

This group of tools includes:

- deposits in state-owned banks of the country;
- accumulative programs;
— government bonds;
— storage of savings in foreign currency;
— bills of Sberbank and VTB.

The profitability of the listed instruments is practically guaranteed, and the invested capital will be returned to the investor, at least in absolute terms. The only risk here may be the refusal of the state to fulfill its obligations, which we have repeatedly encountered in the recent history of Russia. However, if we talk about accumulative programs, then some insurance companies take on guarantees of payments even in this case, because they themselves reinsure themselves with the most reliable foreign insurers.

— deposits up to 700 thousand rubles in commercial banks;
— bills of commercial banks;
— bills of commercial companies;
— bonds of commercial companies;
— shares of real estate funds;
— shares of bond funds;
- leased real estate;
- purchase of a ready-made business.

It is clear that the instruments of this group have commercial risks of losing from 30% to 50%, and in some cases, the entire invested capital. We encountered similar examples during the crises of 1998 and 2008, when many firms and entrepreneurs simply went bankrupt, and assets partially lost their value.

And finally to the high-risk group, suggesting a yield of 30% or more, include:

- creating your own business;
- stock;
— shares of equity and index funds;
— trading in currencies, stocks, derivatives market instruments and exchange commodities.

Using these tools, they do not exclude the loss of investments from 70% to 100%, i.e. the indicated percentages here are an indicator of the probability of loss of initial capital. There are also many similar examples. These are lost investments in the Forex market, and the fall of Sberbank shares in 2008 by almost 90%, and the same percentage of the death of a newly created business in the country in the very first year of creation, and in the next 5 years - the same number of 10% of "survivors » in the first year.
As you can see, the above formula for the dependence of return on risk is confirmed by these indicators. So what should a private investor invest in if he wants to receive relatively high returns with minimal risk?

Consider several popular types of investment instruments, which were mentioned above.

Financial assets- this is perhaps one of the most affordable types of investment today.
Of the instruments of the group with the least risk, a bank deposit is an investment and savings activity. However, taking into account inflation, bank deposits rarely give more than 2% return. This means that a bank deposit does not belong to highly profitable instruments, and its essence is reduced to the accumulation and preservation of capital.
Other types of financial assets do not have any guarantees, therefore, investors proceed from credibility, terms of existence on the market and the dynamics of the company's development. Although it also happens that the company has been developing steadily so far, namely, after your investment in it, it suddenly becomes bankrupt. In general, other instruments of this group require the investor to be able to understand some subtleties, without which the risk of losing money is very high. But if you have the necessary knowledge, it is really possible to get a good income from investments in securities, shares of enterprises or equity participation in them.

Tangible assets- these include real investments, such as, for example, precious metals, which seem more attractive in comparison with bank deposits.
The fact is that gold has never fallen in price over the past few decades, but has only grown. True, not every year its growth was stable. For example, during the years of the crisis, it even fell in price, but unlike other types of assets, it recovered faster than anyone else, returning to growth again.
Investing in gold involves many ways: these are trading futures contracts through the exchange; and non-VAT metal accounts, which are considered the most accessible and least dangerous; and etc.
Investment savings also includes real estate. Here it must be borne in mind that this instrument can be both an active and a passive investment. For example, if you rent out a purchased apartment, you have income not only from the increase in its value, but also from receiving rent for it. And if you live in it yourself, then the investment will already be passive, since maintenance, utility and tax payments, repairs, etc. may well cover the annual increase in the cost of the apartment in total. At the same time, we must not forget that if you suddenly want to sell it and do it quickly, you will have to make a tangible discount to the buyer, so this type of investment is usually made for the long term and is considered a kind of investment conservation.
Thus, real estate, for all its attractiveness and a good percentage of annual income, has its drawbacks in terms of liquidity, i.e. the impossibility of promptly converting it into cash.

Business investment- this type refers to investments, both in your own business and someone else's.
By "alien" is meant not only equity participation in a company, but also work in it, i.e. investing your labor and time and being rewarded for it in the form of a salary. And if you work in a good position and make good money, you can create seed capital to invest in your own business.
As you know, the most reliable, efficient and profitable will be a fully controlled investment, and 100 percent control is real only with full ownership of the invested business. However, the disadvantage of owning a business is often that you have to invest in it not only money, but at first all your time and effort, and also have business qualities, otherwise there is a high risk of losing all these investments. Another thing is if you are only a shareholder in a business project without direct management of the company. Then you risk only invested money, and, of course, nerves.

Stock or foreign exchange market. Here we must immediately make a reservation that the first is to some extent less risky and more predictable than the second.
For example, the Forex market is not regulated in any way by the legislation of the Russian Federation, and Russian brokerage companies are registered outside the country. This serves as a fertile ground for fraudsters, which has led to the emergence of a strategy that reduces the possibility of fraud to a minimum due to transparency for the investor of all transactions with his account.
Usually, investments in the currency and stock markets are made through trust management of one's capital, i.e. you entrust your capital with the aim of increasing it to some management company, which, by investing in certain types of assets, increases the invested funds.
The main advantages of trust management are: the possibility of investing relatively small amounts, much higher returns than deposits with high liquidity, and the ability to deposit and withdraw funds at any time. The main disadvantage is the high risk of losing the invested funds, even if you manage them yourself.

Summing up all that has been said, it remains only to admit once again that today there are no 100% tools for successful investment. It remains to rely only on your own knowledge, experience and flair. The investment instruments available in our country are very diverse, but you need to be well informed about the opportunities that each of them provides. In any case, experts give very optimistic forecasts of the dynamics of the development of Russian financial markets. However, their recommendations for maintaining positions in the most reliable instruments remain the same.
According to experts, the possibility of losing money on the stock exchange is much higher than the possibility of earning it. Nevertheless, according to the statistics of recent years, it is clear that more and more citizens of the Russian Federation are attracted to investments in securities: the desire to make a profit with the least risk against the backdrop of modern economic realities makes them look for new investment instruments.
In recent years, the popularity of commodity funds has been growing, but investing in them is somewhat hampered by Russia's low access to world commodity exchanges. In the light of recent trends, so-called “hybrid instruments” combining financial instruments and banking products are being created, when the bank deposit rate is tied, for example, to a stock index or some other indicator.
Thus, the wide range of tools available to today's investors provides a variety of options for a successful investment strategy.