Investments

Every individual has specific needs and priorities. Your needs could vary from buying a house, providing for your childs education, getting your child married, retirement and many more. ICICI Bank's investment services cater your all financial needs and help secure your future.

ICICI Bank Offers you following fixed investment options to help you build your wealth at low risk with secure returns, safety, convenience & Tax benefits.

Fixed Deposit

At ICICI Bank, we offer you Fixed Deposit which is one of the safe and secured instrument to invest into. Attractive rate of returns and flexibility to withdraw funds as and when require are some of the benefits of Fixed Deposit along with ease of investment and loan against deposit. Invest in ICICI Bank Fixed Deposit and give opportunity to your money to grow.

ICICI BANK FD ICICI HFC FD

Bonds

At ICICI Bank , we offers various types of bonds, which help investors to invest in the instruments having fixed maturity with regular interest over a specified period of time.

ICICI Bank Bonds GOI Bonds

Senior Citizen Saving Schemes

A new avenue of investment for Senior Citizen which ensures Safe and assured returns . The account may be opened by an individual or in joint holding with spouse.

Public Provident Fund

ICICI Bank offers Public Provident Fund scheme for salaried as well as for self employed people to encourage savings habit and provides long term investment avenue which ensures safety, convenience and Tax benefits.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) Account

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) scheme launched by Government of India as a part of 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign.

ICICI Bank offers you following wide range of investment products which may help you to diversify your investment holdings.

Mutual Fund

Mutual Funds, with their professional management through the expertise of their fund managers, are one of the best- option to meet your long term investment goals.In addition, it also bring the advantages of diversification, liquidity, convenience and tax efficiency. Mutual funds are however, subject to market risks and respective scheme documents should be referred before making investments.

Gold Monetisation Scheme

Resident Indians can deposit gold under Gold Monetisation Scheme. The deposit will be denominated in grams of gold with purity 995. The deposit will help the depositor earn interest at the rate of interest decided by Central Government and notified by Reserve Bank of India from time to time. ICICI Bank is one of the designated banks authorised to implement the Scheme.

IPO through ASBA (Applications Supported by Blocked Amount)

ICICI Bank savings accounts is making IPO application a hassle-free process for you. Instead of moving out funds from your account, the amount can now be blocked and you keep on earning the interest even while you invest.

Read the rest here:
Investment Options | Investment Plans in India | Online ...

Dictionary entry overview: What does investment mean?

INVESTMENT (noun) The noun INVESTMENT has 5 senses:

1. the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit 2. money that is invested with an expectation of profit 3. outer layer or covering of an organ or part or organism 4. the act of putting on robes or vestments 5. the ceremonial act of clothing someone in the insignia of an office; the formal promotion of a person to an office or rank

Familiarity information: INVESTMENT used as a noun is common.

Dictionary entry details

INVESTMENT (noun)

Meaning:

The act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

investing; investment

Hypernyms ("investment" is a kind of...):

finance (the commercial activity of providing funds and capital)

Domain member category:

subscribe (offer to buy, as of stocks and shares)

pyramid (enlarge one's holdings on an exchange on a continued rise by using paper profits as margin to buy additional amounts)

buy into (buy stocks or shares of a company)

bull (try to raise the price of stocks through speculative buying)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "investment"):

arbitrage (a kind of hedged investment meant to capture slight differences in price; when there is a difference in the price of something on two different markets the arbitrageur simultaneously buys at the lower price and sells at the higher price)

foreign direct investment (investing in United States businesses by foreign citizens (often involves stock ownership of the business))

leverage; leveraging (investing with borrowed money as a way to amplify potential gains (at the risk of greater losses))

Meaning:

Money that is invested with an expectation of profit

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

investment funds; investment

Hypernyms ("investment" is a kind of...):

assets (anything of material value or usefulness that is owned by a person or company)

Domain member category:

bear; pay; yield (bring in)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "investment"):

speculation; venture (an investment that is very risky but could yield great profits)

Meaning:

Outer layer or covering of an organ or part or organism

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("investment" is a kind of...):

cutis; skin; tegument (a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "investment"):

pellicle (thin protective membrane in some protozoa)

Meaning:

The act of putting on robes or vestments

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("investment" is a kind of...):

dressing; grooming (the activity of getting dressed; putting on clothes)

Meaning:

The ceremonial act of clothing someone in the insignia of an office; the formal promotion of a person to an office or rank

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

investiture; investment

Hypernyms ("investment" is a kind of...):

promotion (act of raising in rank or position)

"One man's trash is another man's treasure." (English proverb) "There is no winter for who has remained in his mother's womb" (Breton proverb) "Give the dough to baker even if he eats half of it." (Arabic proverb) "After rain comes sunshine" (Dutch proverb)

Read the original:
What does investment mean? definition, meaning and ...

Investment, process of exchanging income during one period of time for an asset that is expected to produce earnings in future periods. Thus, consumption in the current period is foregone in order to obtain a greater return in the future.

For an economy as a whole to invest, total production must exceed total consumption. Throughout the history of capitalism, investment has been primarily the function of private business; during the 20th century, however, governments in planned economies and developing countries have become important investors.

From the standpoint of an individual, two types of investment may be distinguished: investment in the means of production and purely financial investment. Although at the individual level both types may provide a monetary return to the investor, from the standpoint of the entire economy, purely financial investments appear only as title transfers and do not constitute an addition to productive capacity.

Before the 1930s, investment was thought to be strongly affected by the going rate of interest, with the rate of investment likely to rise as the rate of interest fell. Since then, empirical investigation has shown business investment to be less responsive to interest rates and more dependent on businessmens expectations about future demand and profit, technical changes in production methods, and the expected relative costs of labour and capital.

Because investment increases an economys capacity to produce, it is the factor responsible for economic growth. For growth to occur smoothly, it is necessary that savers intend to save the same amount that investors wish to invest during a time period. If intended saving exceeds intended investment, unemployment may result; and if investment exceeds saving, inflation may occur. See also saving; marginal efficiency of investment.

Originally posted here:
investment | finance | Britannica.com

Investment Dispute Resolution

Following the public consultation on investment dispute resolution in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) launched in March 2014, the Commission issued its report on the consultation in January 2015.

In the Concept Paper published on 12 May 2015, the Commission charted the path for an ambitious reform of investment policy and investment dispute resolution in TTIP and beyond.

Detailed proposals for a new Investment Court System for TTIP and other EU trade and investment negotiations were presented on 16 September 2015.

Investment can take many forms. Foreign direct investment (FDI) consists in making capital available from one country for carrying out an economic activity in another country, with a view to exercising a form of control, such as the ability to influence business decisions. The most common form of FDI is the creation or acquisition of a company, like a plant to produce cars. Other forms of investment are portfolio investment, through which the investor does not seek control, or any other assets including for example intellectual property rights.

The EU supports the movement of capital as it is essential in generating economic growth, jobs and reducing poverty. The EU is the largest source and destination of FDI in the world measured by stocks and flows.

Source: Eurostat, Unctad

International rules on Investment contribute to improving the business climate. They increase legal certainty for investors and reduce the perceived risk to invest. The EU subscribes to various international rules on investment:

The EU also adheres to principles and standards on responsible business conduct such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the reference document on corporate social responsibility intended to balance the rights and obligations between investors and host states.

Investment is now part of the EUs common commercial policy. As a consequence, the European Commission may legislate on investment.

The European Commission outlined its approach for the EU's future investment policy in its Communication "Towards a comprehensive European international investment policy" in 2010. This policy contributes to the objectives of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy.

The EU's investment policy is focused on providing EU investors and investments with market access and with legal certainty and a stable, predictable, fair and properly regulated environment in which to conduct their business.

There are two aspects:

The EU is negotiating investment rules in the context of free trade agreements with third countries and also in stand-alone investment agreements. Whereas the EU is currently negotiating stand-alone agreements with China and Myanmar, investment chapters are being negotiated in the context of FTAs with India, Singapore, Japan, the United States, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. Negotiations with Canada were concluded in 2014.

The EU actively participates in work on international investment conducted in international fora (OECD, UNCTAD, WTO, G8, IMF).

The European comprehensive investment policy will be introduced progressively. This means that almost 1200 Bilateral Investment Agreements of Member States that currently offer investment protection to many European investors will be preserved until they are replaced by EU agreements. Regulation No 1219/2012 grants legal security to the existing BIAs between our Member States and third countries until they are replaced by EU-wide investment deals. It also allows for the Commission to authorise Member States to open formal negotiations with a third country to amend or conclude a BIA under certain conditions.

More on EUs approach to investor-state dispute settlement.

The EU-Canada trade and investment agreement is the first occasion for EU-wide rules on investment as part of a broad trade agreement.

See the original post:
Investment - Trade - European Commission

You can visit our website without informing us who you are or revealing any information about yourself. However, if you give us any personal information about yourself or others to get more information or for us to contact you we promise to treat it securely, fairly and lawfully. We are committed to protecting your privacy. We may use personal information you provide for the purpose of providing more relevant content to you. We do not sell or share your data at any time. We may send you e-mails but you can always opt out at any time.

Privacy Policy on Cookies Usage

Privacy Statement: How we use Cookies

Cookies are very small text files that are stored on your computer when you visit some websites. We use cookies to help identify your computer so we can tailor your user experience and send you relevant content that we feel you would be interested in. You can disable any cookies already stored on your computer, but these may stop our website from functioning properly.

Some cookies are deleted when you close down your browser. These are known as session cookies. Others remain on your device until they expire or you delete them from your cache. These are known as persistent cookies and enable us to remember things about you as a returning visitor. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org

The following is strictly necessary in the operation of our website.

This Website Will:

The following are not Strictly Necessary, but are required to provide you with the best user experience and also to tell us which pages you find most interesting (anonymously).

Functional Cookies

This Website Will:

Targeting Cookies

This Website Will:

This website will not

See the article here:
Invest In Shipping Containers | Invest Containers

Promoters of alternative investment and money-making opportunities sometimes make their deals seem like a sure thing. The truth is that the higher the potential reward, the higher the risk. Dont do business with someone who tries to convince you otherwise.

Dishonest promoters often are vague about the nature of the investment and focus instead on the money you'll make. To close the deal, they cite phony statistics, exaggerate the significance of a current event, claim they will guarantee the investment, or stress how unique their offer is. And they almost always try to rush you into a decision.

Investment decisions demand your time and careful consideration.

Using sales scripts, scam artists may create the impression that only a few shares or partnership units are left in a "sure-fire" investment. They try to convince you that youll miss out on a big opportunity if you dont send them thousands of dollars by overnight courier or money transfer. But if you do, you will lose your money. They insist on money transfers because it is nearly impossible to trace the money or get it back.

Its best to get an independent appraisal of the specific asset, business, or investment youre considering. An appraisal offered by the promoters could be fake. Talk to the previous owners of an asset or business for its history, but be aware that some dishonest promoters hire shills people who lie about their success with an investment to convince you to buy it. Discuss all investment ideas or plans with an accountant, an attorney, or another advisor you know and trust.

Scam artists lie. Their success depends on having an airtight answer for everything.

Dont let appearances fool you. For a few dollars, anyone can incorporate an entity. Scammers can produce slick promotional materials, or buy a toll-free number.

Sales representatives should tell you the risk of particular investments. Honest risk disclosures may say you could lose your whole investment. Be particularly suspicious of sales pitches that play down risk or portray written risk disclosures as routine formalities required by the government. Later, when you try to recover the money you lost, dishonest promoters could use those same risk disclosures against you.

Can you find published information about the company in which youre investing, or someone you trust who has heard of the company? Do an internet search with the name of the company and words like review, scam, or complaint. Look through several pages of search results.

Its wise to check with law enforcement agencies in the community where the promoters are located, but keep in mind that it may be too soon for the companys victims to realize theyve been defrauded or to have filed complaints. Dishonest promoters often operate a particular scam for a short time and close down before they can be detected. Often, they reopen under another name, selling another investment scam. In addition, they may lie about their name or their business history, or even pay people to be "references."

Scam artists often use news stories about the success of legitimate companies as bait by claiming that their "opportunity" is similar to that of a "hot" money-maker. Unfortunately, success stories of other companies in the field are irrelevant for your purposes. Get the track record of the company youre considering investing in and the background of the people promoting it.

Legitimate companies account for investors money at all times. Ask for written proof of how much of your money is going to the actual investment and how much is going to commissions, promoters profits, and marketing costs. If most of your money is slated to cover expenses and costs, much less will be available to earn a return.

Considering a securities investment? Visit investor.gov for tips, and check out any investment opportunity with your state securities agency.

There are lots of different money-making schemes out there. If youre considering an investment, its best to know the possible pitfalls. The FTC has more information about:

Here is the original post:
Investment Risks | Consumer Information

How do I apply?

To apply for an HSBC InvestDirect stocks and shares ISA, log in to your InvestDirect or InvestDirect Plus account and select 'ISA' from the 'Products and Services' page then follow the guidelines provided. Alternatively, you can call us on .

This product is offered without advice and, as such, we are not required to assess the suitability of this product for you. This means that the protection offered by the Financial Conduct Authority's rules on assessing suitability will not apply to this transaction.

The value of most investments, and any income they generate, can go down as well as up, meaning you may not get back the full amount you invested. This may in part be due to exchange rate fluctuations where overseas investments are held.

Most investments should be considered as a medium- to long-term commitment, meaning you should be prepared to hold them for at least five years.

Some have a fixed-term or may not be accessible until you reach your retirement age. For products with a fixed-term you may get back significantly less than originally invested if you make an early withdrawal.

The value of any tax benefits described depends on your individual circumstances. Tax rules may change in the future.

. To help us continually improve our service and in the interests of security, we may monitor and/or record your communications with us.

Read more:
Investing with us | HSBC UK

Expert Reviewed

Three Parts:Getting Ready to InvestChoosing Good InvestmentsFocusing on the FutureCommunity Q&A

Contrary to popular belief, the stock market is not just for rich people. Investing is one of the best ways for anyone to create wealth and become financially independent. A strategy of investing small amounts continuously can eventually result in what is referred to as the snowball effect, in which small amounts gain in size and momentum and ultimately lead to exponential growth. To accomplish this feat, you must implement a proper strategy and stay patient, disciplined, and diligent. These instructions will help you get started in making small but smart investments.

Ad

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

Stay informed and look ahead. In this day and age, with technology that can provide you with the information you seek in an instant, it is tough to look several years to the future while monitoring your investment balances. Those that do, however, will slowly build their snowball until it builds up speed and helps them achieve their financial goals.

4

[21]

Answered Questions

How can I invest in the stock market?

How do I benefit if I sell stocks at a profit, then transfer those funds to another company's stock?

How can I find a reliable financial adviser or broker?

Ask a Question

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,568,183 times.

Yes No

See the rest here:
How to Invest Small Amounts of Money Wisely: 12 Steps

Investment Clubs

There are many steps involved in getting an investment club up and running, but fret not -- most of them are relatively straightforward. We've summarized many of them below and we've also prepared a short book, "Investment Clubs: How to Start and Run One the Motley Fool Way," which offers a concise coverage of what you need to know. If you're greedy for much more detail, check out the NAIC's "Starting and Running a Profitable Investment Club" by Thomas E. O'Hara and Kenneth S. Janke.

Below is a list of steps to help you along. It's fairly thorough, but isn't set in stone. We're mere Fools, remember, so we may well have left out a step or three. If you have any constructive feedback or suggestions, please share them on our Investment Clubs discussion board.

- Start talking with friends and see who's interested. It's best to gather a variety of people who will bring to the club a variety of interests, experiences, and perspectives. Once you find a few interested friends, let them invite a few of their own friends. Aim to form a club with roughly 10 to 15 members, give or take a few. Anything from 6 to about 20 is probably workable. Too few and you may have trouble accumulating funds to invest. Too many and you'll have trouble having quality discussions and finding a place to meet.

- Don't assume that you're doomed if your group is composed only of utter novices. That can be a very good thing. Sometimes, if you mix in some sophisticated investors with novices, the sophisticates can get bored or frustrated, and the novices can get intimidated. Don't doubt that a bunch of novices can tackle learning everything together. (Remember, you have a lot of resources to help you, such as the online community here at the Fool.)

- Distribute information about investment clubs to anyone who has expressed interest. Perhaps print out the material you've found here. You want people to learn what investment clubs are all about and think about whether they're really interested.

- Gather all interested parties for a preliminary meeting. Meet to discuss (A) whether you have enough in common, (B) how you'll be organized and run, and (C) whether people are still seriously interested in forming a club. The following items are things that you should try to agree on. It might be good to go around the room and get everyone's thoughts on each of these issues.

- Make sure that you all have similar or compatible investing goals. If some people want to double their money in two years and then get out, that's not only unrealistic, but also probably at odds with those who want to learn and slowly grow their savings.

- Agree on the amount of the monthly minimum contribution. You don't have to set this as high as possible. Remember that this is a learning activity, and you can always increase the amount at a later date. Many clubs allow members to contribute more than the monthly minimum level if they so desire. Also, contributions to the club shouldn't necessarily be the only investment you make. You might be contributing $25 per month to your investment club, but putting aside $150 per month for your personal savings and investing.

- To the degree that you can, agree on some common ground regarding a general investing philosophy and approach. As an example, perhaps you agree that Warren Buffett's approach is one you'd like to incorporate or emulate. Maybe many of you believe in Foolish investing tenets. Perhaps some want to find significantly undervalued stocks, while others want to find high-flying stocks. Differences don't necessarily represent a death knell, but it's good to start out knowing how everyone feels. And besides, many investment styles are not diametrically opposed. Fools and Warren Buffett have much common ground.

- Agree on a set of common-ground references, instructions, tools, and/or readings. Dare we be presumptuous enough to suggest that the "Motley Fool Investment Guide" or the "13 Steps to Investing Foolishly" could be such references? (Yes, we dare!) Peter Lynch's "One Up on Wall Street", "Beating the Street", and Learn to Earn are some other fine works. You might even all agree to subscribe to a certain magazine, such as SmartMoney, or to regularly read the Fool's news and commentary.

- Agree on a regular meeting time, place, length, and format. One reason to try and keep a club size to no more than about 15 people is that it permits meetings to be held in living rooms. Another possibility is to seek out some other space, like a local library or church. A coffeehouse or local watering hole might also work. Perhaps a member has an available meeting room at his workplace. Decide when you'll meet, and how often. Most clubs meet once a month. For the format, outline the various items of business you plan to cover at each meeting and allocate an amount of time for each. This will help you keep meetings running efficiently and prevent someone's report from going on for an hour and dragging things out too long. Most meetings will probably last between one and two hours.

- Agree on snacks. Snacks can be a very important part of any meeting. In unfortunate situations, it might even be what meeting attendees look forward to most. Your club can choose to bypass snacks -- or you can decide to take turns bringing donuts or cookies.

- You'll need a name for the club. You can be straightforward and name the club after something like your geographical region, or you can be creative. Names that some clubs have used include: The Money Makers, The Small Wonder Investment Group, Blue Chips and Salsa, The Common Bond Investment Club, Common Cents, The Fortune Seekers, The Steady Plodders, The Live and Learn Investors, The Silk STOCKings Investment Club, Stocks and Bonding, Blooming Assets, Lady Investigators, The Hounds of Xemba, The Stockettes, Fortune Hunters, Dynavestors, and so on. One group of women named their club the Stroke of Luck because they all met at a doctor's office. Their husbands had had strokes, leaving the women suddenly needing to take control of the family finances.

- We've covered a lot of ground so far. If this has taken a long while, you could close the first meeting and resume organizational discussions at the next. There's no rush. Below are more (yes, more) things to settle as you set up your club.

- Agree on how you'll be organized legally and operationally. The NAIC guide noted above and the Fool investment club book both include sample legal language for contracts and agreements. Some Fools online have also shared their agreements. This might sound scary, but you should realize that your $20 or $50 initial contributions will be growing into a significant pile of wealth. You'll need to have formal agreements in place to protect yourselves in case one member turns out to be a dastardly demon. Don't neglect this paperwork issue. For your club to be recognized as a legal entity, there are forms to fill out.

- As part of the previous discussion, you'll have determined how your club will be organized -- or at least will have begun talking about it. Finish that now. Agree on what responsibilities there are, and what kinds of officers you'll need to elect to take on these responsibilities. Clarify what the responsibilities of the officers, as well as club members, will be. (Remember that even regular, non-officer members have responsibilities.) Elect your officers in one of the first meetings. Typical clubs have:

- Since you're likely to be a Foolish club, though, you might come up with some more inspired names for offices. Some examples are below:

- Assign someone to look into choosing a broker. Some clubs have traditionally favored full-service brokers, who'll provide some advice and guidance and perhaps even attend meetings on occasion. Contrary to this, Fools generally opt for discount brokers. Discount brokers may offer some research, but they won't tell you what to buy or sell. Since in a club your group should be calling its own shots, you don't need to pay hefty commissions to full-service brokerages. Discuss the differences between full-service and discount brokers and decide which you prefer. Consider taking advantage of the incredibly low commissions offered for online trading by discount brokers. Several are in the neighborhood of $8 or less per trade. Visit the Fool's Brokerage Center for more information about how to evaluate and choose a broker. You can actually sign up for an account there, too! (Do so and you'll help support the sponsors who keep Fool.com free.)

- Decide on an educational agenda. This will naturally change a bit over time, as you become more sophisticated investors. But it's important to start out with some kind of plan. Perhaps you want to take the first few months to learn how to read annual reports. If you're already comfortable with that, you might delve into various valuation methods. Discuss topics of interest and set up a plan for learning. A good way to start this discussion might be to go around the room and ask members to say what big questions they have about investing that they'd like answers to. If members think this would be too embarrassing, you could all write down lists of these questions anonymously and then collect and discuss them. (No one should be embarrassed, though -- your club should foster an open and unintimidating atmosphere.)

- Make a list of member interests and expertise. Here's why. As you begin hunting for companies in which to invest, you'll want to choose industries to study. As both Peter Lynch and the Brothers Gardner like to point out, it's a great strategy to "buy what you know." (Actually, it's probably best restated as "research what you know.") If you're in the chemical business, you might volunteer to look into companies in that industry, choosing a few for a close look. If a member is an avid golfer, she might look into golf-related companies. It's a good idea to make a list of the industries with which your club members are familiar. Even if someone's only hobby is hitting the malls every weekend, that's a great boon -- he'll be familiar with many retailers.

- Finally, agree to have fun and to keep your meetings friendly and cooperative. And please consider dropping us a note now and then with any experiences, suggestions, or even funny stories that you'd care to share. (Perhaps your group came up with some clever officer titles? Let's hear 'em!)

View post:
investment - The Motley Fool

When it comes to choosing what investment to go for, a one-size-fits-all approach just doesnt work there isnt a single investment product that will work for everyone.

We all have a unique set of personal circumstances and individual savings goals, and its only when you take a closer look at these that you can begin to answer the question what is the best investment for me?

Are you looking to invest a lump sum, or to set aside a regular monthly amount? Maybe a short term investment or longer? And how much money do you have available?

Certain assets require a lump sum investment, such ascorporate bondsor when youre putting down a deposit to purchase aproperty, and others offer the flexibility of either lump sum or regular contributions, such as acash ISAorstocks and shares ISA.

Some investments also have a minimum financial commitment, so knowing what you can afford and whether you plan to make a one-off or an ongoing saving is a good starting point.

Or, put another way when will you need access to your money? Certain investment products run for a fixed period of time, so if you have a specific date in mind as to when you need access to yourcapital, then some product types wont be right for you. In addition, certain investments, such asshares, are much longer lasting and shouldnt be considered as short term investments.

Thats because although shares have historically increased in value over the long term, they can fluctuate in value in the short term. Its recommended that you invest money at least five years to be in a good position to ride out these fluctuations.

We all have different reasons for saving, and the purpose of your investment can affect how muchrisk youre prepared to take with your money. If your investment is to pay for your childrens education, then you may be investing over a long period of time, and looking for a higher return, as a result you may be inclined to choose a higher-risk investment option.

Conversely, if youre investing money to pay for an overseas trip, or a new car, you may be investing for a short period of time and want certainty about the outcome of your investment, and you may feel more comfortable with lower risk short term investments.

If youre looking for a regular income from your investment then this will influence your choice of product. A pension is probably the best-known investment vehicle for providing an income in retirement.

There are other investment products available that can also provide a regular income such asannuities, or corporate bond funds, alternatively you could choose to invest in a buy-to-let property to provide you with a rental income.

Consumers may wish to seek professional advice first before taking out such products as they often require a huge commitment.

Attitude to risk can change with age. Longer term, higher risk investment options may be more attractive to someone in their thirties than to someone who is getting close to retirement.

People tend to invest money in lower-risk products as their retirement approaches.

If youre a parent with financially dependent children, then youre probably going to be more cautious with your savings than someone whos single and doesnt have any dependants, and therefore more likely to choose a low to medium risk and possibly short term investment. For someone whos self-employed the priority may be finding a product that allows flexible contributions to suit a more erratic income pattern.

Its important that you to take a close look at your circumstances and how they affect whatinvestment you opt for beforeyou make a commitment.

If you already have a number of investments and feel that your future financial requirements are well taken care of, then you may be willing to take a higher risk with your next investment. However, if this is your first and only investment then you may be more conservative in your choice.

Its important that you feel comfortable with where your money is going, so if you have strong beliefs then its worth seeking out an investment that fits with these. There are a number of green andethical investmentsavailable as well as investments that are designed for specific cultural groups.

How do you feel aboutinvestment risk? Not everyone is happy riding out the ups and downs of the stock market, and if the thought of a particular investment makes you lie awake at night, then its probably too risky for you.

When you invest money, it gets tied up and is no longer easily accessible. But, if you have a sudden need for cash how quickly and easily can you liquidate your asset? And whats the penalty for doing this?

If you think this may be an important factor for you then its worth knowing up front what the implication of getting out of an investment early is if indeed its possible.

Once youve answered these questions youll have a better idea of the type of investments that would suit you. Financial advisers tend to recommend having aportfolioof investments, that way if one investment performs badly, you have others to fall back on. It also means you can plan so you have short term investments as well as long-term ones.

Your tax status is another important consideration. You need to factor in the tax implications of each investment option based on your personal circumstances that way youll get a true picture of the return youre likely to make. Find out more aboutinvestment and tax.

You may need to consult an appropriate professional financial adviser, accountant or tax specialist about the tax implications of any particular investment in relation to your own circumstances.

Its also a good idea to review your portfolio on an annual basis after youve invested money. Circumstances change, so it makes sense to check that it still represents the best investment for you.

The rest is here:
Best investments - 10 steps to investing money | uSwitch