Where To Invest Your Money In The Year Of 2018

The Best Investments

You finally have some money to spare and you're looking for a way to invest it. Perhaps you got a pay rise at the start of the year that's burning a hole in your pocket. Or maybe you still can't decide where to stash that Christmas bonus. If you're new to investing, you may be at a loss for where to start; after all, there are myriad ways you could invest your money, but not all of them are profitable. If you want to make the most of your extra cash, you need to invest it right away. If you don't, you risk those extra dollars getting consumed by bills or other everyday expenses. With this in mind, here are five of the smartest ways you could invest your money in 2018.

Real Estate

Attracted by the idea of investing in real estate but don't want to be a landlord? Owning property comes with a lot of stress, and sometimes the bang just isn't worth the buck. If you don't have the time or inclination to deal with physical property, another option is to invest in real estate notes – this means you invest in another landlord's property or properties, then you're paid a dividend or interest from the owner's profits.

Agriculture

Due to many environmental factors, there is a global reduction of farmland, resulting in a need to produce more food on less land more sustainably. Agriculture is emerging as a new investment opportunity that offers low-risk opportunities for stable returns and inflation protection. If you want to make an impact (both financially and environmentally), you can invest your money in sustainable farmland like Crawford Park Farming AG for farmland investment.

Peer-to-Peer Lending

Once upon a time, they had a bad rep, but peer-to-peer lending platforms have become increasingly popular among investors. With these companies, you're able to lend money to individuals in increments as small as $25, with a return of 6% or more. These companies make it easy for you to sign up and get started, and you can typically open a new account with as little as $1,000.

The Stock Market

Want to invest but don't trust the unstable financial markets? You're not alone. Many people consider the stock market so overvalued right now that they'd be crazy to pour their hard-earned money into it, but you don't have to invest a large amount to make a return. Instead, you can invest small amounts of money over time using a method called "dollar cost averaging." Dollar cost averaging allows investors to trickle their money into stocks over any length of time, which is considered far less risky than investing large amounts at once.

Bitcoin

The value of Bitcoin appears to be on the rise again, so now is the perfect time to start purchasing cryptocurrency if you have money to invest. It's worth bearing in mind that it can be easy to lose bitcoin and even tougher to get it back. It's also easy to get duped by malicious websites posing as Bitcoin wallet services, so always proceed with caution. Use a trusted provider like Coinbase, Blockchain.info or Xapo, and only invest small amounts at a time.