Poll: Which is the best investment

If you're investing in a plot of land to build an estate for your family and children where if everything else goes to pot you can farm and live a comfortable life with little to no taxes, then that's your best bet.

If you're looking for the shortest way to make a lot of money, go check your horoscope or ask an ouija board. There's no way to tell. ;-)

 

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Well, if you believe the economy will soon improve, then land (with a good house and in a good area), if you have some serious cash, makes sense, because the population increase is constant and more and more people will need a house as thier budget increases.

remember, I am a kid, not an economic adviser

 

see the mortgage rates recently? feds are doing everything they can to reflate the bubble. And in my area, it's actually working. Housing prices are almost back up to 2008 levels.

I have a feeling that the next economic downcycle is going to be worse and deeper than the one that we just got out of. I think the economy will track sideways a while longer before heading downward again. Stock market, interest rates, and everything else will stay flat, not giving people much of an investment term for the short run. At the very least it will give people some time to reduce debt and build savings.

just my .02

 

10-20 years?

If we're talking...

1. 20+ years,
2. Not knowing what lies ahead,
3. It's a buy/hold, unmanaged investment...

I would have to go with MS70/PF70 First Spouse coins. :thumb:

got 'em!

 

Gotta agree with the above. I would have to choose stocks.

 

Not a hard question to answer 75% mutual funds and 25% precious metals. Always thinking long term only.

 

I didn't answer this poll because without a definition of "best" then there is no answer to this question. But this applies to all of them.

1. Past Returns are no indication of Future Results
2. Go Back and Read #1 again. Failure to understand this, is the biggest reason people lose money on their investments. People here will often quote what happened to PMs 30 years ago, cumulative returns on the stock market, etc. it's all irrelevant to now and the future.
3. Never take advice from anyone who will make money from your decision. This includes banksters, real estate agents, insurance people, lawyers. Never ever invest your money with "financial advisors".
4. There is no substitute for doing your own research. If you don't understand an investment, don't do it.
5. Nobody knows more about your financial situation than you. Take advice, especially without sound reasoning behind it, from friends, coworkers, relatives, people on this forum with a grain of salt. It may be good for them, but not so good for you. Most likely they are looking for validation of their own misguided decisions. Read #4 again.

I will say one additional thing. The best investment that anyone can make for their personal financial future and one where they completely control the outcome is to get out of debt. Yet ask most Americans who fancy themselves as smart investors, "what is your plan to retire all your debt?" and you will often be met with a blank stare. Then you will hear all the excuses as to why it's good to have debt. I note, this question was not on that poll.

 

What he said.

That being said, the one that's worked out best for me is real estate, followed by gold bullion. Both based purely on luck in timing the market.

It sounds trite; but it really comes down to "buy low and sell high."

 

I've made a fortune in furbies, why isn't it on the list? :devil:

 

Remember Beanie Babies? They had their run too. The trick is to be the guy selling the furbies and beanie babies.

 

coins. buy a 1964 half for 50 cents and it is immediately worth 10 bucks. 1950% return.

 

Find a coin on the sidewalk, and it's an immediate infinite return -- but that's not really "investment", is it?

When I'm biking in to work, I often see coins lying on the road in intersections -- including dimes and even quarters. Not a good "investment", though; I figure I'd probably pick up no more than a few dollars worth before getting hit by a car. The monetary value of my time is also a lot higher than it was when I was a kid picking up loose change. (For that matter, it's more work to reach the ground, too.)

There's a good return when you buy a 90% silver coin for face -- but you have to consider the value of the time that you spend trawling through all the clads. Unless, of course, you view it as a hobby.

 

It's a tough selection because real estate has been the traditional way for the average person to make a small fortune because of the leverage. But I chose stocks because going forward, the leverage may turn out to be more of a risk than in the past, so the chance of a complete wipe-out are higher than in the 20th century.

 

For my, my largest returns come from stocks, by a large margin. I've also invested in real estate over the years, but I haven't received a return on that because I don't intend to sell, but I will say a few acres I bought 15 years ago for 12K per acre were appraised at over 300K per acre last summer. Thats a nifty return, but I still won't sell.
Guy

 

Over the long term--obviously stocks. Real Estate was quite hot in the early part of the 21st century, but cooled off considerably. Bonds at the present time have an extremely low rate of return, and security of investment is only as good as a "bond call." Gold is presently at an unsustainable high, and due for a major drop. If one had gold 20 years ago, and sold within the past year, they did very well, but this is definitely an anomaly. Silver is low now, so there are some investment potentials there. I'd say diversification, with emphasis on stocks for the long term is probably the best bet. Most trust portfolios have a 60/40 distribution between fixed investments (bonds, real estate, etc) and stocks and precious metals, with the 60% tending towards stocks. Remember, the only way to lose money in any investment is to "sell low" on a short term basis. People want instant gratification, and that doesn't happen--over the long haul, stocks hold up the best.

 

I would say real estate is the safest in terms of investment if it is useful property. The bottom can fall out of all the other options and you are left with nothing really. Technically you could live off of certain real estate if absolutely necessary. Of coarse in a state like New York you never really own your real estate since the monthly tax burden can be worse than a mortgage payment. If you live in a reasonable tax state then I will go with real estate as safest and therefore the best in my opinion.

 

New reasoning behind real estate:

buy some land,
discover gold on land,
open gold mine on land,
PROFIT

I would say, buy land, they arent making it anymore.

 

That's always been one of my favorite quotes, but it's not exactly true anymore. Check out Kansai International Airport. 4.1 square miles of new land created in Osaka Bay.

But, if the global warming predictions are true and ocean levels rise, the amount of land lost will dwarf that of any manmade islands or land extensions.

Hrmmmm, makes for interesting speculation opportunities.

Speaking of global warming, rising ocean levels, real estate, and speculation opportunities. I always thought it could be a good idea to find some land that is about 20 feet above sea level, but a few miles inland. Buy it and wait for the ocean levels to rise and your kids get cheap ocean front property!

 

It would need to be more than a few miles inland. If you are on the East Coast, the fall line is ~120 to ~150 miles inland. The fall line = the line where land has never been submerged by the ocean.

 

The world islands are already going down. It would be interesting to see the reaction of those who own the palm islands of dubai if the ocean level began to rise drasticly.