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Finance

How do I get the Best Investment Returns?

By Ken Black
Updated May 17, 2024
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Getting the best investment returns involves making good decisions with any investment portfolio, understanding the market conditions, what you want from the market and how quick you want it to happen. In some cases, finding the right stocks, bonds and deposit accounts will be extremely difficult, especially when the market is struggling to maintain its numbers. However, even in hard times there are certain investment strategies that can pay off.

Generally speaking, one of the keys to the best investment returns is diversification. Putting too much of your capital into stocks could be very detrimental to any plan. However, putting more into stocks and insured investment accounts will often not provide the returns you are looking for. Therefore, there will need to be a good mix.

That mix will change the closer you get to retirement age, as any good financial advisor will tell you. As retirement age looms closer, more of your assets need to be in safer products. These could include certificates of deposit and perhaps even precious metals. While precious metals are not insured, they tend to stay relatively stable over time but also have the ability to increase in value when many other products are faltering. These may not offer the best investment returns, but will offer security when it is needed the most.

The best investment returns will likely be realized when the investor is first starting out with a 401(k) or other IRA account. At this point, investments will be more in stocks than anything else. Further, most companies will offer a package of higher risk stocks that also have the potential for higher returns. This is the time of a person's life when they are able to take the most risk. In those cases, investment returns at such a time have the potential of being substantially higher than at any other point. Whether they are, in reality, higher is determined by market conditions.

If there are times when the market shows a prolonged downturn, it may be advisable to put investments in a much more secured form until the market begins a recovery. Though there will be some opportunity lost during this point, it may help prevent a substantial devaluation of the portfolio. A financial planner will be able to advise in this matter.

Good retirement fund management is a key to a healthy and comfortable retirement. Finding the right mix of stocks and bonds is no easy task, even for professionals. However, finding a good advisor offers the best chance for success with those investment returns.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
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Discussion Comments

By LisaLou — On Jun 15, 2012

I invest monthly in my 401(k) through my company. One of the nicest things about this is they will match a certain percentage of my investment. To me, this is like having money given to me.

I try to invest as much as possible, so my retirement will build up faster. I also like the fact that I have some control over the types of funds I invest in my 401(k). Even though I don't have complete control, I can choose what type of funds I want to invest in.

Since I am in my early 30's, most of my investment is in stock, but I also have some of my portfolio in precious metals and bonds for money that is long term and more secure.

By honeybees — On Jun 14, 2012

I worked for a boss who was an investment broker and a certified financial planner. When someone came to her to invest some money, she always went through a financial plan with them.

This gave her a good idea of what kind of return they were looking for with their investment. It also made a difference if they were looking at this as a short or long term investment.

She spent time going over different types of investments with them and always showed them historical investment returns. Any time you invest your money in something, it is good to know how it has performed in the past, but you also have to know that is never a guarantee of how it will perform in the future.

This is one statement she always had to make before she ever sold an investment product to anybody. There was never a guaranteed rate of return with her investments like there would be if someone bought a certificate of deposit or treasury bill.

By myharley — On Jun 13, 2012

When I first started putting some money in mutual funds, it was not hard to expect a 10% average investment return. Now that is pretty hard to find on a consistent basis.

I have always tried to make a lot of the investment decisions myself, but have found that it gets harder and harder to do. I recently met with a financial planner to make a plan for our long term financial goals.

I felt better discussing this with a professional who deals with this day in and day out. I keep a close eye on my investments, but have come to realize how important it is to rely on help from professionals as well.

It is much harder to find high investment returns year after year. I am at the point where I would rather take on less risk and know for sure what rate of return I am going to have.

By John57 — On Jun 13, 2012

When you hear someone say not to put all your eggs in one basket, that goes for your investments too. Even if you don't have a lot of money to invest, I would make sure to keep it spread out.

When I was younger, I was mostly interested in stocks and liked that they were volatile and had a higher rate of risk and return. I found investments like CD's and bonds to be boring.

Now that I am getting older, I have realized how important it is to have some money in investments that are safer and not as risky. I have found that safe investment returns are better than large losses. Many lessons are learned the hard way, and this was one of them.

I am glad that I didn't have all of my money in stocks only, but now wish I had spread it out a little bit more evenly.

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