Types of Investments

Investment broadly means buying something for future use so that it either creates a periodic cash inflow or its value rises over time and when sold in future fetches a value above the price at which it was bought i.e. capital gains. There are three broad types of investments- stocks, bonds and, cash equivalents and it is important to weigh in each type before investing.

Explanation

There are many ways of investing in each category of investments as stated above. To choose from the above also is dependent on many factors. While stocks and bonds are suitable for long term growth and the cash equivalents are suitable for investors who might prefer liquidity over long term growth.

Stock is an ownership instrument while the bond is a lending instrument.

Top 3 Types of Investments

As stated above, there are three types of investments that we shall discuss them as follows:

#1 – Stock Investments

Stocks are investments that enable the buyer to hold a portion of the company’s assets and hence called ownership instruments. Companies issue such investments so as to raise capital. Stocks or share capital come with more risk when compared to other types but earning potential is the highest.

The income is low when compared to bonds.

Advantages

Liquidity of assets
Limited Liability
Bonus and Right shares
Capital gains on buying and selling shares
Control and ownership rights
Voting rights

Disadvantages

High Risk
Limited Control
No fixed dividend
Residual claim on a dividend
Fluctuation in market prices

#2 – Bond Investments

Lending or loan investments allow the issuer of the investment to borrow the investors and pay back the same along with the interest. They are a safer bet than the stocks to the investors because they offer definitive interest periodically. The main risk in any instrument is the default risk which is absent in case the amount is lent to the governments.

Advantages

Fixed-rate of interest
Lesser risk
Tax benefits
Helps in diversification

Disadvantages

Interest rate risk and default risk
Holders cannot be owners, they will always lend/creditors
Periodical payment liability to the issuers
If the rating falls down, it will be harder to liquidate

#3 – Cash Equivalents

These are investments that are meant exclusively for the purpose of short term holding and conversion into cash. That means they are highly liquid. They include money market instruments such as a certificate of deposits, commercial paper, etc. Cash and cash equivalents in totality represent the strength of a company and its ability to pay off the current liabilities and debts.

Advantages

Low risk of default
Not dependent on market fluctuations
Highly liquid
Relatively safer when compared to other investment instruments
Helps Company in meeting operating expenses

Disadvantages

Lower rate of interest
Loss of potential revenue due to keeping it idle to meet immediate needs
These instruments struggle to keep up with inflation

Benefits of Investment

Investing is a very important activity that every entity and individual must do and anything said about its importance would still be less to explain why it is so essential. That said, let us look into the main benefits of investment which throw some light:

#1 – Building of Wealth and Growth

The investors should find and chalk out a plan that suits them the best as per their earning capacity so that over time the amount invested grows, compounds and builds in more wealth.

#2 – Fighting Inflation

If the amount is not invested, due to inflation, there is a decline in the purchasing power of money and hence over a period of time, we tend to lose money. To prevent this from happening, we should invest money at a rate higher than the inflation rate in the economy.

#3 – Tax Reduction and Savings

A few investments like government bonds, local authority bonds offer tax deductions and hence result in savings.

#4 – Meeting Financial Goals and Objectives

Every entity, an individual would have some goals and objectives about financial performance and wealth creation. Like an individual would have a goal to buy a house, a car, jewelry, etc. which would be possible only when there is money available to him in the form of investments.

#5 – Cash Inflows even when there are no earnings

Usually, there are times when there are no cash inflows such as unemployment or retirement in case of an individual and non-season for a business. At times like those, cash inflows from investments come handy.

Conclusion

An investor has a lot of options when it comes to where to put his money which would yield benefits to him. There are various types of investments as stated above like instruments that give ownership rights, investments which make the holders, the lenders or creditors and investments which are held so that they are cash alike or can be readily converted to cash whenever required.

Investments help in many ways like fighting inflation, wealth creation and, meeting requirements. Each type has its own pros and cons which have to be analyzed carefully as per individual investor requirements.