It has been a difficult time for savers over the last few years, despite the benefits of having money saved which is easily accessible low interest rates have meant that there is very little return on investment being made by anyone using a standard savings account. Thanks to many of us looking for alternative ways to invest our cash there have been an influx of options entering the market as of late, let’s take a look at some of them.
Property
Although a more long term alternative to saving with a bigger investment needed in the right area with experience investing in property can give you a great return. Residential property can provide a monthly rental income and a long term return on the initial investment when property prices rise. As with all major investments, property should be considered a risk and professional advice should always be sought from those with expertise in the field. Examples of such include mortgage brokers such as FirstMortgage.
For those interested in property investment but prefer not to go down the residential buy to let route there are alternative options available.
Peer to Peer Lending
Peer to peer lending platforms have seen a significant amount of growth recently with options across the world available. The concept is simple, instead of placing your money in a bank you instead offer small portions of your money to peers seeking personal loans or investments in their business. The return on investment depends on the platform and risk associated with the borrower taking into account their credit history. Examples of such include Zopa and Funding Circle.
National Savings and Investments
If you are located in the UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man you can invest in premium bonds. These are similar to savings accounts but instead of being paid in interest you are instead entered into a monthly prize draw with the chance of winning £1 million tax free.
In addition there are further investment options such as investing in vintage fashion, art, gold, wines and antiques although these come with a larger risk than some of the other options available to you and typically require expert knowledge.