I have shown how stocks are a horrible investment, how investing in gold is a bad decision, and how real estate can not be considered an investment.
So, after showing the bleak reality of common investments, people often ask me what would be the best investment. Well, in one word, it is YOU. It is the law of the harvest: you sow what you reap. Over the course of my life I have found that the following 3 investments have brought the greatest return:
1. Personal Self-Improvement and Education
This would be anything that makes you a better person, whether through obtaining education, developing new skills, or attending motivational seminars. When you improve yourself, you are in a position to help and improve the lives of others. As a result, this will improve your lifestyle and will ultimately improve your income.
2. Developing and Running a Profitable Business
Stocks and Real Estate may be fine for people who want very low returns without doing much work since people have absolutely no control over how those investments perform. The correlation remains the same: the more effort you put into something, the more you will achieve your desired results. This applies to every facet in life. It is no different when you start your own business, but starting a business takes time. At first it will require a lot of effort and long hours, but as it grows you can hire employees to run the business for you.
3. Creating an Income Stream From Royalties
Many people do not understand the concept of doing one task and getting paid for it over and over again for the rest of their life (and even income for their posterity). Authors and artists understand this concept quite well. You write a book, have it published (whether through a company or self-publication), and then you derive income as each one is sold. You only wrote one book, but still continue to get paid over and over again. Also along the lines of getting royalties is Licensing, such as the case with Walt Disney licensing the Mickey Mouse image to be used on clothing, advertising, books, and more. People pay a licensing fee to use such an image, and Disney receives the income over and over again.
So there it is, but all 3 investments ultimately depend upon you and what you do. If you do nothing, you will be nothing, and will receive nothing. However, you can acheive the greatest return on investment by investing in yourself.
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I agree that the best investment you can make is in yourself, generally speaking. This is what my Australian business partner has been trying to tell me for years and which I am just now getting. However, there may be some people of little motivation or natural ability who inherited money, and for them the best option may be some type of conservative portfolio.
Regarding getting an income stream from royalties, how would this strategy work in a world where intellectual property could not be protected? I fear we are moving towards such a world.
Great site. Keep up the good work.