Let’s be honest, we don’t tend to think about our future too often. We are so focused on the here and the now, that often, the time can escape us. However, now is the ideal time to start planning for the future. You don’t necessarily need to think about it too heavily, but small changes can make a massive impact to your future finances and your personal net worth. But how do you know what is right for you in terms of investment and profitability?

There are so many ways you can make money these days. You have your job and career progression, but sometimes this isn’t the case, and you need to look at alternative ways to fund your future and to also provide you with a decent lifestyle.

Life is way too short, and while money doesn’t make you happy it makes things easier, which in turn gives you the happiness. It is a circle so you need to be able to ensure that you try alternative methods. I wanted to share with you some of the ways you can invest into your future, that can help increase your net worth. I hope that they give you the inspiration and motivation you need.

Property can help in the short and the long term

Property is one of the biggest areas that you can make money from. One of the first things you can consider is the house that you live in yourself. Getting on the property ladder is essential for helping fund your future. Once you have done it, you can stay put for a small period of time, sell and actually make money in the process. You could also think about initially buying something that requires some work and attention. That might be a new kitchen and bathroom. Which is normally a great way to instantly add some value as they are two of the popular rooms people want done in their new homes. You could also think about extensions and changing the layout by adding extra living space and bedrooms. Of course, most improvements require a further investment, but the money you could make moving forward would far outweigh it.

People also consider buying additional properties to actually focus on the area of renovation. Buying and selling homes for quick profits can really boost your net worth. However, if you don’t like the idea of buying and selling, maybe buying right and renting out could be something to consider. This not only gives you profit monthly but you also have the added benefit of the overall value of the property. This also helps you get the added benefits of a property portfolio. What property also gives you is the chance to enjoy something called equity release when you are in your retirement years. Enabling you to stay in your family home but enjoy some of the money that your property is worth and the profit that you have in it.

Investments that will grow over time

There are a lot of investments that you could consider for the future and investments in terms of stocks and shares, hedge funds and savings accounts are the best way forward. Stocks and shares can be a big money earner. But they can also be risky. The beauty of these is that the investment is flexible. So if you find that your stocks and shares are rising you could sell them and cash in on the profit quickly.

But you may also lose, so sometimes it’s worth hanging on in there. Stocks and shares can be a great investment, but you need to be clever with your choices. Hedge funds overseas can also be a great and worthwhile investment, however, this is definitely more for the long term than anything else.

This is when algorithmic trading software systems could really help you out in all aspects of these types of investments. Smaller amounts at a time may be better. This is because the market can change overnight, you may have money one day, and then that company goes bust the next day, and you lose it all. It’s a risk, but it can be a profitable one that is for sure.

You could also consider would be good old-fashioned high interest savings accounts. You can still get some good deals if you hunt them out. Often these won’t be instant access, so you have to be happy to lock your money away for a period. But it can be a nice pay off by taking the interest rate to the end of it’s term. It can be considered one of the safest ways to invest your money, but it won’t necessarily offer you the highest return.

Investments in precious metals

Sometimes funds can be spent if you have easy access to them, especially if they are sat in an instant savings account. After all, we are only human. So something worth your consideration would be to have the funds turned into precious metals like gold. There is no hiding from the fact that metal like gold is growing in value, and the price per gram or kg can rise and fall much like a stocks and shares investment can.

However, it can prove worthwhile for the long term. Once you need the funds just cash in the gold bars and you will have your cash. You may even find you make money as not only does the value not depreciate as much but it can increase over time. It could certainly be a worthwhile investment. There are other things you could physically invest in, which brings me nicely on to my next point.

Investing in art, jewelry or items of high value

There are certain things that in time only ever increase in value,or certainly hold their value. This again shows that you can have a net worth investment in something, without having the physical cash easily accessible to be spent. Things like original artwork, designer pieces of jewelry such as watches or gold items, or other high value items that don’t tend to deprecate such as classic cars. Cars in general tend to, but the older the model and original it is, the more value it has and the valuations tend to stay the same.

Little and often in pensions schemes could prove worthwhile

Pensions are another great source of income for your retirement and your future. You may be lucky enough to receive a workplace pension from your employer. Sometimes these can be quite lucrative and beneficial to you.

However, it is also worth considering a personal pension as these can be much more profitable to you in the future. The thing with pensions is that once you retire and lose that wage you have grown accustomed to each month, the pension amount you then receive should, in theory, provide you with the lifestyle you have grown accustomed to.

The more you invest now, the more you will have in terms of a pension pot for the future. There are many options to consider, so it’s worth speak to someone who is an expert in pensions. You might find you only need to contribute a small amount, but something is better than nothing in these cases.

When it comes to your future finances the best advice would be to always be smart with your choices and the way you invest your money. It may seem like a huge minefield at first, but once you research and look into what you have to invest or potentially your end goal in terms of what you want to achieve, then you can make the best decisions based on that and your circumstances.