Good Investment or Bad Investment?

In an economy that has sustained low prices and low mortgage rates, the purchase of a family home is considered a sound investment. Unlike office buildings, which show high vacancy rates, and timeshares, which offer iffy returns in the best economy, a home that you plan to use and hold for several years will likely pay off in the long term.

According to the Consumer Federation of America and Primerica, an investment of just $25 per week in a conservative stock portfolio can produce more than $200,000 in 40 years. The key is to find a type of investment that outstrips inflation but doesn't leave you holding the bag.

Making a profit on items like cars, stamps, coins and jewelry depends on being perfectly accurate about the public's interest in those items when you want to sell. And your costs for storing and insuring the items may outstrip potential sales value.

It usually takes 10 years or more. The runup in gold prices started around 2001, and it took nine years for prices to reach the level they held in 1980.

The best investments provide income each year, and to make money on any investment, you have to make sure your costs to keep an item don't outstrip your potential return.

Low-percentage returns on savings accounts tend to run lower than increases in the cost of living. In the long run, that means that for every dollar you place into an account, you may preserve 95 cents.

Term insurance is the most straightforward life insurance option. Other types of accounts hold the chance to earn money on payments for premiums, but often those accounts are tied to high-risk investment portfolios, and they can incur substantial administration fees.

Both. Investment experts describe these tools as gambling. You're not buying the stock or the commodity; you're buying the chance that they will make money.

Low-cost stocks, or so-called microcap stocks, sell for less than $5 per share. They are offered by companies that have shorter track records, and because those companies have lower reporting requirements to regulators, the opportunities to defraud investors are greater.

Every investment should show poor performance at one time or another. Con artists attract investors who are skittish about losses in the stock market by showing returns that never falter.