In Best Low-Risk Investments for 2022, I provided a comprehensive list of low-risk investments with predictable returns. But it’s precisely because those returns are low-risk that they also provide relatively low returns.

In this article, we’re going to look at high-yield investments, many of which involve a higher degree of risk but are also likely to provide higher returns.

True enough, low-risk investments are the right investment solution for anyone who’s looking to preserve capital and still earn some income.

But if you’re more interested in the income side of an investment, accepting a bit of risk can produce significantly higher returns. And at the same time, these investments will generally be less risky than growth stocks and other high-risk/high-reward investments.

Determine How Much Risk You’re Willing to Take On

The risk we’re talking about with these high-yield investments is the potential for you to lose money. As is true when investing in any asset, you need to begin by determining how much you’re willing to risk in the pursuit of higher returns.

I’m going to present a large number of high-yield investments, each with its own degree of risk. The purpose is to help you evaluate the risk/reward potential of these investments when selecting the ones that will be right for you.

If you’re looking for investments that are completely safe, you should favor one or more of the highly liquid, low-yield vehicles covered in Best Low-Risk Investments for 2022. In this article, we’re going to be going for something a little bit different. As such, please note that this is not in any way a blanket recommendation of any particular investment.

Best High-Yield Investments for 2022

Below is my list of the 18 best high-yield investments for 2022. They’re not ranked or listed in order of importance. That’s because each is a unique investment class that you will need to carefully evaluate for suitability within your own portfolio.

Be sure that any investment you do choose will be likely to provide the return you expect at an acceptable risk level for your own personal risk tolerance.

Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS)

Let’s start with this one, if only because it’s on just about every list of high-yield investments, especially in the current environment of rising inflation. It may not actually be the best high-yield investment, but it does have its virtues and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Basically, TIPS are securities issued by the U.S. Treasury that are designed to accommodate inflation. They do pay regular interest, though it’s typically lower than the rate paid on ordinary Treasury securities of similar terms. The bonds are available with a minimum investment of $100, in terms of five, 10, and 30 years. And since they’re fully backed by the U.S. government, you are assured of receiving the full principal value if you hold a security until maturity.

But the real benefit—and the primary advantage—of these securities is the inflation principal additions. Each year, the Treasury will add an amount to the bond principal that’s commensurate with changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Fortunately, while the principal will be added when the CPI rises (as it nearly always does), none will be deducted if the index goes negative.

You can purchase TIPS through the U.S. Treasury’s investment portal, Treasury Direct. You can also hold the securities as well as redeem them on the same platform. There are no commissions or fees when buying securities.

On the downside, TIPS are purely a play on inflation since the base rates are fairly low. And while the principal additions will keep you even with inflation, you should know that they are taxable in the year received.

Still, TIPS are an excellent low-risk, high-yield investment during times of rising inflation—like now.

I Bonds

If you’re looking for a true low-risk, high-yield investment, look no further than Series I bonds. With the current surge in inflation, these bonds have become incredibly popular, though they are limited.

I bonds are currently paying 9.62%. They can be purchased electronically in denominations as little as $25. However, you are limited to purchasing no more than $10,000 in I bonds per calendar year. Since they are issued by the U.S. Treasury, they’re fully protected by the U.S. government. You can purchase them through the Treasury Department’s investment portal, TreasuryDirect.gov.

“The cash in my savings account is on fire,” groans Scott Lieberman, Founder of Touchdown Money. “Inflation has my money in flames, each month incinerating more and more. To defend against this, I purchased an I bond. When I decide to get my money back, the I bond will have been protected against inflation by being worth more than what I bought it for. I highly recommend getting yourself a super safe Series I bond with money you can stash away for at least one year.”

You may not be able to put your entire bond portfolio into Series I bonds. But just a small investment, at nearly 10%, can increase the overall return on your bond allocation.

Corporate Bonds

The average rate of return on a bank savings account is 0.08%. The average rate on a money market account is 0.09%, and 0.25% on a 12-month CD.

Now, there are some banks paying higher rates, but generally only in the 1%-plus range.

If you want higher returns on your fixed income portfolio, and you’re willing to accept a moderate level of risk, you can invest in corporate bonds. Not only do they pay higher rates than banks, but you can lock in those higher rates for many years.

For example, the average current yield on a AAA-rated corporate bond is 4.09%. Now that’s the rate for AAA bonds, which are the highest-rated securities. You can get even higher rates on bonds with lower ratings, which we will cover in the next section.

Corporate bonds sell in face amounts of $1,000, though the price may be higher or lower depending on where interest rates are. If you choose to buy individual corporate bonds, expect to buy them in lots of ten. That means you’ll likely need to invest $10,000 in a single issue. Brokers will typically charge a small per-bond fee on purchase and sale.

An alternative may be to take advantage of corporate bond funds. That will give you an opportunity to invest in a portfolio of bonds for as little as the price of one share of an ETF. And because they are ETFs, they can usually be bought and sold commission free.

You can typically purchase corporate bonds and bond funds through popular stock brokers, like Zacks Trade, E*TRADE, and TD Ameritrade.

Be aware that the value of corporate bonds, particularly those with maturities greater than 10 years, can fall if interest rates rise. Conversely, the value of the bonds can rise if interest rates fall.

High-Yield Bonds

In the previous section we talked about how interest rates on corporate bonds vary based on each bond issue’s rating. A AAA bond, being the safest, has the lowest yield. But a riskier bond, such as one rated BBB, will provide a higher rate of return.

If you’re looking to earn higher interest than you can with investment-grade corporate bonds, you can get those returns with so-called high-yield bonds. Because they have a lower rating, they pay higher interest, sometimes much higher.

The average yield on high-yield bonds is 8.59%. But that’s just an average. The yield on a bond rated B will be higher than one rated BB.

You should also be aware that, in addition to potential market value declines due to rising interest rates, high-yield bonds are more likely to default than investment-grade bonds. That’s why they pay higher interest rates. (They used to call these bonds “junk bonds,” but that kind of description is a marketing disaster.) Because of those twin risks, junk bonds should occupy only a small corner of your fixed-income portfolio.

High-yield bonds can be purchased under similar terms and in the same places where you can trade corporate bonds. There are also ETFs that specialize in high-yield bonds and will be a better choice for most investors, since they will include diversification across many different bond issues.

Municipal Bonds

Just as corporations and the U.S. Treasury issue bonds, so do state and local governments. These are referred to as municipal bonds. They work much like other bond types, particularly corporates. They can be purchased in similar denominations through online brokers.

The main advantage enjoyed by municipal bonds is their tax-exempt status for federal income tax purposes. And if you purchase a municipal bond issued by your home state, or a municipality within that state, the interest will also be tax-exempt for state income tax purposes.

That makes municipal bonds an excellent source of tax-exempt income in a nonretirement account. (Because retirement accounts are tax-sheltered, it makes little sense to include municipal bonds in those accounts.)

Municipal bond rates are currently hovering just above 3% for AAA-rated bonds. And while that’s an impressive return by itself, it masks an even higher yield.

Because of their tax-exempt status, the effective yield on municipal bonds will be higher than the note rate. For example, if your combined federal and state marginal income tax rates are 25%, the effective yield on a municipal bond paying 3% will be 4%. That gives an effective rate comparable with AAA-rated corporate bonds.

Municipal bonds, like other bonds, are subject to market value fluctuations due to interest rate changes. And while it’s rare, there have been occasional defaults on these bonds.

Like corporate bonds, municipal bonds carry ratings that affect the interest rates they pay. You can investigate bond ratings through sources like Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch.

Fund	Symbol	Type	Current Yield	5 Average Annual Return
Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund	VIPSX	TIPS	0.06%	3.02%
SPDR® Portfolio Interm Term Corp Bond ETF	SPIB	Corporate	4.38%	1.44%
iShares Interest Rate Hedged High Yield Bond ETF	HYGH	High-Yield	5.19%	2.02%
Invesco VRDO Tax-Free ETF (PVI)	PVI	Municipal	0.53%	0.56%

Longer Term Certificates of Deposit (CDs)

This is another investment that falls under the low risk/relatively high return classification. As interest rates have risen in recent months, rates have crept up on certificates of deposit. Unlike just one year ago, CDs now merit consideration.

But the key is to invest in certificates with longer terms.

“Another lower-risk option is to consider a Certificate of Deposit (CD),” advises Lance C. Steiner, CFP at Buckingham Advisors. “Banks, credit unions, and many other financial institutions offer CDs with maturities ranging from 6 months to 60 months. Currently, a 6-month CD may pay between 0.75% and 1.25% where a 24-month CD may pay between 2.20% and 3.00%. We suggest considering a short-term ladder since interest rates are expected to continue rising.” (Stated interest rates for the high-yield savings and CDs were obtained at bankrate.com.)

Most banks offer certificates of deposit with terms as long as five years. Those typically have the highest yields.

But the longer term does involve at least a moderate level of risk. If you invest in a CD for five years that’s currently paying 3%, the risk is that interest rates will continue rising. If they do, you’ll miss out on the higher returns available on newer certificates. But the risk is still low overall since the bank guarantees to repay 100% of your principle upon certificate maturity.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Lending

Do you know how banks borrow from you—at 1% interest—then loan the same money to your neighbor at rates sometimes as high as 20%? It’s quite a racket, and a profitable one at that.

But do you also know that you have the same opportunity as a bank? It’s an investing process known as peer-to-peer lending, or P2P for short.

P2P lending essentially eliminates the bank. As an investor, you’ll provide the funds for borrowers on a P2P platform. Most of these loans will be in the form of personal loans for a variety of purposes. But some can also be business loans, medical loans, and for other more specific purposes.

As an investor/lender, you get to keep more of the interest rate return on those loans. You can invest easily through online P2P platforms.

One popular example is Prosper. They offer primarily personal loans in amounts ranging between $2,000 and $40,000. You can invest in small slivers of these loans, referred to as “notes.” Notes can be purchased for as little as $25.

That small denomination will make it possible to diversify your investment across many different loans. You can even choose the loans you will invest in based on borrower credit scores, income, loan terms, and purposes.

Prosper, which has managed $20 billion in P2P loans since 2005, claims a historical average return of 5.7%. That’s a high rate of return on what is essentially a fixed-income investment. But that’s because there exists the possibility of loss due to borrower default.

However, you can minimize the likelihood of default by carefully choosing borrower loan quality. That means focusing on borrowers with higher credit scores, incomes, and more conservative loan purposes (like debt consolidation).

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are an excellent way to participate in real estate investment, and the return it provides, without large amounts of capital or the need to manage properties. They’re publicly traded, closed-end investment funds that can be bought and sold on major stock exchanges. They invest primarily in commercial real estate, like office buildings, retail space, and large apartment complexes.

If you’re planning to invest in a REIT, you should be aware that there are three different types.

“Equity REITs purchase commercial, industrial, or residential real estate properties,” reports Robert R. Johnson, PhD, CFA, CAIA, Professor of Finance, Heider College of Business, Creighton University and co-author of several books, including The Tools and Techniques Of Investment Planning, Strategic Value Investing and Investment Banking for Dummies.  “Income is derived primarily from the rental on the properties, as well as from the sale of properties that have increased in value. Mortgage REITs invest in property mortgages. The income is primarily from the interest they earn on the mortgage loans. Hybrid REITs invest both directly in property and in mortgages on properties.”

Johnson also cautions: “Investors should understand that equity REITs are more like stocks and mortgage REITs are more like bonds. Hybrid REITs are like a mix of stocks and bonds.”

Mortgage REITs, in particular, are an excellent way to earn steady dividend income without being closely tied to the stock market.

Examples of specific REITs are listed in the table below (source: Kiplinger):

REIT	Equity or Mortgage	Property Type	Dividend Yield	12 Month Return
Rexford Industrial Realty	REXR	Industrial warehouse space	2.02%	2.21%
Sun Communities	SUI	Manufactured housing, RVs, resorts, marinas	2.19%	-14.71%
American Tower	AMT	Multi-tenant cell towers	2.13%	-9.00%
Prologis	PLD	Industrial real estate	2.49%	-0.77%
Camden Property Trust	CPT	Apartment complexes	2.77%	-7.74%
Alexandria Real Estate Equities	ARE	Research Properties	3.14%	-23.72%
Digital Realty Trust	DLR	Data centers	3.83%	-17.72%

Real Estate Crowdfunding

If you prefer direct investment in a property of your choice, rather than a portfolio, you can invest in real estate crowdfunding. You invest your money, but management of the property will be handled by professionals. With real estate crowdfunding, you can pick out individual properties, or invest in nonpublic REITs that invest in very specific portfolios.

One of the best examples of real estate crowdfunding is Fundrise. That’s because you can invest with as little as $500 or create a customized portfolio with no more than $1,000. Not only does Fundrise charge low fees, but they also have multiple investment options. You can start small in managed investments, and eventually trade up to investing in individual deals.

One thing to be aware of with real estate crowdfunding is that many require accredited investor status. That means being high income, high net worth, or both. If you are an accredited investor, you’ll have many more choices in the real estate crowdfunding space.

If you are not an accredited investor, that doesn’t mean you’ll be prevented from investing in this asset class. Part of the reason why Fundrise is so popular is that they don’t require accredited investor status. There are other real estate crowdfunding platforms that do the same.

Just be careful if you want to invest in real estate through real estate crowdfunding platforms. You will be expected to tie your money up for several years, and early redemption is often not possible. And like most investments, there is the possibility of losing some or all your investment principal.

Physical Real Estate

We’ve talked about investing in real estate through REITs and real estate crowdfunding. But you can also invest directly in physical property, including residential property or even commercial.

Owning real estate outright means you have complete control over the investment. And since real estate is a large-dollar investment, the potential returns are also large.

For starters, average annual returns on real estate are impressive. They’re even comparable to stocks. Residential real estate has generated average returns of 10.6%, while commercial property has returned an average of 9.5%.

Next, real estate has the potential to generate income from two directions, from rental income and capital gains. But because of high property values in many markets around the country, it will be difficult to purchase real estate that will produce a positive cash flow, at least in the first few years.

Generally speaking, capital gains are where the richest returns come from. Property purchased today could double or even triple in 20 years, creating a huge windfall. And this will be a long-term capital gain, to get the benefit of a lower tax bite.

Finally, there’s the leverage factor. You can typically purchase an investment property with a 20% down payment. That means you can purchase a $500,000 property with $100,000 out-of-pocket.

By calculating your capital gains on your upfront investment, the returns are truly staggering. If the $500,000 property doubles to $1 million in 20 years, the $500,000 profit generated will produce a 500% gain on your $100,000 investment.

On the negative side, real estate is certainly a very long-term investment. It also comes with high transaction fees, often as high as 10% of the sale price. And not only will it require a large down payment up front, but also substantial investment of time managing the property.

High Dividend Stocks

“The best high-yield investment is dividend stocks,” declares Harry Turner, Founder at The Sovereign Investor. “While there is no guaranteed return with stocks, over the long term stocks have outperformed other investments such as bonds and real estate. Among stocks, dividend-paying stocks have outperformed non-dividend paying stocks by more than 2 percentage points per year on average over the last century. In addition, dividend stocks tend to be less volatile than non-dividend paying stocks, meaning they are less likely to lose value in downturns.”

You can certainly invest in individual stocks that pay high dividends. But a less risky way to do it, and one that will avoid individual stock selection, is to invest through a fund.

One of the most popular is the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrat ETF (NOBL). It has provided a return of 1.67% in the 12 months ending May 31, and an average of 12.33% per year since the fund began in October 2013. The fund currently has a 1.92% dividend yield.

The so-called Dividend Aristocrats are popular because they represent 60+ S&P 500 companies, with a history of increasing their dividends for at least the past 25 years.

“Dividend Stocks are an excellent way to earn some quality yield on your investments while simultaneously keeping inflation at bay,” advises Lyle Solomon, Principal Attorney at Oak View Law Group, one of the largest law firms in America. “Dividends are usually paid out by well-established and successful companies that no longer need to reinvest all of the profits back into the business.”

It gets better. “These companies and their stocks are safer to invest in owing to their stature, large customer base, and hold over the markets,” adds Solomon. “The best part about dividend stocks is that many of these companies increase dividends year on year.”

The table below shows some popular dividend-paying stocks. Each is a so-called “Dividend Aristocrat”, which means it’s part of the S&P 500 and has increased its dividend in each of at least the past 25 years.

Company	Symbol	Dividend	Dividend Yield
AbbVie	ABBV	$5.64	3.80%
Armcor PLC	AMCR	$0.48	3.81%
Chevron	CVX	$5.68	3.94%
ExxonMobil	XOM	$3.52	4.04%
IBM	IBM	$6.60	5.15%
Realty Income Corp	O	$2.97	4.16%
Walgreen Boots Alliance	WBA	$1.92	4.97%

Preferred Stocks

Preferred stocks are a very specific type of dividend stock. Just like common stock, preferred stock represents an interest in a publicly traded company. They’re often thought of as something of a hybrid between stocks and bonds because they contain elements of both.

Though common stocks can pay dividends, they don’t always. Preferred stocks on the other hand, always pay dividends. Those dividends can be either a fixed amount or based on a variable dividend formula. For example, a company can base the dividend payout on a recognized index, like the LIBOR (London Inter-Bank Offered Rate). The percentage of dividend payout will then change as the index rate does.

Preferred stocks have two major advantages over common stock. First, as “preferred” securities, they have a priority on dividend payments. A company is required to pay their preferred shareholders dividends ahead of common stockholders. Second, preferred stocks have higher dividend yields than common stocks in the same company.

You can purchase preferred stock through online brokers, some of which are listed under “Growth Stocks” below.

Preferred Stock Caveats

The disadvantage of preferred stocks is that they don’t entitle the holder to vote in corporate elections. But some preferred stocks offer a conversion option. You can exchange your preferred shares for a specific number of common stock shares in the company. Since the conversion will likely be exercised when the price of the common shares takes a big jump, there’s the potential for large capital gains—in addition to the higher dividend.

Be aware that preferred stocks can also be callable. That means the company can authorize the repurchase of the stock at its discretion. Most will likely do that at a time when interest rates are falling, and they no longer want to pay a higher dividend on the preferred stock.

Preferred stock may also have a maturity date, which is typically 30–40 years after its original issuance. The company will typically redeem the shares at the original issue price, eliminating the possibility of capital gains.

Not all companies issue preferred stock. If you choose this investment, be sure it’s with a company that’s well-established and has strong financials. You should also pay close attention to the details of the issuance, including and especially any callability provisions, dividend formulas, and maturity dates.

Growth Stocks

This sector is likely the highest risk investment on this list. But it also may be the one with the highest yield, at least over the long term. That’s why we’re including it on this list.

Based on the S&P 500 index, stocks have returned an average of 10% per year for the past 50 years. But it is important to realize that’s only an average. The market may rise 40% one year, then fall 20% the next. To be successful with this investment, you must be committed for the long haul, up to and including several decades.

And because of the potential wide swings, growth stocks are not recommended for funds that will be needed within the next few years. In general, growth stocks work best for retirement plans. That’s where they’ll have the necessary decades to build and compound.

Since most of the return on growth stocks is from capital gains, you’ll get the benefit of lower long-term capital gains tax rates, at least with securities held in a taxable account. (The better news is capital gains on investments held in retirement accounts are tax-deferred until retirement.)

You can choose to invest in individual stocks, but that’s a fairly high-maintenance undertaking. A better way may be to simply invest in ETFs tied to popular indexes. For example, ETFs based on the S&P 500 are very popular among investors.

You can purchase growth stocks and growth stock ETFs commission free with brokers like M1 Finance,  Zacks Trade, E*TRADE, and TD Ameritrade. Alternatively, you can use an online automated investments platform, commonly known as a robo-advisor, to build and manage a portfolio for you for a very low annual fee. Some of the best examples include Betterment and Wealthsimple.

Annuities

Annuities are something like creating your own private pension. It’s an investment contract you take with an insurance company, in which you invest a certain amount of money in exchange for a specific income stream. They can be an excellent source of high yields because the return is locked in by the contract.

Annuities come in many different varieties. Two major classifications are immediate and deferred annuities. As the name implies, immediate annuities begin paying an income stream shortly after the contract begins.

Deferred annuities work something like retirement plans. You may deposit a fixed amount of money with the insurance company upfront or make regular installments. In either case, income payments will begin at a specified point in the future.

With deferred annuities, the income earned within the plan is tax-deferred and paid upon withdrawal. But unlike retirement accounts, annuity contributions are not tax-deductible. Investment returns can either be fixed-rate or variable-rate, depending on the specific annuity setup.

While annuities are an excellent idea and concept, the wide variety of plans as well as the many insurance companies and agents offering them, make them a potential minefield. For example, many annuities are riddled with high fees and are subject to limited withdrawal options.

Because they contain so many moving parts, any annuity contracts you plan to enter into should be carefully reviewed. Pay close attention to all the details, including the small ones. It is, after all, a contract, and therefore legally binding. For that reason, you may want to have a potential annuity reviewed by an attorney before finalizing the deal.

Alternative Investments

Alternative investments cover a lot of territory. Examples include precious metals, commodities, private equity, art and collectibles, and digital assets. These fall more in the category of high risk/potential high reward, and you should proceed very carefully and with only the smallest slice of your portfolio.

To simplify the process of selecting alternative assets, you can invest through platforms such as Yieldstreet. With a single cash investment, you can invest in multiple alternatives.

“Investors can purchase real estate directly on Yieldstreet, through fractionalized investments in single deals,” offers Milind Mehere, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Yieldstreet. “Investors can access private equity and private credit at high minimums by investing in a private market fund (think Blackstone or KKR, for instance). On Yieldstreet, they can have access to third-party funds at a fraction of the previously required minimums. Yieldstreet also offers venture capital (fractionalized) exposure directly. Buying a piece of blue-chip art can be expensive, and prohibitive for most investors, which is why Yieldstreet offers fractionalized assets to diversified art portfolios.”

Yieldstreet also provides access to digital asset investments, with the benefit of allocating to established professional funds, such as Pantera or Osprey Fund. The platform does not currently offer commodities but plans to do so in the future.

Alternative investments largely require thinking out-of-the-box. Some of the best investment opportunities are also the most unusual.

“The price of meat continues to rise, while agriculture remains a recession-proof investment as consumer demand for food is largely inelastic,” reports Chris Rawley, CEO of Harvest Returns, a platform for investing in private agriculture companies. “Consequently, investors are seeing solid returns from high-yield, grass-fed cattle notes.”

Interest Bearing Crypto Accounts

Though the primary appeal of investing in cryptocurrency has been the meteoric rises in price, now that the trend seems to be in reverse, the better play may be in interest-bearing crypto accounts. A select group of crypto exchanges pays high interest on your crypto balance.

One example is Gemini. Not only do they provide an opportunity to buy, sell, and store more than 100 cryptocurrencies—plus non-fungible tokens (NFTs)—but they are currently paying 8.05% APY on your crypto balance through Gemini Earn.

In another variation of being able to earn money on crypto, Crypto.com pays rewards of up to 14.5% on crypto held on the platform. That’s the maximum rate, as rewards vary by crypto. For example, rewards on Bitcoin and Ethereum are paid at 6%, while stablecoins can earn 8.5%.

It’s important to be aware that when investing in cryptocurrency, you will not enjoy the benefit of FDIC insurance. That means you can lose money on your investment. But that’s why crypto exchanges pay such high rates of return, whether it’s in the form of interest or rewards.

Crypto Staking

Another way to play cryptocurrency is a process known as crypto staking. This is where the crypto exchange pays you a certain percentage as compensation or rewards for monitoring a specific cryptocurrency. This is not like crypto mining, which brings crypto into existence. Instead, you’ll participate in writing that particular blockchain and monitoring its security.

“Crypto staking is a concept wherein you can buy and lock a cryptocurrency in a protocol, and you will earn rewards for the amount and time you have locked the cryptocurrency,” reports Oak View Law Group’s Lyle Solomon.

“The big downside to staking crypto is the value of cryptocurrencies, in general, is extremely volatile, and the value of your staked crypto may reduce drastically,” Solomon continues, “However, you can stake stable currencies like USDC, which have their value pegged to the U.S. dollar, and would imply you earn staked rewards without a massive decrease in the value of your investment.”

Much like earning interest and rewards on crypto, staking takes place on crypto exchanges. Two exchanges that feature staking include Coinbase and Kraken. These are two of the largest crypto exchanges in the industry, and they provide a wide range of crypto opportunities, in addition to staking.

Invest in Startup Businesses and Companies 

Have you ever heard the term “angel investor”? That’s a private investor, usually, a high net worth individual, who provides capital to small businesses, often startups. That capital is in the form of equity. The angel investor invests money in a small business, becomes a part owner of the company, and is entitled to a share of the company’s earnings.

In most cases, the angel investor acts as a silent partner. That means he or she receives dividend distributions on the equity invested but doesn’t actually get involved in the management of the company.

It’s a potentially lucrative investment opportunity because small businesses have a way of becoming big businesses. As they grow, both your equity and your income from the business also grow. And if the business ever goes public, you could be looking at a life-changing windfall!

Easy Ways to Invest in Startup Businesses

Mainvest is a simple, easy way to invest in small businesses. It’s an online investment platform where you can get access to returns as high as 25%, with an investment of just $100. Mainvest offers vetted businesses (the acceptance rate is just 5% of business that apply) for you to invest in.

It collects revenue, which will be paid to you quarterly. And because the minimum required investment is so small, you can invest in several small businesses at the same time. One of the big advantages with Mainvest is that you are not required to be an accredited investor.

Still another opportunity is through Fundrise Innovation Fund. I’ve already covered how Fundrise is an excellent real estate crowdfunding platform. But through their recently launched Innovaton Fund, you’ll have opportunity to invest in high-growth private technology companies. As a fund, you’ll invest in a portfolio of late-stage tech companies, as well as some public equities.

The purpose of the fund is to provide high growth, and the fund is currently offering shares with a net asset value of $10. These are long-term investments, so you should expect to remain invested for at least five years. But you may receive dividends in the meantime.

Like Mainvewt, the Fundrise Innovation Fund does not require you to be an accredited investor.

Final Thoughts

Notice that I’ve included a mix of investments based on a combination of risk and return. The greater the risk associated with the investment, the higher the stated or expected return will be.

It’s important when choosing any of these investments that you thoroughly assess the risk involved with each, and not focus primarily on return. These are not 100% safe investments, like short-term CDs, short-term Treasury securities, savings accounts, or bank money market accounts.

Because there is risk associated with each, most are not suitable as short-term investments. They make most sense for long-term investment accounts, particularly retirement accounts.

For example, growth stocks—and most stocks, for that matter—should generally be in a retirement account. While there will be years when you will suffer losses in your position, you’ll have enough years to offset those losses between now and retirement.

Also, if you don’t understand any of the above investments, it will be best to avoid making them. And for more complicated investments, like annuities, you should consult with a professional to evaluate the suitability and all the provisions it contains.