Investment Calculator can help you to determine the return on investment with a fixed rate of return. A good example of this type of investment is a Certificate of Deposit, or CDs, which are available at most banks. A CD is a low-risk investment, because, up to the amount of $ 250,000, guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a US government agency. It pays a fixed interest rate for a specified amount of time. The longer you leave your money in a CD, the better interest rate you can receive. Other low-risk investments of this type are savings accounts and money market accounts, which pay relatively low interest rates.

Risk is a key factor when making investments. In general, a person pays a premium to take greater risks. So, for example, if you buy the debt of several companies, which is assessed at the level of risk by institutions that determine the level of risk of corporate debt (Moody's, Fitch, Standard & Poor's), you will get a very high level of interest in it, but you run the risk that these companies may go out of business, and you could lose your investment.

There are, of course, the company is less risky to invest in. Buy bonds from highly rated companies to risk by institutions that are much safer, but get a lower interest rate. The bonds can be purchased either for short term and long term.

Short-term bond investors want to buy bonds when prices are low and sell when prices have increased, rather than holding the bond to maturity. Bond prices tend to fall as interest rates rise, and they usually rise when interest rates fall. In different parts of the bond market, differences in supply and demand can also generate short-term trading opportunities.

When buying long-term bonds, you invest in a bond and hold it to maturity. In this way, you will get interest payments, usually twice a year, and received a nominal value of the bonds at maturity. When you follow the strategy of buying long-term bonds, you do not need to be too worried about the impact of interest rates on the price or value of the bond market. If interest rates rise, and changes in the market value of your bond, your strategy does not change unless you are trying to sell bonds. This is a conservative approach to bond investing.

One of the very special kind of bond is the United States Treasury inflation-protected securities, known as (TIPS). TIPS offers an effective way to deal with the risk of inflation. They also provide a risk-free returns guaranteed by the US government. For this reason, they are an investment that is very popular, although the returns are relatively low compared to other fixed income investments.

TIPS are guaranteed to keep pace with inflation as defined by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This is what makes them unique and define their behavior. Their rate of return linked to the index.

Still another form of equity investments or shares. While this is not an investment with a fixed rate, it is one of the most important forms of investment for both institutional and private investors.

Stock is stock, literally the percentage of ownership in a company. It allows you, as the owner of part of the company, to share in the profits, and you receive these funds in the form of dividends as long as you hold stocks (and companies pay dividends). Some of the company's shares traded on the stock exchange and many investors buy stocks with the aim of buying them at a low price and sell them at a higher one. Many investors prefer to invest in mutual funds, or other types of stock funds, which groups a number of stocks. This fund is actively managed by a skilled tradesman who tried to unite the many stocks featured as many as possible. Investors pay a small fee, called a "load," for the privilege of working with the manager. Other types of stock funds are index funds, which bases its strategy on the performance of indices such as the Dow Jones, S & P 500 or Russell 1000, a group of stocks that are selected based on size and quality.

Is still a profitable investment and is another popular real estate. The most basic way of investing is to buy low-value property that you have reason to believe will appreciate in value over a reasonable period of time. Typically, the influx of people or an increase in development makes the property more valuable. Alternatively, you purchased land can be developed and made more valuable this way.

Another way to invest in real estate is to buy a house or apartment buildings and to lease them. Rental income from the property - this is known as a result - could rise to 30 percent or 40 percent per year if the property is managed carefully, and the exact location is selected.

Still another popular form of investment in commodities. This can range from precious metals such as gold and silver, which is useful for commodities such as oil and gas. Gold investment is complex, because the gold price is not determined by the use of the industry. Gold is used in jewelery, but not in the form of more practical. The price of gold is determined very largely by the fact that gold is valuable, and investors want to hold, especially in times of insecurity. When there is a war or crisis, investors bought gold, and prices rose. Investing in silver, on the other hand, is largely determined by commodity demand in photovoltaics, in the automotive industry, and in other practical use. Oil is a very popular investment, and strong oil demand as the need for gasoline always enough. Oil traded around the world on the spot market, and prices go up and down depending on the state of the global economy. Investing in commodities such as gas, on the other hand, is usually done through futures exchange, the largest in the US is the CBOT in Chicago. This trading option on the amount of gas and other commodities before shipment. A private investor can trade in futures and then trade out, always avoid shipping point terminals.