It’s impossible to miss the fact that stocks, real estate and bonds all make for decent investments (at least most of the time). But there are so many different investment options, most of which get minimal marketing. If you want to take a look at a wider variety of options, you should be able to at least tell an American Depository Receipt apart from a Convertible Security. There are about twenty investments that any investor should at least be familiar with and the ten listed below are the first half of that list.
1. American Depository Receipt (ADR)
ADRs are traded on U.S. stock markets just like regular stocks, but they actually represent shares in foreign corporations. An ADR is issued by a U.S.-based bank or brokerage, which buys a large number of shares from a company based outside the U.S. Those shares are bundled into groups and then resold; they are usually labeled with a ratio representing how many shares a particular ADR represents. The sponsoring bank collects detailed financial information about any company whose shares it resells. ADRs are a relatively simple way to invest in foreign companies and avoid the administrative and duty costs of international transactions. Other countries besides the U.S. have depository receipt opportunities available.
2. Annuity
Annuities provide set payments at regular intervals to their owners. You can typically purchase an annuity through an insurance company, and you’ll have several options. An annuity can either be immediate or deferred: with a deferred annuity, you will not begin receiving payments for a certain period of time. Deferred annuities are often contracted for life — they’re set up so that as long as you live, the insurance company will send you a check at a regular interval. Annuities are also either fixed (the payments are set) or variable (there is a guaranteed minimum payment, as well as payments based on the performance of an annuity investment portfolio.
3. Closed-End Investment Fund
A closed-end fund issues shares that are traded just like stocks but are actually closer to mutual funds in the way the are managed. Closed-end funds hold portfolios of securities — usually securities that meet very specific criteria (i.e. come from particular industries). These fund are actively managed and may hold a few investments in stocks or bonds in order to diversify, but because of their focus on particular sectors, closed-end fund issues are not considered diverse. Some closed-end funds offer dividends.
4. Collectibles
Collectibles can be pretty much any physical asset with a value that increases over time. While most people consider fine art, stamps and similar purchases to be collectibles, there is no strict definition that includes or excludes a particular asset. The greatest drawback to collectibles is the fact that collectibles offer no income, unlike many other investments. However, a collectible’s appreciating value often outpaces inflation.
5. Common Stock
Common stock is what most of us think of when we hear the word stock: a share of ownership in a particular company. It entitles you to a portion of the company’s profits as well as voting rights. The majority of stocks traded today are common stocks. While the benefits associated with owning stock can be great, it is a relatively risky investment. If a company that you own stock in goes bankrupt, as a common shareholder, you won’t receive money until the creditors, bondholders and preferred shareholders have all been paid off.
6. Convertible Security
Convertible securities are either preferred stock convertibles or convertible bonds. While you would purchase a convertible bond just as you would purchase a normal bond, you would have the opportunity to convert it into common stock in the company that issued it. Depending on the terms of the convertible bond, also known as the indenture, the bond could convert into a significant number of shares. Convertible bonds do provide a small amount of income, but the real value is that the bond can be converted into common stock.
7. Corporate Bond
Corporations issue bonds in order to raise money: when you buy a corporate bond, you’re essentially loaning a corporation money for the length of the bond. Not only will the corporation repay you the full face value of the bond (and your loan) but it will also pay you a coupon — a predetermined interest rate paid out every six months. Corporate bonds are more lucrative than government bonds, but they are also riskier.
8. Futures Contract
A futures contract is a commitment to either deliver or receive a specific quantity of a commodity during a specific month at a specific price. Most futures contract are closed out before the expected delivery date and while they can be very risky, futures contracts can also provide for a simple way to manage price risks. They can provide impressive profits, due to their higher risk factors.
9. Life Insurance
While life insurance may not seem like an investment on the surface, it provides a return on your monthly payments. No matter how long you may have been paying for a life insurance polity, its value is set. It’s a relatively low-risk investment because insurance is heavily regulated by the government.
10. The Money Market
Through the money market, you can buy fixed-income securities, primarily short-term securities that last less than a year. Unless you are able to deal in the very high denominations that most money market securities are sold in, you will likely have to purchase these securities through a money market mutual fund or bank account. Returns on money market investments are highly dependent on the current interest rate and are considered low risk.
Check back on Thursday for the other ten investments that you should know.
股票、房地产和债券都是不错的投资项目(至少大多时候是这样)，这是一个不争的事实。然而可供选择的投资项目很多，且大多数都是少量销售。如要想获知更多的投资项目信息，除了可转换证券，你至少应能够说出美国存托凭证。有约20个投资项目是投资者们都至少要熟知的，以下列出的就是其中的前十项。
1. 美国存托凭证(ADR)
在美国证券市场上，美国储蓄证券跟普通股票一样出售，但不同的是它可以代表外国公司的股份。该债券是由美国的银行或经纪公司发行的。银行和经纪公司大量地从国外公司购买股票，然后把它们聚积起来再出售。这些债券上通常都会标示有其所代表的股份比例。发行银行可以从这些数据里收集股份来源公司的详细财政信息。购买美国储蓄债券是一种相对简单的投资外国公司的方式，投资者不必交纳国际交易的管理费用和关税。除了美国，其他国家也有存托凭证交易。
2. 年金保险
购买年金保险，投资者每隔一定间隔可以获得一笔固定的收益。你可以代表性地从保险公司购买一笔年金保险，且可以有不同选择。年金保险可分为即时年金和延缓年金。延缓考(试大年金就是说投资者要在一定时间后才开始获得收益。延缓年金保险通常是对投资者的寿命进行承保，它的有效期就是投资者的寿命期，保险公司会在此期间定期支付受保人一笔钱。同时，年金保险还可分为固定年金(即赔偿金是固定)的和非固定年金(即承诺最年金及以年金保险投资公文为基准的年金)。
3. 封闭式投资基金
封闭式投资基金发行的股票在交易时和普通股票一样，但就管理方式来说，它其实是与共有基金比较相似。封闭式投资基金包含着有价证券的投资组合，而这些有价证券通常是符合特殊标准的(如属于某特殊行业的)。为了达到多样性的目的，这些资金受到严格地管理，且有可能包含了少量在股票和债券方面的投资。但是，由于其致力于某一特定领域，人们并不认为封闭式投资基金具有多样性。一些封闭投资基金还提供红利。
4. 收藏品
几乎任何会随时间而考(试大升值的物质财产都可以归为收藏品。尽管大多数人认为优秀艺术作品、邮票及其他类似的购置物才算是收藏品，但是如今并没有严格的定义来界定某物品是否称得上收藏品。收藏最大的不足就是收藏品不能像其他投资一样给收藏者带来收入。但是，收藏品的提升价值常常是超过通货膨胀率。
5. 普通股
普通股票就是大多数人听到股票这个词时头脑里的第一反应，就是所有者对某一公司股份的所有权。它赋予持有者对公司部分收益的所有权及投票权。如今市场上交易的股票大多是普通股票。虽然说股票投资的盈利很丰厚，但它相对来说也是一种风险投资。假如你所持股票的所属公司破产了，除非是债权人、债券持有人及大股东获得了赔偿，否则你作为普通股票持有者将无法将钱收回。
6. 可转换证券
可转换证券要么是优先股要么是可转换债券。购买可转换债券就像购买普通债券一样，你可以将它转换成发行公司的普通股票。根据可转换债券条款(也叫正式凭单)，该债券可转换为数量可观的股票。可转换债券确实可以带来小数额的收益，但它真正的价值在于可以转换成普通股票。
7. 企业债券
公司为了筹钱而发行债券。你购买某企业债券实质上就是把钱借给该公司，出借期就是债券有效期。债券发行公司不仅会把足额的票面价值(和你的借出款)付还给你，还会每六个月支付一张配给券给你，即预设利率。企业债券获利要比政府债券多，但两者都有风险。
8. 期货交易合同
期货交易合同就是承诺在具体月份按具体价格交付或接收具体数目的商品。大多数期货都会在预定交货日期之前或遭遇风险时减价抛售，期货交易也不失为一种应对价格危机的简单方法。由于风险指数较高，期货交易带来的收益也很大。
9. 人寿保险
表面看来人寿保险似乎不像一种投资，但投保人可以获得月度付款收益。不管你支付的保险期有多长，保险赔偿金都是固定的。购买人寿保险是一种风险相对较低的投资，因为保险费由政府进行严格管理。
10. 货币市场
通过货币市场，你可以购买到固定收入有价证券，即为期少于一年的基本短期证券。大多数货币市场证券都是以大面额出售，除非你有能力经营这些大面额，否则你就得通过货币市场共有基金或银行存款来购买。货币市场投资的收益很大程度取决于当前的利率，它是一种风险较低的投资。
