What are some good alternative investments?
Coins, stamps, etc. etc.?
Answers
138 points
Bob answered one year ago …
Real estate should be the obvious answer! Buy some land in the path of progress if you don't mind holding it for several years. If I wanted to go with rentals, I'd just buy into a few REITS, as I've had too many landlord friends with never ending fixit headaches, but that is a way to have someone else pay for property for you!
Rare stamps, coins, gems and other collectibles can make money over time, but be prepared to learn all about whatever you choose, and it would be best to turn it into a hobby with the possibility of making money, but don't count on it to keep up with stocks or real estate.
Another investment choice would be collectible cars from the early 70's and older. I just knew I shouldn't have passed up that 56 vette for 8K back in the 80's. It's worth well over 100k now! Dirt bikes from the same era have also become collectible, cost a lot less to get into, and take up a lot less room. A friend has build up 500k worth of bikes over the past 15 years, and built a barn to store them in!
4085 points
EthanR answered one year ago …
Great answer, Bob. I will add two more alternatives. The first is that you can invest in a business. There are many businesses for sale that kind of run themselves with limited participation by the owner, such as coin operated laundromats or do it yourself car washes. You can also be a silent partner, or venture capitalist in a business that is run by someone else.
The second alternative is buying and selling web site domain names. The cost to buy a domain name is only $10, but you may be able to sell a good domain name for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Granted, these days it is much more difficult to come up with good names than it was several years ago, but domain names do expire, and there are sites that list these.
3963 points
MNSL answered one year ago …
I think we should consider in investing in forestry to get excellent return in the long run. There will be great demand for forestry products in the future. Money grows on trees.
However some forestry schemes mislead investors. Therefore, we must do thorough research before investing in trees.
3963 points
MNSL answered one year ago …
Another alternative investment is tree.
I think we should consider in investing in forestry to get excellent return in the long run. There will be great demand for forestry products in the future. Money grows on trees.
However some forestry schemes mislead investors. Therefore, we must do thorough research before investing in trees.
2775 points
Oldman answered one year ago …
MNSL's answer is my pick also. I don't have to insure or store a purchase of timberland...and it's uncorrelated with just about every other investment type, from precious metals to bonds & real estate. Lumber is a currently "depressed" U.S. commodity, because of the housing slump. But they don't have to cut the trees, and each year, there's more. PCL, RYN, and odd ones, like Deltic (which is making money from leasing nat'l gas well sites on its timberland) and another oddball one up in Minnesota, are all interesting, Timber has outperformed the major market indices over the last 40-50 years. You just want to buy it when it's cheap. And it's getting cheaper.
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