“An ideal investment is the one which reaps infinite returns for the generations to come!!”

Whenever the idea of investment comes, one of the first questions that pop in our mind is whether it would reap good returns or not. Then we proceed on to probe on the risks involved, investment tenure and other prerequisites before actually investing.

In this short piece, we explore interesting, easy to plan achieve investments that would make you feel content with the returns and have lesser risks in the market with the returns touching the sky and getting more and more with the time.

1. Investing for a Skill/Education: Education is one of the most expensive investment avenues these days. Acquiring a skill, implementing it, getting well versed in it consumes a lot of time, money and concentration. When worked hard and accomplished, the returns can be infinite. This means that you can find work and continue on it for as long as you want to. The gains are not only in terms of monetary returns, which are consistent and are usually on a rise, but also in terms of respect, experience and chance to invest more in your family and assets.

2. Real Estate/House: A lot of old and experienced people regard real estate as a pinnacle of investment or asset creation. Once someone starts transacting in terms of real estate, his outlook towards money is totally changed. An increase in the price of stocks, mutual funds is not as stable as that of a land or a house. Moreover, the emotional worth of an asset created in real estate is remarkable.

Yes, undoubtedly, you need to have some net worth and status before venturing into this investment class, but the returns would make sure that the hard work you have put in to create wealth via real estate is all worth it.

3. People: For any manager or a business owner, the people working under him are his prime assets. Investing wise and well in the people will pay him off enormously, irrespective of the amount invested and time consumed over that investment.

Further, versatility makes it easier to find what kind of investment can suit your people. Complementary insurance, perks, bonuses, trips, education, skill trainings, assets, cheaper loans etc., there are numerous ways in which you can decide how do you want to invest. Investment is people earns you more loyalty (which can never have a price tag), better results, higher efficiency and several such fruits which would enhance your business or get you a promotion.

4. Creating a second income source: When you have multiple uses of the money earned, why can’t there be multiple income sources. Often, a second income source seeks some amount of investment, which does annoy people as they fail to realise its need. It is quite simple to analyse it though. The current job or business you are doing has come to you at a cost, which has gradually paid off via income and other tangible/intangible returns. You can create a source such as part time tuitions, blogging, baby sitting, product research etc., which give you a stable income and keep on giving more and more returns once you gain good experience. Second income source gets a further boost when you invest in acquiring a skill that in turn gets you another income source.

5. Planting Trees: Promoting Greenery in your neighbourhood is again an invaluable investment. A seed that nurtures into a plant, and further to a tree has a lot to give for the sunlight, water and care it receives. Interestingly, apart from sowing a seed and occasionally putting a fence around it, you don’t have to spend anything at all. The sunlight is free and water requirement, even though being initially crucial, is later managed by the plant itself. Multiple returns that a single fully fledged tree gives include fresh air, fruits, wood, temperature control, shade,

Senator Bernie Sanders voiced his disagreement to President Obama’s big trade deal. Organized labor in the U.S. argued, during the negotiations, that the trade deal would largely benefit corporations at the expense of workers in the manufacturing and service industries. The Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Economic and Policy Research have argued that the TPP could result in job losses and declining wages.

Obama was granted fast-track authority to negotiate this and other trade contracts with various countries. Obama contended that this authority was important to completing the TPP then sending it to Congress for a vote. The Senate won’t have the ability to delay the TPP and lawmakers will not be able to change it. Supporters say that the TPP would force China to increase standards and regulations.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP has become additionally politically combative with groups worried about trade contracts. The TPP is not the only one, but it is a very big one and the negotiations are complete.

It began with a trade contract between Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore that came into effect in 2006. That arrangement detached tariffs, intellectual property, and trading policies on most goods traded between the countries. The TPP has grown into a giant free trade deal between the US, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru. TPP wants to extend economic bonds between these nations, cutting tariffs on goods and services, and raising trade to increase growth. The 12 countries have a population of about 800 million and are accountable for 40% of the world’s GDP and 26% of the world’s trade. The deal is a notable achievement given the very different approaches and standards within the member countries mention the special protections that some countries have for certain industries. That makes it roughly the same size as the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, another trade contract currently being used. The contract could make a new single marketplace like the EU.

After too many years of American foreign policy being bogged down in the Middle East, the Obama administration is aiming its focus on Asia. The TPP is the focus of the US economic re-balancing and a stage for regional monetary integration. Some say the TPP goes further, as an effort to contain China and provide a monetary counterbalance to it in the area. Many parts of the TPP are designed to exclude China. The TPP is thought to be a strategy to keep China contained.

Most of the disapproval for the TPP has been for the mysterious consultations, in which countries were planning to be bringing in large changes for the countries’ futures without voters’ knowledge. But much of what has been exposed involves changes to intellectual property, state owned property, and international courts. The TPP, as well as other trade deals, have a wide array of regulatory and legal concerns that make the deals influential on foreign policy and US lawmaking.

Information on the TPP’s effect on intellectual property has exposed that the U.S. has been forcing tougher copyright security for music and film, as well as more comprehensive and longer-lasting patents. The TPP would also increase the difficulty of the approval procedure for generic drug makers and extend protections for biologic medicines, which has concerned members of Congress. Public health and internet groups have campaigned hard against the TPP for a long time about these matters because it may restrict public access to knowledge.

Many TPP governments basically own huge portions of their economies. Discussions have intended to limit public support for public sector businesses in order to raise competition with the private sector. But some assert it gives companies the ability to sue governments that change policy to favor public-provided services. The TPP will is also said to increase competition between nations’ work forces.

After World War II, investors were concerned about investing money in 3rd world countries, where the legal systems were not as reliable. They were concerned that an investment is made in country one day only to watch a dictator repossess it later. Enter the provision called “Investor-State Dispute Settlement,” or ISDS. The ISDS was installed in previous trade contracts, and is installed in the TPP, to encourage foreign investment in countries with weak legal systems. The ISDS could lead to huge penalties in the event that steps are taken of a country confiscating corporate assets. The ISDS provision in the TPP would also tip the balance of power in the US further in favor of huge multinational corporations and weaken U.S. autonomy.

The Indian art market is divided into two segments – Modern and Contemporary. Modern segment comprises of masters like M F Husain, S H Raza, F N Souza, VS Gaitonde, Amrita Sher Gill and more. Contemporary segment is comparatively young, around last 30 years. Alternately, Painters who were born after 1930.

1. Do your own research.

One of the first things to do before buying art is to empower yourself by reading up on art, visiting local art galleries, meeting artists/ collectors and other people who are actively involved in this field. Talk to artists, consultants and curators to get insights about the functioning of the art market and to also network with like-minded people intending to buy art also known as “Collectors”.

There are international auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s which focus on Indian art. Also there are domestic auction houses like Pundoles, Asta guru and Saffron Art. You can contact dealers and galleries. You can also approach an art advisor. You can end up paying a consultant 2-5% fee for expensive works. The service for smaller works may cost 5-15% of the value of the artwork. Fees also depends upon rarity of art work.

Ensure that the dealers and galleries sell genuine/ authentic works. Art market is full with fake artworks, so make sure you do proper research before buying the art. Check few important documents while purchasing art like authenticity guarantee, a provenance certificate, that is the previous owners of the artwork, condition report, publications (if any). Nowadays, many auction houses like Saffronart do not provide authenticity certificate. While buying from the auction houses make sure you understand buyer’s premium and the total cost incurred by (delivery charge, taxes, etc). Usually when you are buying through a dealer, only the seller has to give commission to the dealer and not the buyer. This can also be happen when you buy from a gallery. Again this depends on dealer, gallery and artwork involved.

2. Quality, not quantity.

Invest in fewer pieces that are higher quality. Not all pieces done by a renowned artist are masterpieces. You must take help from experts to recognise a masterpiece. For instance, an oil on canvas is perhaps the most expensive form of painting. Then is an acrylic on canvas, followed by an acrylic on paper. Then would follow watercolor on paper and charcoal on paper.

3. Buy art that you like and understand. Allocate a budget.

Buy art that you like. It is something you may keep for a lifetime, as you don’t know whether you will be able to sell it or not. Unlike other forms of investment such as stocks, it is worth remembering that art has an aesthetic quality that can, and some say should, be appreciated outside of its monetary value. Art is a long term investment. Also, prices of a renowned artist’s works do not necessarily shoot up when he dies. Art should not form more than 5% of your total investments.

4. Maintaining the artwork

Once you buy the art, you also need to incur the maintenance cost like insurance, storage cost. Also you need to take care of the artwork, like art should be stored in an environment that does not get direct sunlight.

5. Investing in emerging artists

Experts say you can look at investing in emerging artists whose works are available from Rs 1 lakh onwards. Though they may be a good option, it is difficult to predict who will make it big in the future. For this, you need to take advice from experts in the field.

6. Prints, limited editions

If you have limited budget, you can also invest in limited edition prints like serigraphy, lithography.

7. Evaluating an artwork.

Investing is not a game. Not for the weak hearted. Stock markets move up and down. One cannot just predict the market. Not possible to predict its movement. Hence cannot time it’s up and down. One can build a solid portfolio so as to possibly succeed. Few considerations to keep in mind.

Invest with a goal in mind – As discussed in one of the point, the purpose of investing should be kept in mind. Even before starting with the investment. One should know what it will cost to achieve that purpose. Purpose shows the path to investment. Always correcting it when invest is going off the path. Yogi Berra, a wise baseball philosopher sums up “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll miss it every time.”

Your present situation and risk you can take – What is the financial position today? How much one has earned and how much one has saved till date. In future date what will be the need. How much earning should be there so as to save enough amount to fulfill the required goal.

If the savings is insufficient then that saving should be channelized for investment. Then the amount will increase in the shorter period. When investment comes into picture the topic of risk arises.

All investment carries risk. The level may vary from type of investment. One extreme is high-risk takers and another extreme is risk-averse. This depends upon nature of the individual and the circumstances.

With risk comes the reward. High risk, high rewards. Low risk, low rewards. Usually, individuals take the middle path. Medium risk and medium rewards. One can take help of the best share tip provider to ease the situation.

Purpose – There should a definite purpose or goal for investment. It should personal one like a holiday abroad or buying a home or marriage or education or retirement or anything. Once the purpose or goal is set, next is setting the time to achieve it. It can be a week or month or a year or a decade.

Example, going for a holiday trip to Europe next summer. Here the purpose is holiday trip. Time duration is 2 years. What you want to do and when. Get nifty future tips, two-day free trial.

Quality, not quantity – For the long term, it is the quality which lasts, not quantity. Whatever be the components of your portfolio, see that it maintains quality. Because one’s holdings are critically important.

Diversified investment – The portfolio should not be put up in a haphazard manner. It should be put up with proper planning. It should be put up after considering the fundamental and technical’s of the securities.

The portfolio should be diverse across sectors (IT, banks), caps (small, mid, large) industries (cement, mining, pharma), bonds, fixed deposit, provident funds, precious metals and stones (gold, diamond), MFs, real estate, geographical regions, commodities tips etc.

Here risk tolerance of the investor should also be taken into account. Certain investments are risky in short terms but are not risky in long term. There are many share market advisory company who can calculate the risk associated.

In shares, one should look for cash flow, product, profits, dividend history, management, place of among peers, etc of the company.

Current market shares may be expensive or cheap, which depends upon present political environment, demand and supply, etc. Buy only quality ‘A’ listed shares.