Ans: Investment is basically that asset or sum of money that an individual is not using but using to put somewhere where they can take advantage of it. So when an individual purchases a good for future use or as an investment, the sole intent of it is to have it reach a higher price; all the investments are made in assets that are worthy of appreciation only.

Ans: Actually, there are countless opportunities and assets to invest in, but here are a few of the most common and major ones:

• Stock or Equities

  A stock is a piece of ownership of the company whose shares one has bought. The more the share, the larger the ownership one gets. As the company becomes more successful, the value of the purchased shares appreciates.

• Index Funds and Mutual Funds

  Just like one can buy shares of a company, one can also buy mutual funds or funds that hold the ownership of a small-cap or an emerging market company instead of spending time in all the research to find out what company has the potential to grow in the near future so that you buy its shares and expect them to appreciate soon.

• Real Estate

  This is an investment we are quite aware of, the physical, tangible spaces that we may or may not utilize. It could be anything, a warehouse, a residential property, a shop.

• Commodities

  These are basically the raw materials that have the potential to appreciate their value in the coming time. Like owning a bar of gold, or it can be other investment products that include digital ownership like a gold ETF. They are called investments as they are primarily used as inputs in society, just like some sources of energy like oil or gas.

• Bonds

  It is a form of investment that demands an upfront investment and then pays a recurring amount over the time of the bond. And when the bond matures, all the capital invested in the bond is given back to the investor. They are quite like debts, and similar to them, they are a mechanism for certain entities to raise money.

• Cryptocurrency

  And the most in-demand these days, cryptocurrency is a currency based on a blockchain that holds the digital value of the amount paid for its purchase. Cryptocurrency companies offer coins or tokens that may appreciate their value in the future.

Ans: With an online investment calculator, one can calculate their rate of return within a snap of fingers, and that too with utmost accuracy. Most such calculators have two options:

• Yearly calculation of investment
• Monthly calculation of investment

Here’s how to calculate your investment using the investment calculator-

• Start by filling in the initial amount that you will be investing.
• Then, you need to put in the rate of interest that you want to receive.
• As the next step, select the period of time or the number of years during which you want to stay invested.
• And finally, select the current investment that you are holding at the moment.