By Lina Martinez
Money matters to people. It helps us do and have the things and the life we want. Money can be confusing, though. What do we do with it when we have it? What is the best way to grow it? How safe is each monetary vehicle?
Even though the unemployment numbers in our current economy are encouraging, there have been few gains in real wages and many Americans feel a sense of instability in our current societal climate. Our world is divided and people are working harder than ever to insulate themselves against the “other” rather than work together to cultivate community. This insecurity causes people to distrust traditional financial institutions and seek out alternative financial instruments.
Due to this sense of division, many people are looking for economic opportunities. Whether someone is merely exploring avenues outside of traditional investments or they are trying to best invest the money they received from money received from a legal settlement and using lawyers like, http://www.hamiltonlawyers.com/, doing the right thing with our money is critical. Confidence among people off Wall Street in the stock markets is not merely low, but very skeptical. People are more interested in buying gold as a hedge than they are in mutual funds or even cash. Now, you can buy gold online, like on this website, which helps facilitate this modern gold rush.
Some people are finding more comfort in a compromise solution. Modern bonds have many applications and are therefore seen as more secure than a stock due to the opaque nature of publicly traded companies. A stock might represent what looks like a good investment, only to find out that the executives have been embezzling the profits and funneling them into offshore accounts. Once discovered, the stocks tank and profits turn into losses. Bonds, however, typically represent a lien on an asset.
This provides comfort due to the value beyond the bond itself. Things like surety bonds from bondsexpress.com are used in most states and can be easily explored through the linked website. Most people avoid bonds due to the perceived complexity of the bond market, but there is value in knowing that the bonds represent something of value. Held to maturity, you will receive the ongoing interest..
What people need to keep in mind in these chaotic times is that you are not without advocates and resources. If our current economic climate causes someone in desperation to wrong you, you have recourse. If you don’t like the volatility of certain markets, there are commodities, bonds, and assets that are almost as reliable as stuffing money in a mattress, but with better actual return.