How to Build Your Wealth by Buying Assets

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Discover how to diversify your money with smart investing
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An asset refers to any investment that should make money over time. Everything from your home and your jewelry to the 401k account at your job qualifies as an asset. But there are so many different financial assets available that it can seem daunting if you’re new to investing. To help you out, we spoke to CEOs and financial professionals Marcus Raiyat and Brian Colvert to get the scoop on what assets are best for you (and how to acquire them safely and sensibly).

How to Buy Assets for Beginners

An asset is any investment that you expect to return more money in the future. While cash and CDs are technically assets, stocks and bonds are usually the core building blocks of an asset-backed portfolio. Open a brokerage account and consider investing in some broad index funds to start off sensibly.

Section 1 of 4:

What is an asset?

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  1. “Asset” is a general term that includes stocks, bonds, real estate, and other purchases that have (theoretically) appreciating value. As a note, it is possible to lose money on an asset (markets crash, banks fail, etc.), so there’s always risk involved when investing. [1]
    • As you buy assets, you’ll receive passive income! Stocks will pay dividends, bonds will pay coupons, real estate will pay rent, etc. The ultimate goal here is to acquire enough assets to comfortably retire and live on that passive income.
    • An example of something that isn’t an asset is a car. A car certainly has value and you could sell it in the future for money, but it won’t appreciate in value. Assets must either pay you money over time, or sell for more than they’re worth today.
    • The opposite of an asset is a liability. Liabilities are items with a negative value over time. Examples include credit card debt, mortgages, student loans, or taxes owed.
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Section 2 of 4:

Assets Worth Considering

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  1. While it isn’t usually considered an asset, cash does often pay a yield in the form of an interest rate. So, a checking or savings account is going to give you a small percentage of interest over the course of the year. It’s going to be a small return, but your risk will be extremely low. For maximum return, look to open a “high yield” savings account. [2]
    • Is this asset good for beginners? Yes. Everyone should have 3-6 months worth of living expenses in a savings account, at least.
    • How do you acquire this asset? At first, your job will be the sole source of cash. Later in life, as you buy more and more assets, those assets will produce cash.
    • When is this asset right for you? If you want to preserve your cash to buy goods, services, or other investments, just leave your money in a checking or savings account.
    • How risky is this asset? It depends on the currency! Stable currencies like the US dollar, euro, Swiss franc, or British pound tend to be nearly risk-free. Cash isn’t 100% risk-free, though. Banks can fail and inflation can eat away at the value of your money over time.
  2. A CD is a deposit at a bank that is locked up for a certain period of time. So, you might buy a CD where your money is inaccessible for a year. In exchange for offering to hold the money for a specific period of time, the bank will give you an interest rate that’s usually slightly better than a high-yield savings account (if savings rates are around 4%, a CD might yield 4.5%, for example).
    • Is this asset good for beginners? It might sound like it’s good for beginners, but it’s usually not. Unless you know you need access to a specific amount of cash in the future (say, for a downpayment on a home), CDs are too low risk if you’re just starting out as an investor.
    • How do you acquire this asset? CDs are offered directly through banks or through a brokerage account. Contact your preferred bank to find out what CD rates they’re offering.
    • When is this asset right for you? If interest rates are really high, CDs are usually worth considering. They’re also a good idea if you know for a fact that you’re going to want access to that money at a future date but don’t want to take any heavy risk, CDs are a solid option.
    • How risky is this asset? Banks can fail (which is why smaller, riskier banks usually pay a slightly higher rate) so it’s not risk-free, but it is generally very low risk.
  3. A bond is debt. Instead of borrowing money from a bank, a company, city, or government sells you a bond—you give them money, and they pay you interest (called a coupon or yield). Raiyat explains, there are different types of bonds: “So, you could have corporate bonds, municipal bonds, or government bonds. US government bonds, called T-notes, are seen as the safest asset in the US, because they’re backed by the Federal Reserve.”
    • Is this asset good for beginners? Yes, but only if you’re closer to retirement. If you’re young, stocks are a better place to start because the risk and timeframe work in your favor.
    • How do you acquire this asset? You can buy any kind of bond through a brokerage account. Alternatively, you can purchase bonds directly from the issuer (i.e., buy Chicago municipal bonds from Chicago’s department of revenue, or buy Apple corporate bonds from Apple). US government bonds can be purchased through Treasury Direct .
    • When is this asset right for you? Bonds are a core part of any traditional investment portfolio. The most common rule of thumb is to allocate 10% to bonds for every decade in the workforce. Alternatively, you could build a 60/40 portfolio—60% stocks, 40% bonds. [3]
    • How risky is this asset? Bond risk is denoted in a credit rating (A, AA, AAA, B, BB, BBB, junk). The lower the rating, the riskier the bond. If you buy high-quality bonds and hold them to maturity, they’re relatively low risk, though.
  4. Mutual funds are functionally baskets of stocks that are managed professionally by financial institutions (like T. Rowe Price, Vanguard, Fidelity, Blackrock, etc.). By buying a mutual fund, you get exposure to all of the stocks that mutual fund holds on its book. This way, you get a diversified stock holding just by buying a single fund.
    • Is this asset good for beginners? Yes, mutual funds (specifically broad market mutual funds) are a great place to start if you’re brand new to investing and don’t want to manage your own stock portfolio.
    • As a note, different mutual funds focus on different strategies. Some just track an index, others trade aggressively, others only hold oil stocks, etc. Always read a fund’s description (in a document called a prospectus) before buying it. [4]
    • How do you acquire this asset? You purchase mutual funds through a brokerage account.
    • When is this asset right for you? If you want diversified stock exposure and don’t want to manage the allocations and positions yourself, mutual funds are the way to go. Just know, fees are higher for mutual funds than ETFs, but that’s the price you pay for having a professional do things for you.
    • How risky is this asset? It depends on the mutual fund, but they can be moderately volatile. Over the past 20 years, mutual funds have returned an average return of 12.8%. [5]
  5. An ETF is basically a mutual fund that you can buy and trade like a stock. They’re baskets of stock that express a particular theme or idea, but they’re usually cheaper than mutual funds because they aren’t (usually) actively tinkered with by professionals. Instead, ETFs passively follow a set of pre-defined rules that make them cheaper to manage. [6]
    • Is this asset good for beginners? Yes. Buying broad index ETFs is probably the best option for someone just starting out in their investments.
    • How do you acquire this asset? You buy an ETF the same way you’d buy a stock—with a brokerage account.
    • When is this asset right for you? If you want to manage your own stock positions and you want broad exposure to the stock market, ETFs are phenomenal.
    • How risky is this asset? It depends on which ETF you buy. An aggressive ETF that takes concentrated risk in a single sector or theme (like ICLN) or uses leverage (like TQQQ) can be extremely volatile and risky. Index funds (like SPY or QQQ) that track a diversified basket of stable stocks tend to be less risky.
  6. Also known as equities, a stock is a share in a publicly traded company. So, if you buy shares of Facebook, for example, you are literally a part-owner in Facebook (META). The price of a stock can go up and down based on a ton of factors, but the overall market return for stocks as a whole is generally around 10% a year over time. [7]
    • Is this asset good for beginners? Not quite, but they can be okay if you’re buying quality companies at reasonable prices. It’s probably best for newbies to start off with index funds in the form of ETFs or mutual funds.
    • How do you acquire this asset? You can purchase individual stocks through a brokerage account.
    • When is this asset right for you? If you want to speculate, invest in a particular company, or tilt a broad-market portfolio in a particular direction, individual stocks are a good option.
    • How risky is this asset? Individual stocks can be very risky. As Marcus Raiyat explains, “The vast majority of IPOs and small company stocks eventually fail. Stick to more established companies that have shown that they're able to withstand the test of time.” These more established companies are often called “blue chip” stocks. Examples include Microsoft (MSFT), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Google (GOOG), or Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B).
  7. By purchasing real estate, you can speculate on the future value of property in the area you’re buying. In the meantime, you can rent the property out to tenants and businesses or use it as an AirBnb. You can also just live in it if you want to stop renting! [8]
    • Is this asset good for beginners? No, real estate is often best for people who already have some wealth and assets built up.
    • How do you acquire this asset? You can gain exposure to real estate in two ways. The first is by buying actual buildings—you work with a broker to purchase the deed of a property and rent it out. The second is to buy REITs (real estate investment trusts). REITs are a type of ETF that trade like a stock, but the underlying “stocks” are buildings owned by a real estate company. REITs are legally required to pay out 90% of their profits as dividends, kind of like the rent you’d get from a building! [9]
    • When is this asset right for you? If being a landlord sounds exciting to you and you know your local real estate market well, this is a really great way to build wealth.
    • How risky is this asset? Real estate is considered relatively low-risk in the very long-term, but it can be very volatile in the shorter term and there are risks when it comes to tenants destroying your property.
  8. Hedge funds are basically the same thing as mutual funds except they…well, hedge. A hedge is something you do to reduce volatility in a portfolio. By hedging positions, these funds can take more extreme risks while pursuing excessive returns. [10]
    • Is this asset good for beginners? No, hedge funds are meant for seasoned investors.
    • Most hedge funds have large minimum investments and many require you to have at least $1,000,000 in your investment funds (this makes you an “accredited investor,” legally speaking). [11]
    • How do you acquire this asset? You invest in hedge funds by reaching out to the fund directly or by going through your brokerage.
    • When is this asset right for you? If you’re a high net-worth individual and you want to take on more risk for a greater potential return, hedge funds are worth exploring.
    • How risky is this asset? This is about as aggressive and risky as stocks can get. Many hedge funds lose money over the years, although when they hit, they tend to hit big.
  9. Private equity funds invest in private businesses, which is unique (hedge funds, ETFs, and mutual funds always invest in public companies). Like hedge funds, private equity funds usually have large investment minimums and strict requirements. Also like hedge funds, returns for PE investors tend to be very high or very low. [12]
    • Is this asset good for beginners? Not at all. PE funds are meant for seasoned (and wealthy) investors.
    • How do you acquire this asset? You must reach out directly to PE firm to get information on investing.
    • When is this asset right for you? If you’re very wealthy and want to explore higher-risk options for potentially massive returns.
    • How risky is this asset? There is a high possibility these assets go to zero, so the risks are very high.
  10. Crypto is the new kid on the block, but it does appear to be here to stay. These digital coins rely on complex technology (called blockchains) to track their value. There are all kinds of different crypto coins out there, but the two biggest are Bitcoin and Ethereum. [13]
    • Is this asset good for beginners? Not really, although it’s okay to buy a small bit of cryptocurrency as a part of a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds.
    • How do you acquire this asset? You can purchase an ETF that tracks crypto, buy the crypto on an exchange (like Coinbase), or buy the crypto directly and keep it in wallet .
    • When is this asset right for you? If you want to allocate a small percentage of a portfolio to crypto for diversification's sake, go for it. If you don’t want to stomach volatility though, you’re best sitting this one out.
    • How risky is this asset? Bitcoin and Ethereum are considered less risky than the smaller (alt) coins, but this is a brand new field and the risks are very high.
  11. Commodities refer to any hard asset that has a tradable market. Gold, lithium, uranium, cobalt, oil, and lean hogs are all examples. These commodities are often traded on a futures exchange where you purchase and sell contracts for these commodities like stocks. You can’t own 100 barrels of oil, but you can buy a contract that represents 100 barrels of oil. [14]
    • Is this asset good for beginners? No. A lot of the time this asset isn’t even good for seasoned investors. Most wealthy people go an entire lifetime without buying or selling futures.
    • How do you acquire this asset? Raiyat explains, “There are a few ways you can access a commodity market. You could buy a futures contract that says you’ll own a certain amount of this commodity, for example, or you can actually go out to your jewelers and literally buy physical gold and silver and store it in a vault. You could also buy stock in a company that mines a certain commodity.”
    • When is this asset right for you? Commodities are highly speculative, so unless you really understand a specific sector, these assets are unlikely to be worth your time.
    • How risky is this asset? It depends on the commodity. Gold is traditionally “safer” than stocks, for example.
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Section 3 of 4:

How to Invest Sensibly

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  1. As tempting as it can be to start investing and make money, you really shouldn’t buy assets if you’re sitting on a lot of credit card debt or bank loans. Any debt that has an interest rate higher than the expected return on an asset should be paid off first. [15]
    • Some debts, like student loans and mortgages, are going to be so low interest that it’s okay to buy assets before paying them off. There’s no “one size fits all” answer here, though.
  2. Brian Colvert explains, “Every employee with access to a 401k should always be making sure that the contributions that they think are going into the plan are continually going into the plan in a timely manner.” A 401k usually has a match (often 3-6%) where the employer will match your contributions up to a certain percentage every year, which is why it’s such a great thing to have.
    • If you ever do change jobs, rest assured that any 401k in your name can be rolled over into a new retirement account (either a new 401k or an IRA).
    • Not every job offers a 401k. Some companies will also provide a different type of account that functions like a 401k (the biggest alternative is a 529B, but there are a few others).
    • You do not get to buy anything in a 401k—the provider will offer a list of options and you’ll choose what to invest in.
    • 401ks are tax-sheltered, meaning that the government will not tax your gains until you take money out in retirement.
  3. An IRA (individual retirement account) is a tax-sheltered account where you can invest your money for retirement. The current max is $7,000 a year, but this amount changes every few years to account for inflation. By maxing an IRA out, you’ll ensure your retirement funds grow over time. [16]
    • To open an IRA, contact a brokerage like Fidelity, Schwab, or Vanguard. They’ll walk you through the process.
    • What should you buy in an IRA? Raiyat explains, “Index funds are usually the best thing to go for, especially if you’re just starting out. They have the lowest fees and index funds give you exposure to the entire stock market.”
    • There are two types of IRAs: Roth and traditional. Roth IRAs tax your distributions going into the account. Traditional IRAs are taxed when you take funds out in retirement. Generally speaking, Roth IRAs are best if you’re young or early in your career.
  4. IRAs and 401ks are tax-sheltered brokerage accounts, but they have maximum investment amounts ($25,000 and $7,000, respectively). If you still have more money to invest, you can always open a standard taxable account at your brokerage. Just know that any gains you make after selling stocks or bonds will be taxed that year. [17]
  5. Raiyat points out that while the broader US stock market (the S&P 500) returns roughly 10% a year on average, “you should still only put what you're willing to sort of lose—past performance is not an indicator of future performance.”
  6. There’s a popular adage that time in the market beats timing the market. In other words, being patient is the name of the game. Taking wild bets, trading stocks every day, and buying lottery tickets are not good strategies for wealth creation. [18]
    • Trading stocks might be fun, but 80% of day-traders go broke after 3 years. [19]
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Section 4 of 4:

Expert Guidance

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  1. Marcus Raiyat breaks it down: “In life, you've got two ways to make money: your income strategy and your wealth generation strategy. Your income strategy, which for most people is a job, is there to fuel your wealth generation strategy. It has to come first. You need income to buy the things that generate wealth. Once you have income, you start off with the easiest way to build wealth—passive investing.”
    • Nobody has a secret formula or magic trick to make money fast. Investing responsibly takes a ton of time to pay off.
    Warren Buffett, Businessman & Investor

    Focus on long-term investing, not short-term gains. "I never attempt to make money on the stock market. I buy on the assumption that they could close the market the next day and not reopen it for five years."

  2. Raiyat explains, “Bonds and stocks are very similar in terms of how much money you can make. There's a stigma that bonds give you a safer, longer-term return, but the risk is the same in both of them if you don’t hold a bond to maturity. The volatility comes in when bonds are traded on the secondary market, and people are selling short-term or long-term bonds. Now, the actual par value of the bond changes. And this is where the volatility comes in, where it's pretty much traded exactly like a stock, the only difference with stocks is that you get dividends while bonds pay interest. So they're two very similar hazards.”
    • Keep in mind, you always get your original principal back if you hold a bond to maturity. So, if you have a 10-year government bond that costs you $10,000, you’ll get the original $10,000 back after 10 years pass.
  3. It can be tempting to invest all of your savings, but Brian Colvert explains why this isn’t a good idea: “Always make sure you have an emergency fund. That emergency fund should be whatever 3-6 months of expenses look like.” This way, if you lose your job or have a medical emergency, you won’t need to sell any assets to cover the costs.
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      Tips

      • For most people, the order of operations is: pay off debt, save 3-6 months of living expenses, max out 401k, max out IRA, and invest the rest in a taxable account. [20]
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      • The longer you’re in the stock market, the more likely you are to make money. Buying and selling often is more likely to leave you behind in the long run. [21]
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      Warnings

      • Never pay anyone to manage investments for you unless they are both a licensed financial professional and a fiduciary (which means they’re legally bound to work in your best interests). [22]
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      • You cannot lose money in the stock market unless you sell at a loss. Even if an investment is “red,” it’s likely to bounce back for a profit if you’re patient and don’t panic. [23]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/types-of-investment-assets/
      2. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/types-of-investment-assets/
      3. ↑ https://corporate.vanguard.com/content/corporatesite/us/en/corp/articles/improved-outlook-60-40.html
      4. ↑ https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/what-is-the-average-mutual-fund-return
      5. ↑ https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/what-is-the-average-mutual-fund-return
      6. ↑ https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/what-is-an-etf
      7. ↑ https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/042415/what-average-annual-return-sp-500.asp
      8. ↑ https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/5-ways-to-invest-in-real-estate
      9. ↑ https://rsmus.com/insights/industries/real-estate/abcs-of-reits.html
      1. ↑ https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/investment-products/private-investment-funds/hedge-funds
      2. ↑ https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/investment-products/private-investment-funds/hedge-funds
      3. ↑ https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/privateequity.asp
      4. ↑ https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/investing-crypto
      5. ↑ https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/basics-trading-futures-contracts
      6. ↑ https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/pay-off-debt-or-invest/
      7. ↑ https://www.usbank.com/retirement-planning/financial-perspectives/benefits-of-an-ira.html
      8. ↑ https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/what-is-how-to-open-brokerage-account
      9. ↑ https://www.quantifiedstrategies.com/what-percentage-of-day-traders-fail/
      10. ↑ https://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/odean/papers/Day%20Traders/Day%20Trading%20and%20Learning%20110217.pdf
      11. ↑ https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/pay-off-debt-or-invest/
      12. ↑ https://www.morningstar.com/portfolios/staying-invested-beats-timing-marketheres-proof
      13. ↑ https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-fiduciary-en-1769/
      14. ↑ https://www.morningstar.com/portfolios/staying-invested-beats-timing-marketheres-proof

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