How to Invest 10k + 5 Investing FAQs Answered
You’ve probably heard countless times that stagnant money is terrible and that investing it will let you retire 10 or 15 years early. For the most part, that’s true—investing can help you change your life. Still, you can’t go in blind and expect to make money, especially in today’s age of soaring inflation.
This guide will help you learn how to invest 10k and bolster your financial portfolio.
What to Do with 10k
You’ve got $10,000 burning a hole in your pocket, and you can hear your inner wolf of Wall Street howling. It’s time to invest, but you’ve never invested a significant sum before and don’t know where to look.
Should you pour it all into an index fund? Is it time to invest in real estate? Go all-in on Tesla? You may feel overwhelmed.
We’ve got you covered—let’s see your best options.
1. Embrace GARP
GARP stands for “growth at a reasonable price,” and it’s an all-weather investment style that strikes a balance between investing in value and growth stocks.
In 2022, investing in GARP names is one of the soundest investment ideas because experts believe inflation is near its peak, which means these stocks will start to appreciate more pretty soon.
For the uninitiated, growth stocks are the ones that grow the fastest, while value stocks are the cheapest in metrics like price-to-book or price-to-earnings.
2. Invest in Real Estate
Did you know you can invest in real estate even if you only have $10,000? Thanks to REITs, you don’t need that much capital to get into the real estate game.
REIT stands for Real Estate Investment Trusts, and they’re companies that help retail investors invest in real estate without getting their hands dirty. The most popular REIT today is Fundrise.
3. Pay Off Debt
Arguably the best way to invest 10k is to pay off debts.
Whether we’re talking about credit card debt or a mortgage, paying off your debt will turn your life around and let you save all that cash you would have otherwise paid each month to the bank.
Some financial breathing room will go a long way, especially in this day and age. Also, paying off debt will benefit your credit score.
4. Start an Online Business
You don’t need that much capital to start an online business. In fact, you might need as little as half your current budget to become a budding entrepreneur.
Knowing this, you won’t be surprised to learn that numerous “how to double your money” guides mention starting an online business as one of the most valid methods to achieve that goal.
5. Invest in Series I Savings Bonds
Inflation is scary. Experts say it’s slowing down, but it’s not going to stop anytime soon, and you might want to invest in some low-risk Series I Savings Bonds before it’s too late.
Series I Savings Bonds are issued by the US Treasury and can protect you from inflation. They earn interest through fixed and inflation-based rates, and you can buy up to $10,000 worth of bonds each year.
Learn more on the TreasuryDirect website.
6. Learn to Trade on the Stock Market
Learning how to trade on the stock market is among the best ways to invest 10k. First of all, it’s very convenient. You can start trading directly from home by opening an online brokerage account on E*Trade or Ameritrade.
Secondly, it’s educational. If you want to become an excellent investor, you need to educate yourself on all financial matters, which will also generally make you a savvier individual.
Finally, it can be very profitable. Granted, it’s a risky endeavor, but you can absolutely become wealthy if you follow the right advice and play your cards well.
7. The Best Option
Finally, what’s the best investment for 10k?
Plot twist: it’s all of them. You should never drop $10,000 on a single investment as a retail investor, especially if that’s your entire budget.
Remember, diversifying your portfolio reduces risks and improves profits. That’s the golden rule of investment, and it will protect you from losing all your capital if the value of one of the stocks you invested in suddenly plunges.
Your Questions Answered
1. Where to Invest 10k
Let’s take a look at some other ways to invest $10,000.
Index Funds
Index funds are a solid choice for investing any sizeable sum. Sure, the line doesn’t always go up, but you shouldn’t worry about that too much. The economy will inevitably pick itself up again, and you’ll still have all your money and a nice profit. Also, thanks to compound interest, the earlier you invest, the more cash you’ll make.
ETFs
ETFs work like index funds. The only difference is that they can be traded during the day, while you can only exchange index funds at the end of the trading day.
2. How to Invest 10k in Real Estate
We previously mentioned that you could invest $10,000 in real estate through REITs like Fundrise, but you also have other options.
Alternatives to Fundrise
Other than Fundrise, you can invest through different companies and platforms. These are the best ones:
Streitwise
Higher minimum investment, pays 8% in dividends since 2017.
M1 Finance
A trading platform that allows you to invest in different REITs.
Real Estate Syndication
Real estate syndication means finding a group of people you know to crowdfund resources and buy real estate, so you can all profit from rental income and appreciation.
Airbnb
You can become an Airbnb host by renovating and renting out spare bedrooms in your house for a profit.
3. How to Invest 10k for Making a Passive Income
Let’s look at some passive income ideas to start making some money on the side. You won’t need to invest your whole $10,000 capital all at once with any of them, which is a huge plus.
Flip Products
Buy discounted products, and flip them on eBay or Amazon for profit. Easy, but requires time and money before becoming profitable.
Peer-to-Peer Lending
You can lend money to another person through platforms like Prosper or LendingClub, earning money through interest payments. However, loans are unsecured.
Invest in Dividend-Yielding Stocks
If you invest in a dividend-yielding stock, you’ll receive regular payments from the company. Be careful when choosing the right stock.
4. How to Double 10k
All investments we already mentioned allow you to double your money relatively quickly. Let’s see some other options.
PeerStreet
You can invest in real estate debt projects on PeerStreet, a popular online platform perfect for short-term investments that can help you double your money in six months to a few years.
Start a Blog
You won’t need to invest $10,000 in a blog. A $500 to $1,000 investment will quickly turn aspiring writers into successful bloggers.
Mutual Funds
While they might have higher fees than ETFs or index funds, mutual funds usually perform well and are a low-risk, long-term way to double your money.
5. How to Turn 10k into 100k
Unless you’re a financial genius—in which case, we’re honored to have you here—you’re not going to increase your capital tenfold in the short term.
Generally, it’s best to invest in long-term, safe-ish assets like index funds, ETFs, and mutual funds or start your online business and run it successfully for a couple of years. Either way, we’re looking at a time frame of 10 to 20 years.
You could invest all your money in a promising company and hope it blows up on the stock market, but that’s probably wishful thinking. Be patient, and you’ll get there eventually.
Conclusion
There isn’t a single best way to flip 10k. Instead, there are numerous paths you can take, and the one you will choose depends on your risk tolerance and, to some extent, willpower.
Whether you opt for an index fund, real estate, or online business, it will take a lot of discipline and effort to profit from your investments.
Good luck, and happy investing!
