The Best Long-Term Investment Option According To Americans

Best Long-Term Investment

More than ever before there are so many different options out there to invest  your money. With the advent of technology and the internet you can invest in so many new technologies and companies at record speeds. With all the different options out there for investing your money what are some of the best options for retirement investing? Better yet what do Americans think the best long term investment option is?

A Gallup poll done at the beginning of April asks Americans to choose the best option for long-term investments: real estate, stocks, and mutual funds, gold, savings accounts and CDs, or bonds. Before I get to the results of the survey stop and think about it for a minute and answer these questions for yourself. What do you think is the best long-term investment? Does that best long-term investment option change depending on the year or how well that investment option is doing currently?

According to the Gallop poll 30% of Americans polled believe that real estate is currently the best long-term investment. Gold and stocks/mutual funds are next highest at 24%. Savings accounts/CDs take 14% while bonds is at the lowest at 6%.

There can be many reasons that Americans polled have answered the way they have. More than likely it is because of the current state of each investment. Stocks/mutual funds have had a rough year thus far and with many people and even highly trusted investment professionals having a shaky outlook for the stock market it doesn’t help but mold everyone’s beliefs as to what the best investment option is for today.

Breaking down the gallop poll based upon age makes the findings even more interesting. Young Americans place more faith in Savings and CDs compared to older Americans. 24% of 18 to 29 year olds believe savings accounts and CDs is the best long-term investment option but even then real estate still wins at 25% of 18 to 29 year olds as the best long-term investment option.

Retirement Investing Outlook
Real estate has been perceived by Americans to be a strong long-term investment and Americans aren’t in the wrong. But if real estate is such a great investment why aren’t more people doing it with their retirement accounts? People aren’t investing their retirement accounts in real estate because they don’t realize they can. Most retirement accounts are being invested in stocks/mutual funds and bonds. While those can be great options they are not the only options. It is very wise to have a diversified account. Diversifying your retirement account with real estate is a great way to do that. In order to purchase real estate in an IRA you need a self directed IRA account.

One of the negatives to investing in real estate through your IRA is that it can be quite expensive to purchase a home. If you are looking for another solid way to diversify your retirement account why not choose the second highest rated option according to Americans, Gold? You can also purchase gold through your IRA with a self directed IRA. With a self directed IRA there are a lot of options for those wanting to take control of their retirements and invest in things they actually want. Investing smarter with a self directed IRA is the perfect way to diversify your retirement portfolio.

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