Knowing where and when to invest your money is important for growing your wealth strategically. Follow along as RealWealth® Co-Founder Rich Fettke shares his views on the best places to invest right now.
What Are the Best Places To Invest Money in 2025?
Today, everyone seems to be talking about the economy, inflation, a recession, high interest rates, etc. This has many people asking: Where are the best places to invest money in today’s market? It’s a tough question to answer given that this current situation is unique—as it usually is with most economic cycles.
Below, I share the best places (in my opinion) to invest or keep your money right now, and I’ll also provide financial tips to help you navigate any economic market cycle and potential deals for investors.
Here are six of the best places to invest money right now.
#1 GOLD AND/OR SILVER
I recommend that you invest about 10% of your net worth in gold or silver. Owning gold or silver acts as an insurance policy. That is actual, physical gold, not ETFs. It’s best practice to keep your gold and silver in safe storage by a reputable company. It’s also a good idea to keep some physical gold in your own safe at home for worst-case scenarios.
If the market crashes and all other stocks are lost, gold should follow historical trends and go up, or at least hold most of its value. Gold is a great way to protect yourself from losing everything during times of uncertainty.
Here are a few recommendations for how to buy gold:
- For storage, Kathy and I use Hard Assets Alliance.
- For delivery of physical gold and silver, we use JM Bullion.
There are several options out there, but these are just the ones that I’ve researched and found to be the best for our needs.
#2 Cash
You should also have a good amount of cash on hand. I’d suggest keeping around 10% of your net worth in a safe box at home. This might seem like an outrageous amount to some, but when there is economic uncertainty, it can provide you with peace of mind. The closest thing to the financial impact of the Coronavirus pandemic that we’ve seen is the Great Recession of 2008. And back then, when everything in the finance world was in disarray, allegedly, banks were just hours away from freezing all accounts temporarily, in which case no one would have access to their money. In fact, this is exactly what happened in Greece when their economy crashed, causing bankruptcy.
Plus, since banks pay no or very low interest, it’s not like you would be missing out on all those interest payments.
#3 FDIC Insured Banks & Accounts
Another solution for the best places to invest your money right now is to spread your cash out in smaller amounts in FDIC-insured banks. Never put more than $250,000 in any one bank because the FDIC will only insure “$250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category.”
With the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Silvergate Bank and Signature Bank, there is concern about the safety of funds held in banks.
What the FDIC Covers
- Checking accounts
- Negotiable Order of Withdrawal (NOW) accounts
- Savings accounts
- Money market deposit accounts (MMDA)
- Time deposits such as certificates of deposit (CDs)
- Cashier’s checks, money orders and other official items issued by a bank
What the FDIC Does Not Cover
- Stock investments
- Bond investments
- Mutual funds
- Life insurance policies
- Annuities
- Municipal Securities
- Safe deposit boxes or their contents
- U.S. Treasury bills, bonds or notes*
*These investments are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.” [Source: FDIC.gov]
However, it’s important to note that FDIC insurance may change if the economy tailspins into a complete financial meltdown.
In the past, during dire circumstances, the government has adjusted how much the FDIC would insure. If our national economy continues to decline, there is a small chance the government could change how much or how it will insure it.
Your best bet is to have your money in big banks (like JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America) because they have a lot of capital. The Fed has stated that big banks have $2.9 trillion in high-quality liquid assets and $1.3 trillion in common equity.
Since the Great Recession of 2008, regulatory minimums and capital and liquidity buffers have been raised substantially. According to the Fed, “These capital and liquidity buffers are designed to support the economy in adverse situations and allow banks to continue to serve households and businesses.” In recent times, the Federal Reserve has launched unlimited QE to keep banks liquid in uncertain times and has also lowered reserve requirements.
#4 Farmland
A report by Manulife Investment Management showed widespread economic consequences from the Coronavirus. However, with the constant demand for food, agricultural commodities are expected to remain more stable than others, and, as a long-term investment, investments in farmland can help protect against inflation.
Our company owns 800 acres of farmland in Costa Rica, where we planted over 10,000 fruit trees and have a fully operational farm based on cutting-edge permaculture practices. We are also building a residential community for people who prefer to live near the food they grow, with clean air and plenty of freshwater streams and waterfalls.
A few ways to invest in farmland:
- AcreTrader (An online platform that allows you to purchase shares in farmland)
- Farming Equities (crop producers, seed equities, etc.)
- Commodities (i.e., soybeans or corn)
- Farming Mutual Funds & ETFs
- Farming REITs
#5 Rental Properties
The pandemic opened up the conversation about how we want to live and work. Those living in cramped quarters, like a small apartment in New York City, started rethinking their desires for living/working spaces. The demand for single-family homes increased as city residents moved out to the suburbs to have more room and backyards. While the seller market is retreating, interest rates have risen, and there is a more balanced market inventory.
During challenging times, more people are generally forced to rent, which could offer a great opportunity for investors looking for rental income from single-family homes.
If you have money saved up already, now might still be a good opportunity to buy a rental property for the following reasons:
- Rental demand for single-family homes continues to increase, along with rents
- Interest rates remain fairly low (about 7% interest on a 30-year fixed rate)
- There’s not a huge amount of competition because many people are afraid to invest right now
While I don’t expect mortgage interest rates to drop below record lows again, they may remain fairly stable because of the turmoil banks are experiencing due to the Fed lending rate increases.
Because many people are hesitant to invest right now, this may be a great time to buy a rental property on the cheap and turn it into a long-term, cash-flowing (or at least break-even) investment. In general, real estate is considered one of the best places to invest money right now as it continues to remain one of the top means for building real wealth.
Investor tip: Look to attract higher-net-worth tenants, such as traveling professionals (doctors, nurses, corporate, etc.) who will pay several months in advance for added security.
#6 Pay Off Your Home
Another option is to take your cash and pay off your home. If you have a mortgage with a 3-4% interest rate, it might be wiser to invest your cash in investments that will most likely exceed that. However, if your mortgage is at a higher rate, you might want to consider reducing your loan balance to save on interest payments.
If you do decide to pay down your mortgage, only do this if you won’t have to pour most of your cash into paying off your mortgage because you’ll become more vulnerable during these times of financial unknowns.
If there is any chance of job loss, it might be more prudent to set up a home equity line of credit (HELOC) so you can access cash if necessary.
Depending on your personal circumstances and financial goals, paying off your home mortgage can be another good place to invest your money right now.
Some potential benefits of paying off your mortgage include:
- Saving on interest: When you pay off your mortgage, you save the interest you would have paid over the life of the loan. This can potentially save you thousands of dollars in interest payments.
- Reduced financial stress: Owning your home outright can give you a sense of security and reduce financial stress. You no longer have to worry about making monthly mortgage payments or the risk of foreclosure.
- Improved cash flow: Without a mortgage payment, you may have more cash available to save, invest, or spend on other priorities.
However, there are also some potential drawbacks to paying off your mortgage, including:
- Opportunity cost: The money you use to pay off your mortgage could potentially be invested in other assets that offer a higher rate of return.
- Loss of liquidity: Paying off your mortgage ties up a significant amount of your cash in your home. This can make it more challenging to access your equity if you need it for other purposes.
- Tax implications: Depending on your situation, paying off your mortgage may result in a loss of some tax benefits, such as the deduction for mortgage interest.
Ultimately, the decision to pay off your mortgage depends on your individual circumstances and financial goals. It may be a good idea to consult with a financial advisor or investment counselor to help you make an informed decision based on your specific situation.
More Financial Tips for Tough Times
Move To More Affordable Places & Hunker Down
Many people can buy a house outright in more affordable places. Sometimes, re-envisioning where you choose to live is one of the best places to invest money right now. For those with a nest egg or even if you’ve lost your job, moving to a more affordable location could have huge long-term financial benefits.
For example, an A-class property in an A+ school district in Cleveland, Ohio, may cost less than $150,000. If you prefer warmer weather, you might find a B+ home in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Tampa, or Jacksonville, Florida, for under $225,000.
You could also invest in a duplex or look into buying a triplex or quadplex and take advantage of the lower downpayment options for owner-occupied multi-family investment properties.
Have Some Liquidity
One of the best financial strategies during a period of fear and volatility is to stay as liquid as possible–while using good judgment. By having physical cash, it doesn’t matter what the banks do. You would still have YOUR cash in YOUR hands, and it would be ready to go if you really needed cash for any reason.
What To Do Next
Many of the best places to invest money right now continue to shift. The economy has already changed rapidly and will continue to change as we face the long-lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, money printing and financial policy changes. There could be a lot of deals in commercial real estate over the next couple of years if we head into a global recession. Keeping some cash in hand for investment opportunities is always a good idea. The commercial market, along with stocks, has corrected, which, like it or not, was much needed. The strongest companies will rise to the top. The question is, which ones? We will keep our eyes on how it unfolds and share it with you.
How RealWealth Can Help You Invest in Real Estate
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