
18 Investment Ideas For Beginners
Everyone should start looking for investment ideas as early as possible in life. The sooner you invest, the more time it has to grow and become more valuable.
Understandably, you aren’t all blessed with oodles of cash. 🙄
Those of you who have been on this blog before will know we’ve covered topics relating to starting a business with limited funds, and so on. This is a similar concept, only that the focus is on investing your money when you have little to spare.
Some of these investment ideas below can be done with as little as $500.
1. Importation
This is another sector that can generate nice, steady income if operated wisely. Note that this business leans towards the high-risk side a little. Due to the transportation processes involved, it might be scary for you but I urge you not to panic.
Do you know wholesale importers make more than $400,000 yearly in Nigeria?
All you have to do is search for the proper goods people want. There are some in-demand items you can import to Nigeria. I will have to warn you that this business should not be operated without the advice of someone who was or is still in the business.
However, beginners can definitely do this one with just a little guidance. Some youtube videos could come in handy.
2. Real Estate
For years interested parties, including beginners have made fortunes from real estate. It is indeed a secret for the rich to make sure they stay rich.
My dear reader, this is the first one on our list today, the all popular sector where landed properties are sold, bought, resold or rented.
As a beginner, the details that go into buying real estate might be overwhelming, however, two months of study with a paid expert will give you the full fist of this sector. You must understand that not all houses should be bought or sold.
Real estate 101 will tell you to invest in a property when its price is low, develop the property and rent or sell it off at a higher price.
3. Automobiles
The automobile business is also a good investment for beginners. In fact, I came up with a little stage by stage process for this one.
There are two ways you can earn products from dealing in automobiles especially cars. Firstly, you can use the scarcity concept to your advantage by selling classical cars.
A friend once suggested that an investor can buy and import abandoned classical cars from Europe where they still exist for a cheap price. Then they can bring it down to their country, repair and sell it for millions. Hypothetically, you buy the car in Europe for $5000, import it for $2000, repair it for $2000, and then end up selling it for $50,000.
The other way would be to buy sports cars and sell them to car lovers. You can also find someone who can drive well to go into Uber business on your behalf and remit an agreed amount back to you on a weekly or monthly basis.
4. Bottle water
Food isn’t the only thing that keeps us alive. I am sure you already know that from your 3rd grade. Water is also very essential for human survival, more essential than food.
A human can live without food for more than a week, but cannot go without water for more than three days.
So you have a commodity that is always going to be in demand. Starting a bottle water company can also be a very good choice for small investors.
Even if you do not know a thing about bottling or water purification, you can hire experts to assist you in that aspect of the business.
Read: 15 steps to start an event planning business with no money
5. Cryptocurrencies
I kept going back and forth on whether to add this particular investment to this list or not. Cryptocurrencies started becoming popular in 2005. It has since gained some widespread attention and even greater worth.
Bitcoin is one of the most popular cryptocurrencies today and one bitcoin is about $11,000 now or more, everyone wants to learn how to buy bitcoin nowadays!
The thing about bitcoin is that it is worth a lot of money and it keeps rising, however, it is not physical money and therefore needs to be sold for physical money before it can be used. Most big names in the world have some of their money stored away as bitcoin.
This one is really on the low-risk side and can serve as a way to store your money as well. Cryptocurrency is a good way to earn some valuable profit as a person new to the investment sector.
6. Entertainment Industry

Have you ever thought about starting a record label, or starting a management, TV Company? You can start investing in the entertainment industry regardless of the amount of money you have.
The entertainment industry has become the focus of many investors since the introduction of coloured TV and the internet.
The entertainment industry is one of the leading sectors that drive the world economy. Many of the rich people you know today have some investments in the entertainment industry.
In fact, Donald Trump (the president of the United States of America), before his political career, used to and still has lots of investments in the entertainment industry including pageantry and other forms of entertainment.
Read: 29 ways to grow your small business with a marketing strategy
7. Restaurants
I know the first names that will come to you are KFC, Dominos, McDonald’s – the big names with branches all over the globe.
However, that was not how many of them started. In fact, KFC started in 1952 by a 65-year-old man who ordinarily should be slowing down and preparing for retirement.
This old man was David Sanders who sold Kentucky fried chicken from his small roadside shop. The business soon blossomed into the worldwide kitchen we all go for crispy fried chicken.
Restaurants can be good investments for beginners if they are well set up, and properly managed by the right people. Everybody eats.
My mom used to own a restaurant, and I will confidently tell you that management is everything in a restaurant business.
8. Medical Research
If you have a philanthropic side that wants to help people and at the same time want to be compensated for it, medical research can be a good investment for you.
You can invest in scientific research, especially the ones that are pointing towards finding the drug of a particular illness.
Once this cure is found, some percentage of drug sales will go to you every year.
However, be careful with this one so that you do not lose the main reason you were doing it in the first place, which is to help save lives in any of the medical fields. Let your moral conscience be above your quest for money at all times.
9. Education

You must have heard of a private university before because not all colleges or high schools are owned by the government. Individuals too can acquire a license to build a school or college and manage it under the supervision of the government.
At least, this is how it is done in capitalism. Therefore, if you want to advocate for better education, more than the government provides, this might a great way to start investing in the right mission.
You can also make a profit from your investment by setting your own fees.
You can choose to make it an elite school and hike up your fees as you increase your services. You can also peg the fees at an affordable rate to attract everyone possible.
10. Fashion Industry
This is another goldmine. All thanks to Adam and Eve. Humans must now wear clothes and there is more demand for warmer, more unique and expensive clothing than ever. The fashion industry generates $2.5 trillion to the global economy annually.
It is a diverse industry with lots of players that make it work. Popular names like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, D&G, Supreme and even Versace started small too. You can build your own fashion line to become one of the most prominent and popular wears in the world like Levi’s.
If you have always had an eye for fashion or clothing business, this is your chance to chase your dreams and also make some money out of them.
11. Natural Resources
Some of the richest people in the world not only have investment ideas in other things but started from investing in natural resources. This could be gold, crude oil or the more rare gems like diamonds.
The jewellery or rare gems business is also a good one, however, this one is obviously capital intensive. Natural resources like crude oil are slowly losing their value in the face of a world constantly progressing in technology.
Therefore, if you have the capital to begin this investment idea, you might want to take some expert advice from people that are still in the business and those that were once in the business.
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12. Sports
How can I mention all the places a beginner can make investments without adding sports? The richest man in Nigeria and Africa, Aliko Dangote was interested in buying premier league football club Arsenal FC.
Even though his main reason was that he had always supported the club, experts believe he was trying to expand his investment circle.
Basketball, football, golf, formula 1 e.t.c. These are sports you can invest in no matter your country of residence or your level of experience.
You can build sports or event centres like concert halls, stadiums, and then rent them out for events or matches. A privately owned stadium is not such a bad idea, don’t you think?
13. Transportation
Transportation is a great investment idea for beginners, and also people who want quick returns from their investment. Starting a transportation company will require some hefty capital, but it is usually worth it in the end.
There are two ways you can go about this. It is either you start a transport company that moves people from one place to another, or you set up a transport company that moves only goods from one place to another.
They both have their advantages and disadvantages. It is up to you to decide which one you prefer.
You might also need to check with the transportation regulatory agency or any other body in charge of regulating vehicular movement in your country to obtain extra valuable information.
14. Fractional shares
You probably know the basics of investing in shares. Basically, you buy a percentage of a company, and your shares grow in value as the company does well in life. It’s a great way to make money, with one flaw – investing in shares can be very expensive.
For example, investing in Amazon shares seems smart as this business continues to grow and get bigger. Unfortunately, the current share price is over $2,000! So, how can you invest if you only have $500? Well, it comes down to fractional shares.
Here, you can invest in a fraction of the overall shares, meaning you cut yourself a slice of the pie without requiring heavy investments. 10% of Amazon shares is $200, which is far easier for you to afford. This is commonly seen as one of the best ways for new investors to get started.
15. Agriculture

Agriculture business has been the solid foundation of man’s continual existence and physical sustainability on earth. There is nothing that can replace food and that remains a fact. Agriculture remains one of the freshest grounds for investment newcomers to try their hands on. It is a goldmine if you play your cards well.
The only thing you have to do is decide on the specific one you want to do, find the land to farm and buy your seeds. It goes beyond these things I have listed here, but these are the major steps to take when trying to invest in agriculture.
Agriculture is responsible for over $2.4 trillion of the world’s economy annually. It only takes the courage and passion to start contributing and receiving from these numbers.
16. Beverage
Do you know that Coca Cola was made by a doctor and a pharmacist? Obviously, Coca Cola is now one of the leading beverages in the world?
You can invest in an already established beverage company or start your own from the ground up.
You may need a few licences from health and food agencies and some powerful marketing strategies, but all the same, it is achievable.
If all checks out, you might actually be the founder of the next Pepsi or Coca Cola brand. The beverage industry alone has a direct impact of more than $180 billion on the world’s economy.
The beverage industry alone has a direct impact of more than $180 billion on the world’s economy.
17. Mutual funds

Lastly, you have mutual funds. These funds are basically investment securities that let you invest in a series of different stocks and bonds all in one go. You can save for a while using Piggyvest and then invest your savings as a mutual fund.
They can easily be started with as little as $500, and you don’t have to do much at all. As a Nigerian, you can check out mutual funds at Stanbic IBTC bank.
Set up a mutual fund, and the owner of that fund will decide what to invest in for you. Then, sit back and watch your money grow over time.
Many people liken this to a savings account on steroids. The idea is you’re making long-term gains. So, a mutual fund is a secure place to store your savings and watch them appreciate in value.
18. Indices CFDs
Another method is to look at indices CFDs as a way of getting on the investment ladder. Now, there’s a lot to learn if you want to trade indices CFDs, but it’s worth educating yourself.
In essence, you will trade the difference in the price of an index from one time period to another. This is beneficial as you don’t technically own the asset.
Therefore, the costs are much lower than you expect. If you’re confused, don’t worry. It’s normal to be befuddled, but all the trading platforms that allow this trading will explain the process in more detail for you.
Conclusion
A common misconception about investing ideas is that you need thousands of dollars to start. Sure, that’s the case if you want to invest in certain shares or the real estate market. However, some ideas in this post show that you can definitely start investing with $500 – in some cases, you can have less than this!
I strongly advise against investing without proper research and knowledge of the industry. As a beginner, you might have been fed with the tales of how wonderful it is to invest and have money entering into designated accounts without having to lift a finger – the beauty of passive income.
However, it is usually not that simple and you will need to do a lot of work for a start. Then, one day, you can stop working. A good investor knows when to back off from a deal, no matter how good it sounds. Some deals can be too good to be true, so invest with your entire frame of mind.
My friend’s uncle won a kind of lottery in 2009. He won the equivalent of 200,000 dollars. After the celebrations, the pressure to invest the money started coming from different places. He later decided to invest it in real estate and bought lands worth over 70,000 dollars.
The land was about 2 Acres and the deal seemed too good to be true, however, he bought it anyway. It turned out that he was scammed and given the wrong papers to a land that belonged to the state government. This is why you must be very careful when making investments. Take your time and do not sound desperate when making your findings.
Start growing your wealth today by investing your money in the right place.