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Wondering how much you’ll gain by investing in stocks? It helps to look at the average stock market return for the last 10, 20, and 30 years.

If you have $10,000 that you can earmark for investing purposes, count yourself lucky. There are many ways to invest $10,000 right now, whether you’re thinking about long-term goals like retirement, or you’re interested in learning more about how to invest in the stock market.

A $10,000 investment can compound over the years into a substantial sum — although there is always the risk of loss when investing any amount of money. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced investor, investing $10,000 takes research and discipline to follow through on the choices that make sense for you.

What to Know Before You Invest $10,000

Before you review some of the different ways you can invest your money, it helps to identify what your goals are. After all, you don’t have to put the entire amount into a single option; you can split your money into various pots, so to say.

It may help to ask yourself some questions about what is important to you:

•   Do you want to invest for a specific purchase or life event, such as buying a home or welcoming a child?

•   Do you want to invest toward a more secure retirement and old age, perhaps by funding a retirement account?

•   Are you interested in using the money you have to help you learn more about investing basics?

•   Would it be prudent to pay off credit card debt, since eliminating debt is an investment by effectively increasing your net worth?

Understanding Growth vs. Risk

In addition to thinking about your goals, it’s important to consider what your risk tolerance is. While there are many ways to invest, some may involve more risk (or reward) than others. Some investors may want to swing for the fences with a high-risk venture, while others prefer to keep their cash as safe as possible.

As you weigh your investing choices, from stocks and bonds to alternative investments, keep in mind that higher-risk investments tend to offer more growth — with the downside that there’s a higher risk of losing money. Lower-risk investments, like buying bonds, generally offer lower returns (but also less risk of losing money).

15 Ways to Invest $10,000

Whether you want to be a hands-off type of investor or more of an active investor, there are countless choices to consider. We summarize 15 possibilities here.

While some of these may count as conventional options (e.g., investing via a retirement or college savings account), some are less so (e.g., investing in a business).

1. Start With an IRA

Opening an IRA provides you with the opportunity to save for your retirement, supplement existing retirement plans, and potentially benefit from tax advantages. A traditional or Roth IRA can be a great vehicle for tax-advantaged, long-term investments.

The annual IRA contribution limit for 2024 is $7,000; $8,000 for those 50 and older.
Traditional IRAs allow for pre-tax contributions and tax-deferred growth, while Roth IRAs involve after-tax contributions and qualified tax-free withdrawals in retirement.

Other types of IRAs include SEP and SIMPLE IRAs. SEP IRAs are for small business owners and self-employed individuals, while SIMPLE IRAs are for employees and employers of small businesses. These have different contribution limits and rules than ordinary traditional or Roth IRAs.

In all cases, though, an IRA is just a tax-advantaged type of account. You must select investments to fill the IRA you choose.

Recommended: IRA Contribution Calculator: Check Your Eligibility

2. Increase Your 401(k) Contributions

Another way to invest $10,000 is to increase your 401(k) contributions at work. Like IRAs, these are tax-advantaged accounts. Generally, you establish your 401(k) contributions through your workplace plan, and the money is deducted from your paycheck.

You could, however, increase your withholdings so that you’re adding $10,000 more to your accounts (or a percentage of that), as long as you don’t exceed the annual contribution limit.

Unlike IRAs, which have a fairly low annual contribution limit, you can save as much as $23,000 in your 401(k) for tax year 2024. If you’re 50 and up, you can save an additional $7,500, for a total of $30,500.

3. Open a High-Yield Savings Account

If you open a high-yield savings account with a competitive interest rate, this is a lower-risk way to save. As of August 2024, top high-yield savings accounts were offering as much as 5.50% annual percentage yield (APY). Just remember that terms vary considerably from bank to bank, and there are no guarantees the rate will remain constant.

Still, that means a $10,000 deposit in a high-yield savings account with a 5.0% APY could yield roughly $511 in interest in one year, assuming interest is compounded monthly, and there are no further deposits that year, and that the APY doesn’t change.

Another benefit of putting your money in a bank account is that your funds are typically FDIC-insured, up to $250,000, per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category.

4. Be Debt Free

Knowing how to invest $10,000 today does not have to mean finding a high-performing stock. Simply paying off high-interest-rate debt can be like earning a guaranteed rate of return.

Think about it: If you’re carrying a $5,000 balance on a credit card that charges a 15.99% annual percentage rate (APR), paying off your balance means you are “saving” all that interest, rather than paying it to your card.

Given that most credit card issuers compound interest daily, those charges can add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year (depending on your actual balance, and APR).

5. Beef Up Your Emergency Fund

Putting some or all of your $10,000 into an emergency fund could also pay off down the road. Having cash on hand to cover life’s inevitable curveballs means that you wouldn’t have to put more expenses on a credit card in a crisis, or take out a home loan or line of credit, and end up paying interest on borrowed funds.

Keeping your emergency fund in a high-yield savings account, as noted above, could offer another potential upside in the form of interest gained.

6. Get Healthy with an HSA

Another way to invest is to max out your Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions. Individual contributions are limited to $4,150 for 2024; $8,300 for a family. The money in the HSA account is yours, even if you switch jobs or health plans.

An HSA can be triple-tax advantaged. That means your contributions, which are typically made via withholdings from your paycheck, are tax-deductible, investment growth within the HSA builds tax-free, and you can withdraw funds for qualifying health-related expenses tax-free, too.

If you use HSA funds for non-qualified expenses before age 65, you could face a 20% penalty on the withdrawals.
However, if you don’t use the account much over the years, then you can use the account like a traditional IRA once you reach age 65. That means: You’d owe tax on the withdrawals, but you wouldn’t face a penalty — and you could use the funds for any purpose (not only health-related expenses).

7. Try U.S. Treasuries

Investing $10,000 in government bills, notes, and bonds is another way to help your money grow over time. U.S. Treasury bonds are often considered one of the safest investments, as they have the full faith and credit of the U.S. government backing them. Treasuries are available in short-, medium-, and long-term maturities.

Treasury bills are short-term debt securities that mature within one year or less.Treasury notes are longer-term and mature within 10 years.Treasury bonds mature in 30 years and pay bondholders interest every six months. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, or TIPS, are notes or bonds that adjust payments to match inflation. Investors can buy tips with maturities of five, 10 and 30 years; they pay interest every six months.

Recommended: How to Buy Treasury Bills, Bonds, and Notes

8. Explore Alternative Assets

Experienced investors who have a sizable portfolio and a sophisticated understanding of various markets might want to explore the world of alternative assets.

Alternative investments — commonly known as alts — differ from conventional stock, bond, and cash categories. Alts include a variety of securities such as commodities, foreign currencies, real estate, art and collectibles, derivative contracts, and more.

Alts are considered high-risk, but they may offer the potential for portfolio diversification. It’s also important to know they typically aren’t as regulated or transparent as traditional assets.

9. Build a Business

Starting your own venture is an intriguing idea in today’s tech-driven world. Taking $10,000 to fulfill an entrepreneurial dream could lead to future profits. But as with any business, success isn’t guaranteed and there is always the possibility of loss.

That said, it doesn’t have to take much capital to start a small business online or just offer your services to the market. Maybe you’re a professional with expertise in a certain area or perhaps you’ve honed a particular craft. You could consult with the Small Business Administration or other resources that might help you develop a solid business plan and put your $10,000 investment to good use.

10. College Savings

You could also invest $10,000 to help your kids or other family members via a college savings plan. The most common of these is a 529 college savings account.

These accounts, also known as qualified tuition plans, give individuals the option to save for college (or even elementary and secondary school and some training programs) on behalf of a beneficiary, while providing tax advantages. All states offer 529 plans; some offer a tax deduction for your contributions. Withdrawals for qualified educational expenses are tax free.

Be sure to understand the rules pertaining to the 529 plan you choose, because contribution limits vary from state to state, as do the investment options within the account.

11. Consider Low-Cost ETFs and Index Funds

If you’re looking for a low-cost investment option, you might want to consider
looking into index funds. Index funds are a type of mutual fund that utilize a passive investing strategy, i.e. they track an index like the S&P 500. They are not actively managed like some mutual funds, which have a live portfolio manager at the helm.

Most exchange-traded funds (ETFs) also rely on passive strategies, and as such typically have very low expense ratios. Lower investment fees can help investors keep more of their returns over time.

One of the advantages of investing in low-cost index funds and ETFs is that there are so many flavors of different funds these days. Stocks, bonds, REITs, small caps, large caps, sector funds, and dividend companies — these are just some of the fund types available.

12. Explore Municipal Bonds

If taxes are a concern, you may want to explore municipal bonds or bond funds, as these bonds are issued by state and local governments to pay for infrastructure and other amenities. Munis, as they’re called, feature interest income that is exempt from federal income tax, and sometimes state and local tax in the state where the bond was issued.

Investors might be helping to build a city park, better roads, or a new football stadium, for example. Those who like the idea of investing in a way that aligns with their personal values might find munis appealing.

13. Use a Robo Advisor

One way to go about building an investment portfolio is through a robo advisor service, also known as an automated portfolio. These computer-based platforms use sophisticated algorithms to select investments (typically low-cost ETFs), based on the risk tolerance and other objectives you indicate through a questionnaire.

The robo advisor then builds a portfolio, and provides services such as rebalancing and, in some cases, tax-loss harvesting for you.

You can invest in a robo advisor portfolio within an IRA or other type of account, as long as it’s offered by your broker or plan sponsor.

14. Get Real Estate Exposure with REITs

A real estate investment trust, or REIT, offers a way to invest in income-producing real estate without owning the properties directly. REITs can be advantageous because they must distribute at least 90% of taxable income to shareholders as dividends.

You can invest in REITs through buying REIT shares, mutual funds, or ETFs. While the benefits of REITs include passive income and portfolio diversification, REITs can be illiquid and sensitive to interest rate changes.

15. Pick Individual Stocks

Learning how to pick stocks is a lifelong endeavor. A committed stock investor typically does research on company fundamentals and other factors — such as its leadership team, reputation, and comparison to industry averages — before buying actual company shares.

For many investors, investing in individual stocks can be more rewarding than buying shares of a mutual fund, which may contain hundreds of stocks. Investing in individual shares allows you to put your money directly into organizations or products you believe in. Depending on the company, you may be able to choose between common or preferred stock (preferred shares qualify for dividend payouts).

And while equity markets can be volatile, over the last 20 years, the average return of the stock market as represented by the S&P 500 Index has been about 7.03%, adjusted for inflation.

The Takeaway

Deciding how to invest $10,000 is an exciting proposition. You can begin by recognizing your ideal level of risk, and identifying what your short- and long-term goals are. Once you set those key parameters, it’s easier to choose among the many investment options to find one that suits your aims and your comfort level.

Ready to invest in your goals? It’s easy to get started when you open an investment account with SoFi Invest. You can invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, alternative funds, and more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).

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