If you have worked hard to save up some extra cash, you'd probably like a safe place to store it. For some people the inside of a mattress seems like the perfect spot. But hiding your money doesn't necessarily make it safe. It could get lost, stolen or damaged. An investment is anything you spend money on with the intention of making more money.
Investments can be almost anything, from land, to precious metals, to stocks and savings bonds.
To help decide what investment is best for you, you should determine your investment objectives. Money works for you by making more money. When you invest your money in a company or in a bank account someone is paying you to use that money. That payment is the return on the investment or the interest rate on the account. When you put money in a bank account you know what they will pay you, when you invest in the stock market, you get paid depending on how well the company uses your money to make itself better.