You must choose your financial investments according to your plans. - IStock / City Presse

To finance your vacation, leisure and long-term projects, there is no secret: you have to save. But if you always say that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket, you still need to know where to invest them.

A safe woolen sock

An investment strategy is organized in stages. First, you have to balance your budget to determine what your monthly savings capacity is. With that done, your priority should be to put aside money to deal with the hard knocks. This is called precautionary savings.

This sum must be immediately available and secure. Rather than hiding it under your pillow or in a safe, the best idea is to place this money on risk-free products such as passbook A and other bank books. On the amount side, the professionals consider that it is necessary to have the equivalent of three months of income aside, that is to say approximately 3.000 euros for a person with the Smic. Useless however to let sleep more than 15,000 euros on this type of placement, which brings almost nothing.

Define your project

Do you have more money to invest? Before subscribing to any attractive offer, you need to know what the money will be used for. The goal is to buy a house? To finance your children's education? To insure your back for your old days? To pass on an inheritance to your heirs? Using your savings is essential to defining the most suitable investment.

This is all the more important since each financial product requires respecting a short, medium or long term investment period. You must therefore assess for how long you will not need to touch this amount.
Finally, not everyone has the same risk tolerance. And there is no point in investing in stocks, if you have to tremble at every swing of the stock market. As for adventurers ready to buy products with unsecured capital to achieve better returns, they should never bet more than they can afford to lose.

Possible tracks

If each case must therefore be examined in detail with a knowledgeable professional, it is possible to identify certain savings strategies according to your objectives. This is what the National Institute of Consumption offers through sheets produced in partnership with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers.

To make a personal contribution for a real estate purchase, there are for example two dedicated banking products: the housing savings account (CEL) or the housing savings plan (PEL). Flat: their rate of remuneration is very low (respectively 0.25% and 1%) and the borrowing conditions less attractive since the fall in market rates. A regulated savings account, life insurance or employee savings can then be judicious alternatives, as long as the product is not blocked for too long.

As far as your children are concerned, security must be total. Pocket money will go easily to a young booklet. In the event of a donation, life insurance or a securities account may be good solutions, while a provident product such as death insurance will ensure their future in the event of a hardship. Finally, life insurance is essential as the product of excellence to transmit money to your loved ones when you die.

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Step by step

Because investing your savings has serious consequences, you have to be careful. First you have to get the opinion of the pros. Make a topo with your banker and your insurance company. If necessary, you can also consult a financial investment advisor, making sure to choose a company that is well established. Then, it is necessary to study investments with a magnifying glass: capital guaranteed or not, duration of investment, availability, penalties in the event of early withdrawal, fees applied to each payment and annual management fees… Finally, it is good to take a step back: never sign the first time. Compare the offers and, in case of doubt, contact the official Épargne Info Service platform on 01 53 45 62 00 or go to Abe-infoservice.fr.

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