The third decade of the century has begun, and investors have already noticed that things are different. Gone is the era when 99 percent of adults who wanted to turn a profit in the market did it one way, where they paid a fee to a stockbroker and bought a few shares of blue-chip stocks, hoping for a long-term profit. Today's investment strategies, and the people who put their money at risk for the sake of short- and long-term profit, are as diverse and varied as you can imagine.
This new breed of investors has said goodbye to the old way of doing things and has already embarked on multiple, creative paths to financial success. What are some new ways that everyday people are earning money in the markets? Here's a short summary of some modern ways people go about investing their hard-earned dollars:
Crypto-Scalping
One of the wildest, riskiest and most interesting of the new kinds of investing is what some call crypto-scalping. It's similar to day trading but done with Bitcoin or other crypto-currencies. The challenge is to maintain your sanity after you make a buy and hope that prices don't go against you. Unlike stocks and bonds, crypto-currency can skyrocket or nosedive in value inside an hour's time. The field is still new, but it's getting plenty of media attention.
Day Trading
Day trading has finally found a niche. After a few decades of struggle with legislation, uninformed participants, bad press and other growing pains, the new professionals in this demanding field know what they're getting into and take the time to educate themselves beforehand. Most traders work from home, use at least three monitors to watch prices, and buy large numbers of stock shares for very short periods of time. The goal is to wrench a few cents profit from each share and multiply the effect with 1,0000-share buys.
Buying and Selling Art
The art market has been around for centuries, but now it's more structured than ever and widening its reach to encompass more buyers and sellers. Several online platforms allow anyone with more than $500 at their disposal to purchase an original painting, sculpture or other piece of fine art. You can also post items that you wish to sell. Already, people have turned websites like these into active art marketplaces. Paintings and sculptures have long been a favorite of investors all over the world. The new wrinkle on this business model is the lower, more accessible price range and the higher level of liquidity for both buyers and sellers.
Micro-Financing
The Internet has made many good and bad things possible. One of the good ones is micro-financing. This activity, conducted through online platforms that act as a sort of crowd-fund resource, allows ordinary citizens to offer small loans to startup businesses that need cash. In exchange, you get either a percent of the company's profits for a stated time period or a fixed percentage of long-term ownership. In most cases, if you lend out less than $1,000, you get a cut of future profits.
