The 10 best investments in 2025 – how to invest your money wisely
Inflation is a constant companion in Germany: in the long term, it can devalue your money and means that you can buy fewer and fewer products and services for the same amount.
Perhaps you are wondering how you can invest your money to effectively counteract this devaluation? Let’s take a look at the 10 best investments, sorted by realistic return.
In brief:
- An investment should fit your individual strategy and risk profile.
- A security deposit could consist of government bonds or a call money account.
- If you are looking to maximize returns and build wealth over the long term, ETFs and P2P loans could be of interest to you.
The 10 best value investments: Why should you invest at all?
With the right investments, you can prevent inflation from eating away at your hard-earned money. Let’s say you put €100 in a drawer and forget that you’ve stored money there. When you find the banknote again after 10 years, it’s still €100, but you have much less purchasing power.
All products have become significantly more expensive in the meantime! Inflation has greatly devalued your €100.
After 10 years, the purchasing power of your €100 will have changed as follows:
- With inflation of ‘only’ 2% per year, the purchasing power will be only €81.71.
- With inflation of 3% per year, it will be only €73.67.
To counteract currency devaluation, it is worth knowing and using the 10 best investments. With them, you can increase your money instead of losing it over time!
Depending on the investment, you can expect different returns.
- With an investment of €10,000 and 3% interest per annum, you will have gained more than €3,439 after 10 years.
- At 7% per annum, you will have a profit of more than €8,384 at the end of the term.
And the best thing is: the longer you leave the money in, the faster your assets will grow. At 7% per annum, your €10,000 will be worth an incredible €76,123 after 30 years!
Simply because you chose the right investment and waited patiently. To help you choose the right investment for you, here is a list of the 10 best investments.
1. P2P lending: Up to 17% return, but also increased risk
More and more investors are looking for alternatives to traditional investments. No wonder, when the base rate is below the inflation rate! With P2P loans, you lend money via specialised online platforms to private borrowers or companies that cannot or do not want to take out a traditional bank loan.
The most important information about this investment is:
- Return potential: 6 to 17% per annum, depending on the platform, risk diversification and the type of loan selected.
- Flexibility: You decide how much you want to invest and for how long.
- Automation: Auto-invest functions allow you to manage your portfolio automatically according to your specifications.
- Access: You can start with small amounts from as little as €1.
- Risks: Default risk of borrowers and risk of insolvency of the platform. Your money is rarely protected by law. Therefore, never put all your eggs in one basket and examine investments critically!
P2P platforms are one of the 10 best investments because they pay significantly higher interest rates than all comparable offers. regular bank loans, which is why your potential returns, but also the risk of loss, are higher. We have selected the 3 best platforms for you, in which we ourselves invest.
Bondora: Automated 6% return per annum
Bondora is one of the oldest and best-known P2P lending platforms in Europe. The company has been brokering loans to private borrowers since 2008. As an investor, you can earn a fixed interest rate of 6% per annum.
Your deposited money earns interest daily and is credited to your ‘Go & Grow’ account. This results in a very strong compound interest effect, which allows you to quickly build up a passive income!
Advantages of Bondora:
- Easy access, also suitable for beginners
- You can withdraw your money at any time
- Automated investments without your active involvement
- Fair return opportunities of 6% per annum
- Many years of experience since 2008
Disadvantages of Bondora:
- No capital protection or buy-back guarantee
- No manual loan selection possible
Mintos: Various P2P offers with interest rates of up to 11.5%
Mintos offers an impressive range of loans, real estate, interest-bearing products and more. Thanks to its ease of use and well-designed tools, it is undoubtedly one of the 10 best investments!
The platform allows you to invest in many different types of loans, such as personal loans, business loans and property financing. My historical return here is 13.7% per annum. New investors can expect an interest rate of 11.5%.
Advantages of Mintos:
- Wide range of loans and countries
- Transparent lender ratings
- Automated investment tools
- Secondary market for flexibility
Disadvantages of Mintos:
- Exchange rate fluctuations for foreign currencies
- Secondary market fees
- Problems in the past
Ventus Energy: Earn a sustainable 17% with the energy transition
Ventus Energy specialises in investments in renewable energies, particularly biomass power plants, wind and solar projects. The provider advertises returns of up to 17% and already operates 12 successful projects.
Advantages of Ventus Energy:
- Very high interest rates of 17%
- Investment in renewable energies
- Environmentally friendly and sustainable investments
- Transparent project reports
Disadvantages of Ventus Energy:
- Long-term commitment of capital
- Minimum investment amount of €1,000
- Serious risk
- Limited liquidity, early sale difficult
2. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
An ETF or exchange-traded fund is a fund traded on the stock exchange that tracks a list of assets. These can be shares, cryptocurrencies or commodities, for example.
Exchange-traded funds are among the 10 best investments because they are so incredibly flexible: there are thousands of ETFs, each containing different products! When you invest money in such a fund, you are simultaneously investing in all the assets it contains.
This allows for both broad diversification and specialised investments:
- For example, you could invest in the German stock index DAX with an ETF. This would give you shares in the 40 largest stock companies in Germany.
- With a hydrogen ETF, you could bet on companies involved in this potential energy source of the future.
- A fund based on the MSCI World, on the other hand, tracks the economies of 23 industrialised countries. It is an extremely broad-based investment!
- Clean energy ETFs focus on renewable energies.
- A cannabis ETF benefits from ongoing legalisation.
- You can even invest in the precious metal via a gold ETF!
You can find even more inspiration in my article on the 10 best ETFs.
Unlike expensive, actively managed funds, ETF returns are generated through automated replication. This ensures very low fees and makes ETFs one of the 10 best investments!
Advantages of ETFs:
- Transparent products
- Favourable fee structure
- Easy diversification and risk spreading to increase security
- Flexible and liquid, tradable on the stock exchange
- Easy to understand
Disadvantages of ETFs:
- Normal stock market fluctuations, which can also lead to losses
- No guarantee of profits
- Capital may be tied up for a long period of time, especially in the event of unfavourable price developments
3. Property investment with Fintown and Devon
Real estate is definitely one of the top 10 investments! However, you need a lot of capital to purchase property. You also have to take care of renting and managing it, which can be time-consuming and stressful.
Fortunately, nowadays you don’t have to buy an entire property or take care of maintenance and renting yourself.
There are digital alternatives such as Fintown and Devon, where investors benefit from regular interest payments.
- Fintown: Specialises in rental properties in Europe, with experienced operators and a high equity share in the projects. Investors invest in established rental projects, receive daily interest and have flexible exit options. The platform is still relatively new, but impresses with its transparency and stable cash flow.
- Devon: A Latvian platform that offers high-quality projects with high returns (up to 16%) through established property developers. It impresses with daily interest payments, high transparency and loans secured by land registry entries.
The following overview shows the most important strengths and risks of both platforms for real estate investments at a glance:
| Piattaforma | Vantaggi | Svantaggi |
| Fintown | Daily interest payments and flexible exit options Strong equity share of the operators (20-30%) Proven rental property projects with stable cash flow No fees for investors Transparent quarterly reports | Platform only active since 2023, no long-term history yet Subordinated loans without full capital protection No financial regulatory oversight No auto-invest |
| Devon | High returns of up to 16% per annum Daily distributions with compound interest effectLoans secured by land registry Projects from experienced construction companies Transparent construction progress and project reports | Subordinated loans without full capital protection Dependence on project developers Young platform, market still developing Dependent on political and economic risks in Latvia |
4. Shares for greater price growth
Perhaps you have already asked yourself how you can earn money with shares. A share is a security that enables investors to become co-owners of a company and profit from its performance. When you purchase a share, you acquire various rights as an investor.
- Depending on the share, you may have a say in important company decisions.
- If the company pays a dividend, you are entitled to receive your share of the profits.
- You have the right to purchase new shares at a discount.
- If the company is dissolved and its assets distributed, you are entitled to a proportionate share.
Advantages of shares
- Attractive return opportunities through dividends and price increases.
- Co-determination and influence on company decisions.
- Shares can be traded on stock exchanges at any time.
Disadvantages of shares
- High market volatility and price losses are possible.
- Individual shares require specialist knowledge and good analysis to minimise risk.
- Dividends are not guaranteed and may vary.
Good to know:
You should only invest money that you will not need in the next few years, as shares are subject to fluctuations. If you are sure that you can do without the money for the time being, you avoid the risk of having to sell at unfavourable prices.
5. Fixed-term deposits for greater stability
With a fixed-term deposit account, you can invest your money for a specific, pre-agreed period and at a fixed interest rate. Thanks to the fixed agreement, your money is not affected by interest rate fluctuations.
You can decide for yourself how long the terms are. If you want to have quick access to your money again, you can opt for a short term. Fixed-term deposits tend to offer modest interest rates, but they are very secure and therefore deserve a place in the list of the 10 best investments.
Advantages of fixed-term deposits:
- Deposits are protected by statutory deposit insurance up to £100,000 per customer.
- Fixed-term deposits usually offer higher interest rates than instant access accounts or savings accounts.
- The interest rate remains stable even when interest rates fall.
- Fixed terms and fixed interest rates make saving easier.
Disadvantages of fixed-term deposits:
- Your money is tied up for the agreed term and you cannot access it early.
- The real return is very likely to be eroded by inflation.
- You do not benefit from rising market interest rates.
- Overall, interest rates are low.
6. Bonds for diversification of the equity portfolio
Bonds are issued by governments, banks, companies or institutions to raise money. As an investor, you can lend them your money and benefit from interest payments and potential price increases.
Government bonds from certain countries, such as Germany, have a high credit rating and are considered very safe. They can serve as a security component in your portfolio, but it is hardly possible to generate high returns.
Other countries with poorer credit ratings offer a higher chance of returns. However, you will have to compromise on security.
Many private investors choose the neobroker Trade Republic to invest in bonds. You also have this option with Mintos. Here, you can choose between secured and unsecured bonds.
- Unsecured bonds have no collateral. The repayment of these bonds therefore depends solely on the issuer’s solvency and creditworthiness. In the event of default, nothing can be realised, which means a higher risk.
- Secured bonds are backed by the issuer’s assets. These can be real estate, for example. These assets serve as collateral and investors can ‘realise’ them in the event of default to reduce their losses. This makes secured bonds less risky.
Depending on the risk, a return of 10 to 12% per annum on bonds on Mintos is realistic.
Advantages of bonds
- You receive regular interest payments (coupons) at a predetermined interest rate.
- Bonds are generally less volatile than shares.
- In the event of insolvency, bond creditors are given priority.
- Bonds offset fluctuations in the overall portfolio and increase stability.
- Many bonds can be traded on a daily basis, so you can sell your investment before maturity.
- Different maturities and credit ratings allow you to tailor your investment to your individual needs.
Disadvantages of bonds
- If market interest rates rise, the price of bonds already on the market falls. And that can lead to losses.
- There is a risk that the issuer (government or company) will become insolvent and fail to make interest payments or repay the principal.
- If inflation rises, the real interest rate on your bonds decreases.
7. Investment funds
Investment funds invest your money as profitably as possible in different asset classes. Examples include bond funds, equity funds and real estate funds. The ETFs mentioned above are a separate sub-type.
A fundamental advantage is the distribution of your assets across different securities. Funds can be bought and sold during normal stock market opening hours, which ensures liquidity. Nevertheless, a long-term investment horizon is advisable in order to reduce potential risks.
The risks associated with investment funds vary greatly depending on the underlying asset. Bond funds, for example, are comparatively low-risk. They invest in fixed-income securities. When selecting investment funds, consider your individual risk tolerance.
Advantages of investment funds:
- Broad risk diversification through investment in many different securities and assets.
- Professional management by experienced fund managers
- Easy to use for you as an investor, no active management necessary
- Invest with small savings rates
Disadvantages of investment funds:
- Not always flexibly tradable, for example in the case of closed-end property funds
- High management fees in some cases
- Active management is more expensive, which reduces returns
8. Commodity securities
As an investor, you can invest in various commodities as a store of value, such as oil, gas or agricultural commodities such as wheat or coffee. However, you do not have to physically purchase these and have them delivered to your home. You can also do this conveniently in the form of securities.
Currently, increased demand and a shortage of commodities are leading to higher prices in some cases, which makes commodities attractive to investors. There are various ways to profit from the commodity market:
- Certificates
- Shares
- Commodity ETCs
- Commodity ETFs
Advantages of commodity securities:
- Commodities fluctuate independently of shares and bonds, which can stabilise your portfolio
- When inflation rises, commodity prices usually rise too, which acts as a store of value
Disadvantages of commodity securities:
- The sometimes high volatility can lead to temporary book losses
- Depending on the security, you have an increased issuer risk
- Because most commodities are traded in US dollars, exchange rate risks may arise
Good to know:
Depending on the type of investment, investing in commodities can be very risky. If you are interested in a commodity ETF, take a close look at its exact composition and make sure it is sufficiently diversified across different commodities.
9. Precious metals
Strictly speaking, precious metals are also commodities. But because the price of gold recently (in October 2025) reached its all-time high of €3,763 per troy ounce, it is worth taking a closer look here.
Investing in gold has long been considered an interesting investment and a way to build security. Other precious metals are also available, such as silver, palladium and platinum. Precious metals have numerous industrial applications and are in limited supply.
Investing in precious metals is straightforward with the help of ETFs. Gold ETFs and similar products are particularly suitable for beginners. This type of investment eliminates the problems associated with storage. In addition, you can invest in other commodities, thereby reducing the risk of the investment.
Advantages of precious metals
- Precious metals are considered a safe haven and a crisis-proof hedge against inflation
- Their natural scarcity stabilises and increases the price of gold
- Precious metals correlate negatively with the stock market. When stocks fall, precious metals rise, and vice versa.
- Commodity ETFs are the ideal way to get started
Disadvantages of precious metals
- Price losses when buying and selling physically
- No ongoing income such as interest or dividends
- Storage costs for physical storage
- Risk of theft with physical storage
10. Cryptocurrencies
Since 2008, digital currencies have developed and attracted the interest of numerous investors. Bitcoin is particularly popular as an investment. Numerous smaller currencies followed, such as Ethereum and Ripple. Digital currencies now function as means of payment for various providers.
The innovation behind cryptocurrencies is the blockchain. This is open-source software that contains expandable lists of tamper-proof data records. This system is popular because of the anonymity it offers.
Advantages of cryptocurrencies:
- Little control by states and banks due to decentralisation
- Potential for high returns in a short period of time
- New technologies such as blockchain deliver tamper-proof innovations in the financial sector
Disadvantages of cryptocurrencies:
- It is impossible to predict how certain currencies will develop in the long term. Price fluctuations can be very volatile.
- Small projects are particularly risky
- Not all crypto exchanges are regulated, and there is no deposit protection
Bonus tip as an investment: antiques & art
In some cases, a passion for collecting antiques and art can develop into a financial investment. Especially if you enjoy searching and trading.
Examples include paintings or furniture by well-known designers or pieces of a certain age. Antiques can be purchased at flea markets, auctions or in specialised shops, which can be a real thrill from time to time.
In this area in particular, it is necessary to have a certain interest and existing knowledge of antiques. If you are not familiar with this field, you can seek advice from independent experts. Beginners have little chance of realistically assessing the value of an item or recognising worthless reproductions.
Advantages of antiques and art:
- High-quality items can be considered a stable investment with tangible value.
- Further diversification, independent of traditional securities
- Passionate collectors enjoy collecting and trading
Disadvantages of antiques and art:
- The actual value is difficult to determine
- It can take a long time to find suitable buying and selling opportunities
- Storage and insurance costs can reduce returns
Conclusion: Mixed portfolio comprising the 10 best investments
There are many examples of value investments, but it is not always easy to find the best investment. In my list, I have presented the 10 best value investments. My personal favourites are a balanced combination of:
- P2P loans
- ETFs
- Selected shares
- Precious metals
- Cryptocurrencies
There is no general answer to the question of which is the best value investment. All investments have different opportunities and risks. In any case, an asset should suit you, your individual strategy and your risk profile. In addition, your portfolio should consist of a security component and a return component.
You can find out more details by taking a look at my personal portfolio.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions about “the 10 best investments”
