This Investment Gave Me Piece Of Mind and a Steady Income

Being prepared for retirement, both financially and with piece of mind, is something that takes careful planning and commitment; particularly if you are developing the investment strategy yourself. In my case, I can confidently say that in my planning I have conducted endless hours of research and in doing so, critiqued countless opportunities. Serious investors know to expect this if they hope to be successful.

When planning for retirement, it is not just about saving money in a bank account. It is about maintaining your lifestyle and income. Over the years I have become increasingly fond of income producing assets to generate revenue and "keep the paychecks coming," so to speak. Although it is nice (and necessary) to maintain cash holdings, I prefer to see my money placed in assets that generate consistent returns and have demonstrated they are easy to liquidate. This allows me to maintain my lifestyle with a steady income and provides access to money if I need it.

Although long-term investments like stocks and bonds are intended to ensure financial stability in the future, the fact that their values are subject to change based on a number of political and corporate influences that are well beyond my control, has never been very appealing to me. I prefer to invest money where there has been consistent growth year after year. And, one thing that you can be certain will work extra-hard to record strong improvements, is the global economy. No matter where you look, countries all over the world are working really hard to improve their economic performance. In order to achieve meaningful growth, government officials and investors must continuously make investments that promote economic growth.

An international industry that does an incredible job of promoting a steady improvement in the economies of the world, is the maritime shipping sector. The fact that trade (both imports and exports) plays such an important role in increasing GDP in countries, speaks to its value as an investment. And, from financial institutions funding post-panamax vessels and port improvements to an investor investing in cargo containers, the shipping industry has presented the investment community with a number profitable opportunities to contribute to and profit from economic growth.

One such opportunity that I recently invested in, as mentioned in an earlier blog post, is container investing with Pacific Tycoon – a container leasing and management company from Hong Kong. After purchasing a number of shipping containers, they were added to the company's existing fleet and as an investor and container owner, I earn revenues each month. This alternative investment opportunity gives me piece of mind that I am investing in the strength of the global economy and I also get to enjoy the benefits of an income producing asset each month, to help supplement my retirement income. In my opinion, this strategy is much less risky than tempting fate in the stock or bonds market.