5 Best Low-Risk Investments Right Now - NerdWallet (2024)

When the markets or geopolitical events turn volatile, safe, historically low-risk investments often get a moment in the sun. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-insured accounts and other safer investments can help cautious investors combat inflation while keeping their savings secure.

Are there safe investments with high returns?

While low risk generally does mean sacrificing high returns, safer investment options like online savings accounts and certificates of deposit are paying significantly more than they have in recent history.

Still, the below accounts and investments often make the most sense when you’re investing for the short term — meaning you may need to withdraw the money sometime soon, or you just can't stomach the stock market's wild ride.

Safe, FDIC-insured and government-backed options

The investments below all come with insurance, which make their risks practically nonexistent. Traditionally, they are considered very safe investments. But their yields are also lower than what you might get by investing in the stock market for the long term.

1. Money market accounts

What are they? These are essentially savings accounts, but they allow you to spend directly from the account (unlike a savings account), with a limited number of transactions per month.

What's safe about them? These accounts are FDIC-backed, which guarantees deposits up to $250,000 per institution, per investor.

Where can I get one? Most banks offer money market accounts, but the national average APY per the FDIC is currently just 0.66%. (This rate is variable and may change). However, many online banks offer substantially higher rates.

2. Online high-yield savings accounts

What are they? These are fundamentally similar to typical savings accounts, but by operating strictly online, these banks don’t have to spend money on brick-and-mortar operations. In turn, they pass these savings on to you in the form of higher APYs.

What's safe about them? Though they don’t come from a traditional brick-and-mortar bank, these accounts are still FDIC-insured.

Where can I get one? Everything is done online, from choosing a bank, to enrolling, to transferring money into it.

3. Cash management accounts

What are they? The nature of these accounts varies slightly between providers today, but most of these products behave similarly to an online savings account. These have become more popular among online brokerages and robo-advisors lately, largely because they make it easy for their customers to move money seamlessly to and from an investing account.

What's safe about them? Cash management accounts are offered by non-bank financial institutions, yet through partnerships with banks, they’re still backed by the FDIC.

4. Certificates of deposit (CDs)

What are they? Banks offer CDs because it gives them a set amount of cash upfront for a set period of time, which they can use to lend to other customers or invest. To incentivize you to start a CD, they often offer higher rates than savings accounts. The downside? If you need to access the cash in your CD, you can be hit with an early withdrawal penalty, which often consists of a few months’ interest.

What's safe about them? With these you put your money into an FDIC-insured account for a specified period, during which you’ll receive a guaranteed interest rate.

Where can I get one? Most banks offer CDs; however, yields tend to be much higher through online banks, for the same reasons noted above.

5. Treasury notes, bills and bonds

What are they? When you purchase Treasurys, you’re essentially giving a loan to the government, and it’s paying you interest on that loan at regular intervals. If you hold it for the full period, you’ll also get back the bond’s face value.

The biggest difference between bills, notes and bonds is how long the government holds your money, and your interest rate.

Current returns: Treasury yields are at recent highs. See the latest rates on Treasury.gov.

What's safe about them? Treasury securities (bills, notes and bonds) are backed by the “full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.” When purchasing them from the Treasury, you’ll get any regular interest payments promised to you so long as you own the bond, plus the face value of the bond if you hold it until maturity.

Alternatively, you can also sell your bond if you wish, though you’ll lose out on the interest payments you would have had until it matured.

Where can I get one? From TreasuryDirect.gov, or through an online broker.

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