5 Hot Investments by 2017

If the future was easy to predict, we'd all be millionaires. But the more you understand the past, the clearer the future begins to look, including financial investments. There's no crystal ball or magic formula, but here are 5 investments that in roughly 10 years will have you saying "why didn't I think of that?"

1. Gold

Okay, so this one sounds obvious and much less panache or fashionable, but it's my #1 for a reason. Gold is famous for increasing its value when everything else is tanking, most people know that. What you probably don't know, is that today, people actually own more gold than exists. "That doesn't make sense!" you say. You're right, it doesn't. Many people that "own" gold merely own the promise of gold, which is why gold prices have fluctuated more in line with the rest of the markets recently.

The trick is to actually, physically, own gold. History and current events seem to be hinting at some sort of economic collapse within 8-10 years, and when that happens, promises aren't always kept. Own Gold!

2. Desalination

No, I'm not living in "SimCity2000" and yes, I realize you can't just plop a desalination plant down wherever you want. The fact is, population is growing fast, and water shortages in some places are real problems, including parts of the American southwest. Taping into the world's saltwater supply (97.3% of all water on earth) has been an unreachable dream even since Aristotle did experiments with filters in the 4th century B.C. However, there are actually 15,000 desalination plants in use today, although still too expensive for large-scale use.

So, what's the investment advice here?

"Water is blue gold; it's terribly precious," said Maude Barlow, chair of the Council of Canadians. Water indexes are up 133% in the last 10 years. Within 10 more years, some scientists predict that they will have developed a cost-efficient desalination system. Just imagine the demand.

3. Laser-Tattoo removal

This article is some kind of joke, right? Nope. Fashion fades, tattoos don't. Eventually all those 18 year olds will turn 40 and their wrinkly blueish blobs of "what-was-I-thinking" will no longer be fashionable. Laser-tattoo removal is currently the only ticket in town right now, and it's a process which takes 6-10 or more painful monthly sessions of literally frying the tattoo off at a cost of $100-$300 per session. This can end up costing anywhere from $800-$5,000.

A few things will happen within 10 years to make this a hot investment. First, laser technology is always improving and will make this process easier and cheaper. Second, becoming popular is a special tattoo ink that claims to only require *one* laser session to remove. Both of these factors will make tattoo removal easier, cheaper, and generally more attractive to consumers. People will continue tattooing themselves for years to come, but in 10 years a lot more people will want them gone. My final, out-on-a-limb prediction? Tattoo removal kits will be available for $50 at Wal-Mart by 2017.

4. Cell Phones.

Cell Phones will become popular... uh, tell me something I don't already know... No really, it's a concept called "convergence" and cell phones have been dropping hints for years now. It was about 3 years ago that I predicted privately what has today begun to happen with cell phones. Convergence.

Within 5-8 years, your life will be on your cell phone. First it was your day planner, then your alarm clock, then a calculator. Now it's your camera, email, and internet, all converging into one piece of technology. What's next? Your phone will replace your wallet, credit cards, passport, and even your car keys will become obsolete. Apple, Motorola, whoever you want to pick, just invest!

5. Real estate in Greenland.

Ok now you're just pulling my leg, right? Wrong! Between 1000-1200 A.D. Viking civilizations prospered on Greenland. Global temperatures were warmer during this period than they are now, and Vikings grew corn and other crops while raising cattle and other animals. Temperatures eventually dropped and Greenland was no longer prime real estate. Well not anymore! Now, although I do not buy the unscientific claims that humans are causing global warming, temperatures are rising none-the-less- Climate history predicts it. Along with growing world populations, a mostly uninhabited (pop: 56,000) island that's 1 ½ times as large as Alaska is bound to become *hot* property within 10 years.

Note: The Author does not have any personal financial interest in the aforementioned investments.