From Forex to Comics, the Best Investments You Can Make for Less Than $500

So you want to invest, maybe throw some money into the market and take your chances, but you only want to risk $500? The door just shut at most major brokerages, but don't despair... there are many instruments you can invest in, for just a few hundred dollars. These can be risky, but so is everything on Wall Street. Just ask the guys who bought blue chip banks last year. Ouch. Of course, the obvious route for the small investor is to buy penny stocks... but penny stocks rarely ever see a profit. There are other, cheaper investments that will give you a better chance.

Here are five ideas you can do right now with just $500 or less.

Open a mini Forex Account. Forex is the foreign exchange (currency) market. You can trade on changing currency values in, for example, the Eurodollar value of exchange against the US Dollar. In a mini account, you can buy a $10,000 lot of currency for about $150 margin. This means you "control" that lot of currency, not that you take it home in your pocket. Even a small move in the right direction can make you hundreds of dollars in profit. Of course, the same move in the wrong direction could wipe out half your account. If it's only $250 lost from your $500 mini, then there's no reason to jump of the roof yet. This is a good investment vehicle for the gamblers and speculators who want to risk small amounts of cash. You can also open a forex micro account at some brokers, where you risk just $10 at a time to make a few bucks. This is a good way to test the forex markets and learn how to swim.

Buy Options on indexes or stocks. The Spiders Fund (Symbol SPY) is a basket of S&P 500 stocks. Buy a along-term option on this vehicle. These can cost as little as $100 and could triple in value over time. You can also choose a single stock, say IBM, and buy options on this. The stock itself might cost over $12,000 for 100 shares, but you can buy a few options at just $90 each. You'll make the same money as the stock would on a rise, but your time period is limited to just a few months. After x number of months, your options expire. This is a good way to invest without loads of cash. Use a discount broker, as most have commissions as low as $5.

Invest in comic books. Now that CGC (Comics Grading Company) has come about and offered a standard of grading, it is easier and more liquid to trade in these treasures. Only buy comic books with a grading level of 8.5 or higher, and try to buy the highest number you can afford. The number indicates its condition, and the higher numbers go to the books in best shape (white clean pages, good cover, etc). These are also sealed, so you've got protection built in. Keep it sealed! That's a must! Try also to stay with silver age (1960s) or golden age comics (1950s or older). These appreciated must faster than the S&P 500 or any stock fund over the past 10 years. A 9.0 CGC Spider-man #50 went from $400 to $1400 in the past 5 years. Take your $500 and buy 2 really nice gems, stick them in a safe and try to re-sell them next year or in 2012. They can be bought and sold at eBay, Bonanzle, or at your local comics shops. This is actually the safest of all investments, as comics in good condition rarely lose their value.

Invest in Wine. Bottles of really important vintages go from $50 at 1^st auction to as much as $300 a year later. Of course, storage and safekeeping can be a hassle, so only choose this option if you are willing to learn the proper methods. Buying bottles before they are available, in pre-sales, is generally the best way to get a good price. Start at the wine exchange. They have all the info you need to get started.

Gems and Gold. I don't mean the commodities contracts or the sophisticated instruments your broker offers. I mean, the real deal. Buy real gold, diamonds, rubies or sapphires. These are easy to store and transport, and they can be bought in small quantities. If you'd purchased some gold back at $544 an oz in 2008, it would be double that value now. You can take it to a dealer and cash in. There is no time limit; you can keep it for a year or a decade or longer in your safe deposit box. Learn how to buy these first. Pick your favorite one, and read up. Gold is the easiest to price, as diamonds and gems have varying quality factors.