Crowd-Funding:
Crowd-funding has been taking off in recent years and this trend is likely to continue. For those unaware, crowd-funding refers to a method used by entrepreneurs to raise capital to finance their new business venture. Through sites, such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Upstart, business owner’s could pitch their idea in an effort to attract interested investors.
In essence, these sites will allow people the opportunity to invest in start-ups. Remember to do adequate research and read the fine-print before investing in any business since the “terms and conditions” of each investment varies.
Per the “Entrepreneur Access To Capital Act (H.R. 2930), entrepreneurs are allowed to crowd-source (online) up to $2 million annually in investment capital from individuals without having to register them with the SEC.
Data-Mining:
With the rapid advancement of e-commerce, data-mining has become quite a popular trend that’s expected to continue. In gist, data-mining refers to the practice of searching and filtering through large amounts of computerized data in an effort to recognize useful patterns or trends. The government, along with renowned Internet companies, such as Google and Yahoo, have already begun the data-mining process that enables them to customize advertisements based on your previous searches, preferences, and purchases. With this in mind, it’s crucial that you invest the necessary resources to keep positive online profiles that’s constantly updated, especially since everything is being tracked and anyone can find information about you online through social media, search engines, etc. If you play your cards right, investing in a positive online presence could help you open up new opportunities in 2014 and you may find yourself landing that dream job you’ve always wanted.
In parallel, I also recommend looking into investing in companies that have successfully used data-mining to turn a profit, such as the two conglomerates mentioned above.
Baby-Boomers:
With an onslaught of baby-boomers retiring, many investment opportunities exist. For instance, many baby-boomers are looking to complete their “bucket list.” Not only do these individuals want to see the marvels of the world but also give back to others through charities. Therefore, you could look into investing in assets pertaining to travel, leisure, and even healthcare since all these industries affect baby-boomers. In fact, all these sectors have been performing well in the markets recently and it’s because savvy investors recognize this trend.
Automation:
Today, many entrepreneurs are looking to streamline their business through automation. The goal is to not only reduce costs and improve on consistency but also make life easier for consumers. Prime examples include grocery stores with automated check-out systems; restaurants with iPads for ordering purposes; or even the RedBox, an automated DVD and video game rental store, that eliminated it’s brick-and-mortar rival Blockbuster mainly because of the cost-savings from automation that’s passed onto their customers.
You could look into investing in companies heavily involved with automating their business operations, or companies that help to automate other businesses. To illustrate, people could invest in Amazon because the company is testing their new automated-delivery system by using drones.
Robotics:
There is no doubt that robots will be embedded in our future from all aspects. Although robotics have been used in the industrial field for decades, companies are now finding other uses for them (e.g. mapping, disaster recovery, manual labor, military, etc.).
Just look at Google who purchased its 8th robot-maker today (Boston Dynamics). You could invest in Google, who’s aggressively investing in this trend, or you could invest in smaller companies, such as iRobot, that uses robotics to help make people’s lives easier (e.g. Roomba Vacuum Robot).
John Maynard Keynes, a renowned economist, wisely stated that “successful investing is anticipating the anticipations of others.” By being observant, you could anticipate key profitable trends and invest in those opportunities prior to everyone else joining.
Best of luck and happy investing!