Everybody has been taken aback due to the recession and made us think long and hard about our investments. The economic and investment business is still on thin ice, but there are some still chances available for those people who are still looking to make some good money this year. An investment strategy is very important to have for someone who is looking to simplify things for themselves. However, we can take in account of all the lessons we learnt during the recession period and be wise about our investment strategies this year.

In order to have long term outcomes and investments that will look good on our portfolio you can consider the following top ten investment options for this year.

The first one is inflation-based government bonds which are commonly known as I-bonds and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. Both of these together can result in increasing profits overall.

The second is paying off your debts. By paying off all your debts you will be able to save money and lower your monthly interest payments. This will give you more chances to earn more liquid capital that you can reinvest.

The third is oil which will surely increase this April or July passing the $100 mark.

The fourth is real estate which has been very popular of many as it involves great carrying costs such as utilities, house repairs, sales commission, taxes and other costs etc. Vacation spots are a huge success when it comes down to doing investment in real estate business. Some of the most popular vacation areas have lost a lot of value as a result of the recession like Florida, Arizona and of course California so there are some cheap investment opportunities around. This is the best option if you are looking to cut back, looking for a vacation home or a long lasting investment.

Fifth is emerging markets which will provide you with some great opportunities to achieve profits without any dangers.

Then the sixth one is natural gas which can be considered a great investment during the first half of this year. This is because of the long winters in the parts of the country where there is natural gas and for this reason natural gas has been very less for the last five years.

The seventh is stocks where good money can be made when focusing on individual stocks. In the next couple of years stocks will surely prove to be the ideal option to make money.

The eighth is education where you can add more qualifications to your resume by acquiring further education. This will make you more marketable and successful in your field.

The ninth is investing money into bonds or saving accounts which will help in the educational future for your children.

The tenth option is investing in solid assets such as rare coins, gold and silver coins or bars, stockpiles of food and supplies (in case of emergencies), land to ensure your own supply of food as well as other options where you can gain value in non-economical times.