Equities, bonds, cash & property

There are four main types of asset that you can invest in.

Equities (or shares) - where investors own a share of a company
Bonds - which are company or government IOUs
Cash - such as deposit accounts with banks
Property - such as residential and commercial buildings or property-related shares

These "asset classes" perform very differently. While our Market Chronicle shows that equities tend to perform better than cash, bonds and property over the long term, each can be appropriate at a different stage in your life.

Fidelity and FundsNetwork offer investors access to all four asset classes through managed funds. A benefit of investing in a fund is that your money doesn't just rely on the performance of a single company but is spread across a range of companies.

Alternatively, if you'd like to invest in specific companies in each asset class, you could use our share dealing service - ShareNetwork.

Bear in mind that few people choose just one type of investment. Most people invest in a variety of holdings, which make up their "portfolio". If you'd prefer to leave portfolio management to the experts, then take a look at Fidelity's solutions.