VWBobby
10+ year member
PG and SS nuthugger
Most of the safe stocks will be companies that are well established and give a steady return. Examples would be utility companies (GE, PGE, etc), gas/oil stocks (although not steady now), major corporations such as Apple, Nike, etc.
Do not invest in new start-up companies, "fortune 500" or other high tech companies that could be a flash in the pan if a product fails or a customer files a lawsuit.
Ignore the idiots in this thread who act like $30K doesn't buy ****. Even in the area I live in (which is one of the most expensive in the country outside of LA or NY) $30K will buy you a LOT of security.
If you are savvy with cars, a lot of people have luck buying cars at auction, classifieds, or random finds - fix and flip. You have to be able to do most of the labor yourself however. If you have to pay for labor, you will end up losing money 90% of the time. Most of the cost of cars is labor and time, unless it has extremely rare or expensive parts. I try to sell at least 1 car every couple of years. You can generally make more money than a steady stock.
Real estate is OK in a market that is expanding. Most parts of the country are not doing so well in real estate, so I would not say its as safe or profitable as it was before 2005. Before 2005, I would say go for it, after 2005, its just starting to bounce back but nowhere near what it was. I would give it a few years before I got back into real estate. Rental properties and quick flips are where the most money is at. Storage units are also a great investment.
