In today’s complex and ever-changing economic landscape, many ordinary people feel confused when it comes to investment choices: In 2024, which is more reliable—funds, gold, or bank deposits? What risks and opportunities lie behind these options? This article takes a realistic approach to personal finance, analyzing the safest and most stable choice for ordinary people, revealing what the most profitable “no-cost” business in recent years actually is, and uncovering the tactics behind it.
The Three Major Investment Options for Ordinary People: Funds, Gold, and Deposits
When faced with various financial products, many focus primarily on returns. But fundamentally, stability and capital preservation often matter more than high returns.
- Funds: They appear to offer decent returns on the surface, but their value fluctuates wildly, and after fees such as management and custody are deducted, net returns may not be ideal. Especially during times of economic uncertainty, fund markets are volatile, and ordinary investors find it difficult to time their trades accurately, facing a high risk of losses.
- Gold: As a safe-haven asset, gold prices are significantly affected by international events and have some value preservation function. However, short-term fluctuations are intense. Ordinary people find it hard to master the right timing for buying and selling. Plus, gold produces no interest or dividends, so the return sources are limited.
- Bank Deposits: Often seen as low-yield, but guaranteed by the state, deposits carry the least risk. Especially deposits with the four major state-owned banks are nearly “zero risk.” Although their interest rates don’t beat inflation, in uncertain economic times, capital preservation is the most important.
Why “Stability and Minimizing Loss Probability” Is True Profit
In 2024, economic headwinds remain strong, with inflation, post-pandemic effects, geopolitical tensions, and other factors compounding risks. Choosing financial products should not only be about visible returns but also about the likelihood of loss.
Between “preserving capital but not beating inflation” and “potentially losing principal,” most ordinary people are better off choosing the former. In tough times, less action is more; protecting principal is the biggest win.
Beware of Expert Advice and Financial Products
The market is flooded with so-called “experts” saying: buy funds, buy insurance, buy wealth management products to beat inflation. But in reality, risk often gets magnified many times over, and when something goes wrong, ordinary investors are the ones who suffer the most.
Ask yourself this: if you lose money, will the institution compensate you? Usually, the answer is no.
Therefore, don’t blindly trust any high-return financial products. Especially while market risks remain, fixed deposits with the four major banks remain the safest option. If you are willing to take risks, you can try other products, but be prepared for possible losses.
The Most Profitable “No-Cost” Business These Years: Teaching Others to Make Money
Having talked about investing, let’s turn to a booming “no-cost” business in recent years—teaching others how to make money. This model has become one of the most lucrative during the pandemic and economic downturn.
How Does This Business Work?
- Boast loudly about how much money you’ve made.
You need to appear very “impressive,” showing off luxury cars, villas, watches, and other extravagances on social media and short videos, creating an illusion of financial freedom. - Package success stories and “students.”
Find some “students” to tell stories, occasionally inserting real or semi-real cases to boost credibility. Whether or not they actually made money is irrelevant; what matters is the illusion of success. - Mutual promotion within the business circle.
Several similar “teachers” praise and recommend each other, forming what seems like a professional and influential private board or learning group. Members gain quick recognition and “influence” by mutual hype and resource sharing. - High-frequency content output to attract traffic.
Rent mansions, hire actors, shoot tons of videos, follow hot topics and extreme opinions, spend heavily on ads, and build a traffic matrix to dominate user attention, making more people believe you have real skills. - Avoid talking about real industry data.
Only tell vague success stories and highlight glamorous appearances, avoiding concrete and verifiable numbers. The more down-to-earth the data, the easier it is to find holes that break the illusion. - Heavy promotion and paid funnels.
Once someone pays, keep pushing traffic to attract more clients, creating a virtuous cycle. Expand the user base continuously and charge further via “advanced courses” or “VIP services.”
Why Does This Model Make Money?
- People are generally anxious, with shrinking income and business difficulties, longing for a fast track to success and wealth.
- Boasting and creating anxiety are keys to making people pay. Speak a little truth, be lively and dramatic, and some will open their wallets.
- Mutual hype builds an aura of authority and reduces new users’ skepticism.
- Flooding the market with content and traffic attracts customers en masse, enabling “harvesting.”
Do Some People Actually Make Money?
A small portion do make money following this model: they know how to package, generate traffic, and monetize, turning “teaching others to make money” into a stable income. Then more people copy the model and also profit.
But this kind of profit isn’t real value creation; it depends on information asymmetry and exploiting people’s anxiety.
When facing all kinds of investment advice and projects, don’t be fooled by appearances. Stability is king; preserving capital matters more than chasing high returns. Deposits with the four major banks remain the safest harbor for ordinary people.
Meanwhile, the popular “no-cost” business of “teaching others to make money” is actually a business tactic that profits from anxiety and trust. It teaches us: don’t believe the shiny stories behind the scenes; use rationality and judgment to protect your wealth and time.