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Investment opportunities What to do with the savings in inflation?

Status: 22.06.2021 12:28 p.m.

Even in times of rising prices and zero interest rates, many Germans have their money in savings books or call money accounts. But if you want to protect your savings from inflation, you need alternatives.

From Lothar Gries, tagesschau.de

Consumer prices in Germany rose by 2.5 percent in May – more than they have been for almost ten years. At the same time, there is practically no more interest on overnight and fixed-term deposits, the most popular form of investment among Germans. Cash is also in great demand. The value of the notes issued by the Bundesbank rose by 9.5 percent last year. A similarly high growth rate was last seen in 2014. At the end of May 2021, banknotes issued by the Bundesbank to the value of 839 billion euros were in circulation, 52 billion or 6.6 percent more than a year earlier. But if you want your money to grow, you have to consider other investments than hoarding cash or putting it on savings accounts. There is no shortage of alternative investment opportunities. The long lucrative federal bonds are no longer one of them. The yields on these securities have fallen below zero since August 2019. Investors who lend money to the German state have to pay for it – a turning point, as they still got a return of five percent at the beginning of the millennium. “Today federal bonds have no place in assets that are designed to maintain or increase in value,” explains Ulrich Kater, chief economist at Deka-Bank, which is part of the savings bank group.

No prospect of rising interest rates

Investors should also not give in to the hope that consumer prices, which have recently risen again, will lead to higher interest rates. Inflation is likely to accelerate further until the end of the year, but the European Central Bank (ECB) has repeatedly emphasized that it will adhere to the zero interest rate policy. The priority is to stimulate the economy again after the corona crisis, said ECB boss Christine Lagarde. In addition, the current rise in inflation is only temporary.

Investments that are considered to be risk-free, such as savings books and fixed-term deposit accounts, no longer offer any prospect of positive returns for the time being. In order for the saved to experience growth, stocks in particular offer themselves as a way out. Fund savings plans, for example, are a good way to get started. Investors pay regular amounts, in many cases from 25 euros upwards, into an investment fund in which various securities are bundled and which is managed by professionals. Alternatively, of course, investors also have the option of taking their money into their own hands and buying shares in individual companies on their own. In the past few years, you couldn’t go wrong when buying technology stocks.

Alternative ETF?

If you don’t dare to do this, but still want to invest in stocks, you can invest your money in a so-called Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). These funds replicate a stock market index (often with so-called derivatives). This can be the German share index (DAX) or other indices such as the US leading index Dow Jones. The performance of an ETF is closely linked to the respective index. As a result, the fees are usually lower than with other funds. Investing in the stock market is of course not without risk: If the index behind an ETF falls because the stocks in it fall, the fund also loses value.

Nevertheless, ETFs are enjoying growing popularity. According to industry experts, there are almost 7,000 of these funds. This is also due to the low interest rate phase. It ensures that more people invest their money in funds than before. Many have done well with this strategy and have achieved better returns than they would have achieved on a call money account. For example, an ETF on the DAX alone has generated a return of 55 percent in the last five years – provided that you kept your nerve at the beginning of the pandemic and did not sell when the markets collapsed by a third in spring 2020.

Gold and open real estate funds

A popular investment, especially in times of crisis, is gold. The corona pandemic has confirmed this again. By early August 2020, the price of a troy ounce (31.1 grams) had risen to an all-time high of $ 2,063, around a third more than at the beginning of the year. But then things went downhill again, to $ 1,684 in March. It is currently $ 1,775. In fact, gold is extremely volatile because the price is mainly driven by demand, because it has no “intrinsic value” like companies do. The precious metal is therefore not considered a reliable investment. There is also the often unsafe storage of bars or coins.

Those who shy away from the capital market and don’t believe in precious metals can also invest their money in real estate funds. They collect capital from investors and invest it in offices, shopping centers, residential buildings or logistics centers. The so-called open real estate funds are particularly popular with private investors. The income from such a fund, i.e. the rental income after deducting costs, is distributed to the owners as profit. With well-managed funds, an annual return of four to five percent can be achieved, a little more than the inflation rate.

Sometimes there is a risk of total loss

But the system has a catch. A minimum holding period of 24 months applies to open-ended real estate funds. An investor must also announce the return of his money to the fund company. Then he will get his system back after twelve months at the earliest. So if you have to get your money at short notice at any time, you should refrain from such investments.

The examples show that there is no shortage of alternatives to the savings book or a federal bond. But if you want to increase your money, you also have to be prepared to take risks. In some cases, for example when purchasing shares, there is even a risk of total loss, as the example of Wirecard recently showed. A look abroad – especially the USA, where far more people own shares than in Germany – shows that long-term wealth can only be built up with investments in the capital market

In the early days of learning photography, I almost asked all photography friends the same question, that is, how to take good proofs and take beautiful pictures, and the answers they gave were basically the same, that is, learning photography is playing with light, just playing with proofs. It will be beautiful naturally. In the past, what I said to them about playing with light was just a general concept. I simply thought that as long as the intensity of the light was sufficient.

Until recently I started with the Smogg RGB LED fill light Pix M160, I only learned some of the essence of photography playing with light, reasonable use of light sources can not only make the proofs clear and transparent, but also make the proofs more beautiful and beautiful! On this occasion, I would like to give everyone a look at the Smogg Pix M160 fill light.

The outer packaging design of Smogg’s Pix M160 fill light is simple and gorgeous. The overall background of the packaging is white, and the center C is still reserved for the product image, but the background of the product image is occupied by multiple colors to form an explosive form. This simple and crude visual design seems to be telling the rich color performance of this RGB fill light.

From the user’s point of view, Smaller Pix M160 comes with a large number of accessories, including two different specifications of lampshades (soft light shade, honeycomb shade), small hot shoe pan/tilt, storage bag, data cable, etc. The reason why Smogg Pix M160 fill light is equipped with two lamp shades is mainly to allow users to easily control the light to cope with different usage scenarios and environments. The addition of the hot shoe head means that this product has more Extensibility.

Smogg officially positions the Pix M160 as a pocket fill light that can be carried around, so a lightweight design is essential. The Pix M160 fill light is made of light and heat-dissipating aluminum alloy material. The weight of the whole machine is only about 230g and the weight of the current mobile phone is almost the same.

In addition, the body size of Smaller Pix M160 fill light is 1588012.4mm, which is equivalent to the size of iPhone12Pro Max. The compact and flexible body makes it easy to carry in a carry-on bag or in a pocket, making it easier to carry around.

The power switch, menu key SET, brightness adjustment key DIM, multi-function dial FN and other lighting control keys are all designed on the frame of the fill light. The advantage of this design is that it can reduce the misoperation caused by accidental touch. , But also make the fill light look simpler.

Smaller Pix M160 has a built-in 3800 mAh high-capacity battery, which can ensure the user’s battery life when used for a long time. The charging port adopts the current mainstream type-c interface, which is also designed at the border of the fill light. At the same time, Smaller also added a USB port that supports reverse charging on the side of the charging port, which means this This type of fill light can be used as a mobile power source for emergency power supply for mobile phones.

When shooting, the placement direction of the fill light will be different because of the different objects being photographed. When lighting some tall items, the fill light needs to be erected, which will increase the fill light area; while filling light for large items requires Use the fill light horizontally. The bottom and sides of the Smogg Pix M160 frame are equipped with a 1/4-20 screw hole, which means that this fill light not only supports horizontal installation, but also supports vertical installation, so that users can cope with different shooting scenes.

Smaller Pix M160 fill light has an OLED display inlaid on the back of the fuselage. The addition of this display can be described as the finishing touch of Pix M160. That is, the overall B frame of the product is improved, and at the same time, it can provide users with more eye-catching visual adjustment, so that dimming and changing light no longer depend on their own feelings.

Smaller Pix M160 fill light has 160 high-quality LED lamp beads built-in, which has the characteristics of high CRI and high lumen. Therefore, the color temperature range of this fill light is between 2500K-8500K, and the full range of cold light, white light and warm light is output. The wider color temperature range allows users to have more playability. In addition, the adjustable brightness of Smaller Pix M160 fill light is 0-100%, and the maximum light intensity can reach 1350LUX. The adjustable light intensity can make photography easier.

In terms of color, the performance of the Smogg Pix M160 fill light is also very good, relying on the HSI mode to accurately control the color changes, different hue + different saturation + different brightness (H+S+I), and finally Pix M160 can Provide users with 36,000 different colors, accurate and diverse color changes are enough for any photographer or video creator to use.

For video creators, some special light effect scenes may sometimes be needed. Smaller Pix M160 fill light has 12 built-in light effects, including police car lights, ambulance lights, fire truck lights, thunderstorm lightning, flame candlelight, Paparazzi simulation, TV screen, etc., one-click switch to quickly simulate real scenes, making movie scenes more realistic and creative.

Learning photography is playing with light, and the proofs will naturally be beautiful after playing with them. The appearance of Smaller Pix M160 fill light not only makes photography easier, but also makes the proofs beautiful. The addition of 36,000 different colors also provides photographers with more creativity and more possibilities. However, this product is not without its shortcomings. The industry pain point that the brightness is turned to the maximum body heat can still be seen on this product. I hope that Smaller will consider the body heat dissipation in future products. problem.

The lizard has the ability to run on the super ‘top’ water The Central American lizard spends most of its time in trees or shrubs watching small insects or vertebrates pass close enough to grab it. But when it is threatened, it can plunge into the water and escape. The reason is that lizards have the ability to walk on water thanks to their skillful “rowing” rear legs with the support of a long tail. This talent for walking on water like doing a circus earned it the nickname “the lizard of Jesus.” Not only that, it is also capable of running on water at speeds of more than 11km / h and diving under water for 30 minutes. Hound’s sense of smell Under the sleeping hound’s sleepy eyes was his super sharp nose. This nose is 1 million times more audible than a human nose. That is why the police used to hunt for missing people or fugitives. A hound’s nose has more than 200 million olfactory cells, so it can store the odor and follow it for days despite the presence of other odors on its way to its target. Thanks to this super-sensitive sense of smell, the hounds become famous “experts” in solving cases in the world. The eagle’s eyesight All birds of prey have sharp eyes. And this is a powerful “weapon” to find food. But eagles have special eyesight above all else. According to calculations by scientists, eagles can see target details at least 8 times better than the most pure human eye. This is due to the fact that the sunshade in each eye blocks sunlight and has a high concentration of cone cells in the vision. As a result, it positioned its prey with incredible accuracy. The eagle can see a hare several kilometers away. That is why they are symbols of sharp eyesight. 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On days without moonlight, beetles tend to change directions, take a detour to keep them safe and have less trouble. The lion dance Thanks to its incredible power and speed, the leopard leopard is one of the most terrible predators on the planet. But the lion’s leopard high jump and long jump skills are admirable. His muscular hind legs and large claws are designed for a powerful jump. The lion leopard can jump up to 15 meters (50 feet) away and jump up to 6.6 meters, which is quite a big difference compared to humans. It is the advantage of this long jump and high jump skill that makes it easy to catch up with prey even after a long distance. Navigating with the sound of the bat Bats are animals that possess many unique things and have very interesting adaptations. Many species of bats often turn upside down to sleep and live on the blood of other animals. They are also the only flying mammals. But the most impressive feature of the bat is its ability to hunt with echolocation. 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This hearing organ also makes it possible for sharks to detect the smell of prey blood, even a drop, from miles away. Swimming speed of squid and octopus Squid and octopus are the fastest invertebrates in the ocean. This is in part due to the body’s extraordinary ability to use jet boosts. When water flows into their outer cavity, it is held under pressure and the mouth closes. As the muscles of the wall contract and press, pressurize the full water back through the cartridge and allow it to run at a speed of 40 km / h. These cephalopods can also control the direction and speed of movement, allowing them to escape from a threat or to quickly advance to prey they want. The magic wings of hummingbirds Not only are the hummingbirds one of the most beautiful birds on earth, hummingbirds are also the most impressive flying birds. The joints between the upper and lower wings are located very close to the body so they are agile and have a surprisingly leveraging effect in the air. 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