It’s a common misconception that people need thousands of dollars in capital to start investing. The amount of capital you need really depends on the type of investment you seek. For example, if you want to invest in property, you would certainly need a lot of capital. But there are plenty of other options to invest in with much lower volumes of capital.

If you don’t have a lot of money to invest, here are some exclusively low capital investment ideas to consider:

Buy U.S. Treasury Security

Treasury bonds issued by the U.S. government are considered to be one of the best forms of investment in the world. The U.S. is the largest economy in the world and, more importantly, has proven to be remarkably resilient through the years. An American treasury bond, therefore, can become a very lucrative form of investment in the long run.

Treasury securities vary in price, of course. But some are available for as low as $100. These fixed-income bonds can be bought with maturity periods that can be as short as 30 days or as long as 50 years.

The bonds pay off interest on a biannual basis. It’s a great way to earn some passive income with little overhead capital.

Buy Cheap Stocks

Super cheap penny stocks are controversial. But if you buy these the right way, you can turn tiny amounts of capital like a dollar or five bucks into potentially hundreds of dollars. Even a single dollar of pink sheet stock that earns ten dollars is a remarkable rate of return.

The key to finding the best penny stocks is to do your research. It’s important to distinguish between stock that comes from worthless and possibly fake entities and stock that belongs to a small startup with great potential. Don’t assume that all cheap stock is worthless. For example, Walmart and Sirius XM were once penny stocks.

Spend It on Wine

Wine grows in value with age. So a $200 wine bottle today could be worth ten times more in ten or twenty years. This is a great investment option to consider if you know your wines and can keep yourself from draining the bottles stored at home.

Keep in mind that those really cheap sparkling wines sold at supermarkets don’t make great wine investments. Invest in a respected wine label to earn a real return in the future. It would help if you read up on the subject if you are unfamiliar with wine labels.

Join a Crowdfunding Startup

Some startups that crowdfund its capital allow people with even small amounts of money to become early investors. This is a good option to consider as long as the startup promises returns in some form of ownership or cash payments.

Companies that offer a finished product in return for funding are not good investment opportunities (unless you really want the product). If the startup accepts your money with a contract to offer stock, return payments with interest, or any type of cash, then it is worthwhile to consider investing in.

Who says investing requires everything you have saved? When you are down on cash, use the above options to invest in both the long and short-term.

By Taylor Wilman