Gaining money is the ultimate dream of almost every person of this planet because every one is well aware about that power of money and its miracles. On the other hand, maintaining money is a totally different thing which can be acquired by gazing into the crystal ball of future by long perspective.

By investing the savings, you primarily hope to retain the purchasing power of your savings (beat inflation) and to some extent see a real increase in the purchasing value of your accumulated capital. You are not likely to make a killing with your investment. If you invest in bank deposits or government bonds/schemes you will just about stay ahead of inflation; if you invest in bonds issued by business concerns you will get a little more; and if you invest in shares of companies you are likely to do even better in the long run but with each level of improved return you take a relatively higher risk too.

Once you have listed your objectives, you can do some broad calculations as to what you need to save. Unless you are working for an employer who guarantees a pension of at least around fifty per cent of your last drawn salary (you will have reduced responsibilities by the), you need to save towards building a pension fund. It is not the income that you earn investment that you will live off but you will be gradually eating into your capital. Please remember that your capital (when you are retired) will be invested in low risk investments that will just about retain its purchasing power. Calculations show that you need to put away around 20% of your income every month for about forty years of working life and invest this in a variety of investments including shares during the accumulation period, in order to build a fund that will give you a pension of approximately 50% of your last drawn salary.

Before starting out on what is the best-suited investment for you, you have to establish your investment objectives. These are likely to change through one's life cycle, e.g., for younger persons it may be saving towards buying a house, putting away money for one's old age or saving towards children's education or marriages etc. For a widow or retired person it would most likely to getting an income from one's investments. Certain investments such as shares of listed companies are too risky an investment for a retired person but may be highly suitable for a younger person.

It is important to remember that share prices are sensitive to market sentiment and are

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