Nothing ventured, nothing gained with investing

Is playing it safe the best way to invest? The folks over at Bankrate.com aren't convinced. Here's what we've compiled in order to make the most out of your investments.

Add treasury inflation-protected securities
What are TIPS? They're low-risk bonds that guarantee a return that rises with the inflation rate. You can purchase TIPS though the government, or through a broker. People can also invest with them using mutual or exchange-traded funds. Michael Kresh, a Certfied Financial Planner explains, "One big advantage of purchasing TIPS through a fund is that funds pay out income in the form of a dividend. The fund owner still owes taxes, but does not have to wait to receive the income."

TIPS are issued in five, 10 and 20-year terms. They are sold in $100 increments and can be bought for $100 as well.

You may want to add I-bonds as well
I-bonds increase as inflation rates increase. I bonds are for smaller investors, because you can't end up with a lot of savings with them. They can be purchased in $25 increments. Investors can not buy more than $5000.

Say 'yes' to stocks
Stocks are risky, and if you're looking to lower the amount of risk in your portfolio you may think stocks are not for you. However, Richard Staszack, a financial advisor and estate planner in Pittsburgh advises investors to put cash you won't need for five years into stocks. Staszack continues to explain, "If you have money that you don't plan to use for the next five to 10 years, why should you penalize yourself in an investment vehicle that pays only a half a point percent?" Although there are no guarantees, history shows stocks have consistently delivered consistent returns over a large amount of time.

Bill Losey, a Certified Financial Planner in Wilton, N.Y. and author of "Retire in a Weekend!" has a point: "Unfortunately, I'm seeing people who are panicking and taking all of their money out of the stock market. They're changing their entire investment philosophy to a 'preservation of capital' strategy."

"That's a real dumb move, and you can quote me on that."

Invest for the long run?
If you are young, you have many years until retirement. You should work at investing regularly, and consistently. If you are near retirement, you can practice using caution while investing.

Somewhere in between safety and return...
Somewhere in between safety and return is where your money is best. Here's why: Safe investments can easily protect you, however, there won't be a gain either. Accounts that are safe are vulnerable to the loss of purchasing power. Purchasing power comes with inflation. Kresh says, "There's no way to get a real rate of return without taking some sort of financial risk."So the question lies. How much risk are you willing to take?