Most investments contain some element of risk. The relative amount of risk will also vary between individuals. For example, a millionaire will almost certainly view certain investments differently to a pensioner on a fixed income.

See table which provides a guide to the relative risk associated with some of the most popular types of investment:

Product	Risk
Bank/Building Society accounts	Very low
‘Guaranteed’ products	Low
Fixed interest investments eg Government or Corporate bonds
Cautious managed funds
Balanced managed funds	Medium
Property
Adventurous managed funds	High
Single country funds eg Japan
Individual shares in smaller companies	Very high