THE need to reap a better return for your savings is undisputable, but the means to a return matters just as much as - or even more than - the end result.

There is no shortage of investment choices competing for your savings. But understanding the choices gets more challenging by the day. A fund or investment note that looks and smells like equities is an equities fund, right? Not necessarily.

Today, structurers of investment products are increasingly dipping into a toolkit of derivatives to give you a product with a risk and return profile that you ostensibly need. But what are your needs? Do those products truly fit your needs?

These are questions anyone looking to invest must examine and re-examine now and again. Discerning your needs is far from a simple question and will involve thinking through short-term and long-term savings goals. Then, of course, comes the question of how much risk you can take. Your risk appetite will relate to your ability and willingness to endure periodic losses, and your need for liquidity.

To give you an idea, a global emerging markets fund has a three-month maximum loss of 12 per cent, as captured by Standard and Poor's Fund Services, compared to a single-country India fund's 17 per cent, and a global balanced fund's 7 per cent. The statistic is an indication of the worst loss a fund has experienced on a rolling three-month basis in the last three years.

If you need liquidity, a structured note with a long maturity is inappropriate, but an open-ended unit trust with a stable risk-return profile might be a better choice.

In this edition of our annual Investing supplement, you get a bird's eye view of a number of options, ranging from property and the financing of its purchase, to structured deposits and warrants.

Some options like property clearly sit in the longer-term bucket of your overall portfolio given its relative illiquidity and huge capital outlay, and others like warrants should arguably be on the more speculative and tactical end.

Whether the choices captured in this supplement have a place in your portfolio is something only you can decide, hopefully with some professional advice. The basic principles of investing are evergreen: Diversify, watch the costs, and make time your friend. To that there is yet one more insight. A professional adviser can go a long way to help you navigate the maze. Those with your interests at heart - and not just the trade - are well worth the fees they may charge.

» Understanding your options
» Putting money in warrants
» When ill health strikes
» Investors still taking a shine to gold
» The alternative view
» Holistic approach to investing
» Diversifying into foreign currencies
» Greater accessibility for smaller investors
» Cashing in on en bloc fever
» A closer look at structured deposits
» Retirement dreams
» The lowdown on home loans
» Opportunity for greater gains

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