Finding a secure and relatively high-yielding investment vehicle is becoming harder and harder. Even some of the most “reputable” money managers with decades of history turned out to be nothing more than scam artists. Still, the prudent investor must have his money work for him or he risks being overtaken by the dual threats of inflation and financial instability. With these facts in mind, here are three rock-solid investments to consider when placing your hard earned money into other people's hands:

As a seasoned investor, you should be concerned about the uncertainty inherent in stocks, bonds and their derivatives. While all promise the world when it comes to returns and security, none of them are really worth more than the paper they are printed on. For that kind of security, you need a “real” asset like real estate.

While there might seem to be as many real estate financing options as there are types of properties, when you really break them down, there are really three main camps -- traditional financing, seller financing and private financing. Each of them has strengths and weaknesses, and all three of them should be a part of your toolbox as a real estate investor.

In general, for the small investor, it is somewhat problematic to find capital for a high-risk/high-return property even in a so-called “buyer's market.” In general, savvier investors will do their homework ahead of time - on the property itself, on the neighborhood and on the prevailing sentiment in the investing community.

While many real estate professionals will state unabashedly that real estate investing is as much art as it is science, the more prudent ones will always check their “gut” or “artistic” inclinations with the hard reality of the actual numbers.