Making money: five alternative investments for 2022

1. Lego beats gold

Researchers at Russia’s Higher School of Economics made a startling discovery last month, said Mark Sweney in The Guardian. “Investing in Lego is more lucrative than gold, art and wine.” The study looked at the second-hand prices of 2,322 “unopened” sets from 1987 to 2015, and concluded that the market has risen 11% annually – a better long-term return than almost every other asset, including stocks and bonds.

The best-performing sets include the Millennium Falcon, other Star Wars models, and the Taj Mahal. But the key message, if you want to build a nest egg, is that “not all sets are equally successful”, said Professor Victoria Dobrynskaya in The Times. Top performers have gained 600%, while others have proved lossmakers. Prices tend to rise two or three years after a set disappears from the shelves and very small and very big sets usually do best. Above all, it’s important “to be a fan” and “know the market”. And probably a good idea to keep them well away from compulsive builders…

2. Pet company shares

Rather than buying a puppy or a kitten for your children, why not buy some “shares in a pet company instead”, said David Brenchley in The Sunday Times. You’re unlikely to get “smiles and thank-yous” in the short-term, but you’ll give them “entry into an increasingly successful corner of the stock market”. The obvious question is whether the pandemic pet craze, which has fuelled big rises in animal-care shares (ranging from retailer Pets at Home to vet specialist Dechra) has legs.