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24-7 Finance's Investment centre is constantly being updated to bring you the latest deals from the leading companies. Our aim is to help take the hassle out of finding the best investments, and to help you "make the most of your money".

Investing is different from saving. Saving usually means putting money in a savings account where the money you put in – your capital - is relatively safe and you receive a set rate of interest (although this can go up and down). There is however always a risk that the rate of return will be less than the rate of inflation, so that over time the purchasing power of your savings reduces in real terms.

Investing means buying assets like shares, property or bonds, in the hope that they will have increased in value, by more than the rate of inflation, by the time they are sold. The risks attached to such investments, however, include the possible loss of your original capital.

If you're looking to make the most of your money, it's worth taking a closer look at what the stock market could offer. Over short periods, this type of investment can often be unpredictable. The day-to-day changes in the value of stock market based investments become less of a problem if you're prepared to invest for five to ten years when you could benefit from general upwards trends. That said, there are no guarantees as to what future returns might be as this depends on market conditions. The value of your investment may fall as well as rise and you could get back less than you originally invested.

Need investment ideas, or discuss whether the FTSE will fall or rise? Simply visit the 24-7finance Savings and Investments Forum