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The Global Insight

What type of investment gives you a risk-free rate of return?

Author

John Johnson

Updated on February 11, 2026

In practice, the risk-free rate is commonly considered to equal to the interest paid on a 3-month government Treasury billTreasury Bills (T-Bills)Treasury Bills (or T-Bills for short) are a short-term financial instrument issued by the US Treasury with maturity periods from a few days up to 52 weeks, generally the …

What is considered a risk-free investment?

A risk-free asset is one that has a certain future return—and virtually no possibility of loss. Debt obligations issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (bonds, notes, and especially Treasury bills) are considered to be risk-free because the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. government backs them.

What is the risk-free return?

Risk-free return is the theoretical return attributed to an investment that provides a guaranteed return with zero risks. The risk-free rate of return represents the interest on an investor’s money that would be expected from an absolutely risk-free investment over a specified period of time.

What is the required rate of return?

The required rate of return (RRR) is the minimum return an investor will accept for owning a company’s stock, as compensation for a given level of risk associated with holding the stock. The RRR is also used in corporate finance to analyze the profitability of potential investment projects.

Is gold a risk-free asset?

A fact that is not widely known is that the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), under Basel lll, changed the risk weighting of gold that Banks hold on their balance sheets. Other words, Banks do not need any capital to hold gold. …

Where can I invest without risk?

Here is a list of 7 low-risk investments with respectable returns:

  • High Interest Savings Accounts. With high-interest savings account, you can earn nominal amount of interest, on the deposit in your savings account.
  • Annuities.
  • Money Market Funds.
  • Municipal Bonds.
  • Treasury Bills.
  • Fixed Deposits.

    How do you find the risk-free return?

    The value of a risk-free rate is calculated by subtracting the current inflation rate from the total yield of the treasury bond matching the investment duration. For example, the Treasury Bond yields 2% for 10 years. Then, the investor would need to consider 2% as the risk-free rate of return.