$20,000 is a lot of money, but $40,000 would be better, so let’s explore what you could invest that money in and consider possible scenarios that could double it in a month or less. This kind of money is quite a decent amount of capital, however, it is not enough to buy real estate without taking out a loan. Doubling your money at any level is quite a feat, but as you’ll see, it’s not impossible.

First, a word about risk. All investors look at the downside or risk profile of a potential investment before even thinking about investing, no matter what the promised returns. Risk is an important consideration and we would do well to define the ideal risk-free investment so that we can better imagine what to look for.

First, when you hand over your money to someone else, that’s the underlying cause and the underlying problem of risk. You have to trust and you have to wait for your money to be returned to you with the promised profitability. When you hand over your money in most situations, all you get is evidence that your money is with them. You don’t get any tangible guarantees in exchange for that money.

Consider a house on the other hand. A house, or any tangible item that has an existing liquid market, is great security and you have direct control over that asset in exchange for the money you paid. This means that you can control the value to a certain extent and this is an important point.

To double $20,000 in less than a month, you might consider a land investment. A paper rehab, unlike a regular rehab where you roll up your sleeves and paint a house, a paper rehab is one where you fill out a few forms and immediately increase the value of the land. For example, you could buy a lot that is close to an industrial area and rezone it industrial from residential. As long as there is a clear shortage of industrial land in the area, the value of that land has just increased tremendously. Or you could put out the paperwork to divide the block to subdivide. This would mean that you have 2 lots that are worth almost the same as the original. This type of value manipulation is crucial to your risk profile and ultimate level of return.