Risk: The reason people invest their money is so that it can make more money. That's called the return on an investment. When you hear talk about investment risk, that doesn't mean that you might lose your entire savings. The "risk" is the possibility that your investment will not earn what you planned -- that the returns will fluctuate. All investments involve a degree of risk, and indeed risk is linked to potential return. This section explains how to use risk to your advantage.