Are you sitting on a heap of cash right now? If you are, that's understandable. Holding cash as opposed to ASX shares in the current interest rate environment is a whole lot more attractive than it used to be.
The safety of a savings account, term deposit or mortgage offset account becomes very appealing when interest rates above 5% are on the table. Or mortgage rates over 6%.
But I still think ASX shares are a better investment, regardless of interest rates. As our chief investment officer, Scott Phillips discussed a few months ago, ASX shares have proven to be a vastly superior asset class compared to cash. That's in terms of long-term performance over the past three decades.
So with that in mind, here are three ASX shares that I think you'd be better off putting your money in today.
3 ASX shares that I think will trash cash
Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co Ltd (ASX: SOL)
Investment house Soul Patts is first up. This is a company that functions as a vehicle for shareholders, owning and running a large portfolio of underlying assets on investors' behalf. This strategy already makes Soul Patts a highly diversified investment. But the company has a performance record to back it up too.
Just today (during the company's annual general meeting), Soul Patts confirmed that investors have enjoyed an average return of 12.5% per annum over the past 20 years (including the reinvestment of dividends). That looks pretty good against the returns of cash right now.
Speaking of dividends, Soul Patts also boasts the ASX's most impressive dividend track record. It has given shareholders an annual dividend pay rise every single year since 2000.
Enough said.
BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK)
This exchange-traded fund (ETF) is another option to consider instead of cash today. I regard cybersecurity as one of the most obvious growth sectors in the global economy for at least the next decade.
If one thinks about it, cyber-attacks only continue to grow as a threat. And it's my belief that individuals, companies and governments will be more and more willing to fork out top dollar to protect themselves. The companies that this ETF holds, such as Palo Alto, Fortinet and Zscaler, will be the direct beneficiaries of this trend.
This ETF has returned an average of 15.74% per annum since its inception in 2016.
MFF Capital Investments Ltd (ASX: MFF)
Our final candidate to consider is a listed investment company (LIC) MFF Capital. Similarly to Soul Patts, MFF invests in a portfolio of other investments on behalf of shareholders.
But this one is far more concentrated, with around 30 high-quality US shares making up most of its portfolio. These include the likes of Amazon, Mastercard, Visa, Alphabet and American Express.
If you are seeking exposure to some of the best companies in the world, I think MFF is a great choice. It's run by a highly experienced management team, and to a degree, seeks to emulate the investing practices of the legendary Warren Buffett.
