Most private investors assure themselves that they are looking for only the safest bets when it comes to spreading their investments and ensuring financial security – but knowing exactly which baskets to put your eggs in right now can be an extremely difficult task.

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No one seems able to predict when interest rates might rise again, with the Bank of England rate still at record lows. As pundits and business journalists predict another recession for 2012 and the dreaded ‘W’ recessionary effect, sure bets seem even fewer and more far between than ever before.

For the older generation of private investors looking to self-manage their portfolio, risk management has become a key part of the game – trying to guess whether to stick with relatively risk-free basic savings accounts that offer little in return, or putting their money into riskier but more lucrative options that often seem to offer little more security than a roulette wheel.

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Risk management is not just something that worries corporations and high end earners, but it is something that everyone should take into account no matter how much money they are looking to invest or how diverse they may feel their portfolio to be.

Whether you’re looking to spread your investments across several different business sectors or turning some of it into cash to put into your property it is worth taking time to consider your options.

In fact, it has been argued that it may never have been worse to be a saver than right now – whether you are just beginning and looking to invest for the first time, or for those who are approaching retirement and are watching the poor interest rates eat into their funds.

Government moves to cut the pension pot and consistently mounting pressure over retirement age has risen so much so in recent months, that many union group have threatened to go on strike if things do not change. In November, more than 230,000 teachers threatened strike action, angered by plans to change the teachers’ pension scheme (TPS), which they argue will mean teachers working longer, paying more and receiving less when they retire.

The Government says with people living longer, the cost of public sector pensions is rising and reforms are desperately needed. The Government’s refusal to properly deal with the situation has only increased fears of pensions with many young people simply not taking any kind of pension plan out, relying instead on state pension and investing in their mortgages – if they can afford one at all.

Meanwhile fears over a lack of savers have reached such an extent that some banks are launching tax-free savings accounts for children, known as Junior ISAs, for what is thought to be the very first time. As campaign group Save our Savers puts it, a country without savers is a country without a future. The ISA cannot be cashed until the child turns 18 years of age and effectively replaces the Child Trust Fund, which had included a voucher from the government to kick-start the savings habit.

There is no excuse for any investor to keep up-to-date with the latest financial goings on and there are companies out there who can help handle your portfolio, if you feel out of your depth.

It’s not all about risk management for asset managers alone – everyone needs to examine their own exposure.  APT risk reporting is a complex but valuable issue to explore and even some newspapers allow you to set up and monitor your own portfolio online – if you feel brave enough!