Beat the recession: Invest in lawsuits

First it was guns and then guitars; but now the ultimate American investment vehicle has arrived: lawsuits.

With millions of lawsuits filed in the U.S. paying out billions of dollars a year, the thought of investing in the outcome of huge litigation is an appealing investment opportunity. The NY Times reports that one company facilitating these investments has seen returns of greater than 20% for litigation investments!

Litigation investment isn't limited to one or two small firms; many hedge funds also invest in litigation, and there are numerous specialty investment firms. You can even invest in the IPO of a company whose only asset is the outcome of a 13-year-old lawsuit.

That's right, for the low price of $1, you could invest in the outcome of a $5 billion dollar lawsuit! If mismanagement lawsuits aren't your bag, and you'd rather invest in personal injury lawsuits, that's easy to do as well. There's a company in Florida called Injury Funds Now, which solely provides financial backing or personal injury lawsuits.