In any investment that you make, risk and return will be very directly linked. The more risk you take, the higher your potential return is going to be, and the less risk you take, the less you are likely to find that you get once the investment matures or pays out.
The best approach will be different for each person, and for most the most sensible approach will actually be to mix and match higher and lower risk investments. By doing so, an individual gets an almost guaranteed return which can go some way to covering any losses should a higher risk investment not pay off. However, should the risk pay off, their total return on investment could be extremely great, and they still get to have a certain amount of security along the way.
Whilst balancing the two will be extremely important, it may also be worth speaking to an investment broker to understand which the very best investments at any one time are. After all, whilst most investments will fall into the high risk/high return or low risk/low return categories, there may well be certain investments that break this mould and offer a medium return for a very limited risk. The very best investment advisors will be constantly monitoring the market to pinpoint such investments and as such they will have far greater knowledge of the best investments than an individual is likely to find on their own.
Of course, risk versus return will also be affected by other factors and the length of the investment and the need to access the investment will also impact on how much money you are likely to be able to generate. Again, speaking to the right financial advisors should allow you to balance all these factors far more effectively and ensure that you only take the risks you are willing to take but get the most favourable return possible as a result.