I'm considering to put some of my money in higher risk vehicles (looking at 5-7% p.a.). what are the key metrics and articles i should look out for?

Hariz already talked about the asset allocation portion, so I'll talk about the Time part - you need to determine your time horizon.

If I wanted double digits annualized, which I could do pretty easily, frankly speaking - I'd still need a crapload of time (historically about 15 years with a leeway of 5-8 years).

5-7% is pie. It would depend on your objectives.

In summary, if I could share two 'metrics'

1) Goal - Consider your objective for wanting higher returns and stick with it.

2) Time - If your time horizon is shorter than 10 years, it could be a bit riskier to get that pot of gold at the end of the tunnel. You may want to talk to a consultant about the asset allocation so you have a higher probability of it not going to crap.

You could always drop me a message if you have any questions.

https://www.facebook.com/luke.ho.54

You have to choose if you're looking for growth or income.

If growth, US Equities can easily do 6-8% p.a in the long run. You can invest in an index fund or an ETF for this.

If income, most REITs or high yield bonds could also give similar returns. For HY bonds, using a dividend paying Unit Trust instrument would be ideal.