I am a heavy reader too please recommend me books that can bring me up to speed. How much money should I start with i.e. $1,000 - $3,000? I'm 25 so everyone says invest in high risk... Is that the right way to start out? I don't want to pay a broker commision either. I have heard a lot about scottrade and other websites, which one is the best? I'm a very knowledable person that saves money, I want to start making a higher yield than cd's.
213483
I suggest you to start with as much money as you can to retire early.\n\nOpen a brokerage and margin account at Ameritrade.com today.\n\nIf you want to get a higher yield than CDs you need to invest in ETFs, Mutual Funds and Stocks.\n\nDrop me a line if you need more detailed information.
362873
Congratulations on getting started. It’ll help you more than you know!\n\nHow to invest depends on what you already know. We'll assume that you're beginning.\n\nA good primer is How to Make Money in Stocks by William O'Neil. You can get it cheap just about anywhere. It’s widely available new or used.\n\nAnother good one is one of Jim Cramer's books. \n\nBut books will only get you so far. At some point, you'll also want to get at least a little training. There are some great education companies if you want to make the investment. Investools.com or optionetics.com are both very good companies as is tmitchell.com\n\nFor free, you can start by visiting thestreet.com. That'll get you a pretty good primer so at least you'll understand what the markets are and what a stock is, etc. If you get a chance, watch Mad Money on CNBC. Don't trade any of his picks. Just use the show to get you to understand some basics and get a feel for the market itself.\n\nNext, subscribe to something like investorsbusiness daily or something like that that can help you identify good stocks.\n\nDo a quick search (at the top of the page) on ROTH IRAs. You’ll want to put some money in there.\n\nOnce you understand stocks, go to 888options.com. It's a website that'll help you understand options (what they do, how they work, etc). You don't need to trade them, but the more you know, the more you'll see how options can really be the safest way to invest (once you're educated).\n\nAs you get more advanced, you might want a technical analysis book like Murphy's Visual Investor or A Technical Analysis Course by Meyer.\n\nIf it's discipline (which is crucial to successful trading), probably Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas or Mastering the Trade by John Carter\n\nI know that’s a LOT to absorb. Just take it one step at a time for now. Start slow, then as you figure things out, move out of mutual funds into ETFs and/or stocks.\n\nCongrats again on getting started. If you have any questions, please let me know. \n\nHope this helps!
155826
He told you that most people don't have the time or brains?  OMG, that would make me wonder right there.  Load funds give your broker a commission up front plus the 12bII's.  No load come in many different forms, check the fine print for the fees.  If you are new and want to learn more about stocks, then may I suggest looking into ETFs?  They are like mutual funds except the fees are lower and they are more transparent and trade all day long, and after hours.  You can find out a lot about stocks, investing on the Internet.  I like to use msn's money site, it taught me a lot.  Good luck and always ask for a prospective before you buy a mutual fund from anyone.\n\nOh, and since this is a Yahoo site, I thought that I would mention that Yahoo has a finance site.  I bounce back and forth between the two because they both have features that the other one doesn't.  Like I can keep track of my investments on Yahoo messenger with Yahoo.
497028
Congratulations on getting started.  It’ll help you more than you know!\n\nHow to invest depends on what you already know. We'll assume that you're beginning.\n\nA good primer is How to Make Money in Stocks by William O'Neil.  You can get it cheap just about anywhere.  It’s widely available new or used.\n\nAnother good one is one of Jim Cramer's books.  \n\nBut books will only get you so far. At some point, you'll also want to get at least a little training.  There are some great education companies if you want to make the investment.  Investools.com or optionetics.com are both very good companies as is tmitchell.com\n\nFor free, you can start by visiting thestreet.com.  That'll get you a pretty good primer so at least you'll understand what the markets are and what a stock is, etc. If you get a chance, watch Mad Money on CNBC. Don't trade any of his picks. Just use the show to get you to understand some basics and get a feel for the market itself.\n\nNext, subscribe to something like investorsbusiness daily or something like that that can help you identify good stocks.\n\nDo a quick search (at the top of the page) on ROTH IRAs.  You’ll want to put some money in there.\n\nOnce you understand stocks, go to 888options.com. It's a website that'll help you understand options (what they do, how they work, etc). You don't need to trade them, but the more you know, the more you'll see how options can really be the safest way to invest (once you're educated).\n\nAs you get more advanced, you might want a technical analysis book like Murphy's Visual Investor or A Technical Analysis Course by Meyer.\n\nIf it's discipline (which is crucial to successful trading), probably Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas or Mastering the Trade by John Carter\n\nI know that’s a LOT to absorb.  Just take it one step at a time for now.  Start slow, then as you figure things out, move out of mutual funds into ETFs and/or stocks.\n\nCongrats again on getting started.  If you have any questions, please let me know. \n\nHope this helps!
479405
I started my investing with Edward Jones. They are lucrative and they have strict requirements before even considering someone for employment.  I have long since moved onto my own (and have done very well at it too) for first timers go ahead and pay the fees to invest in the long run its worth it.
91309
well you should start investing small amounts of money.. probably at most US$5000, and trade through online brokers such as Trade King, Ameritrade, Scottstrade, etc. Organize your portfolio in such a way that at least 50% of your stocks are in stable, blue-chip companies. Invest about 35% in mid-risk stocks and check these more frequently. Lastly, invest around 15% in high-risk stocks (usually penny stocks work very well, especially in the biomedical or biotechnological areas) and be sure to check these VERY frequently. Remember, high risk means high potential gain, but it also means high potential loss.
254438
The first thing to do is go to the library and check out a couple of books on investing.  One of those books should be on technical analysis. The other on investing in stock and fundamental analysis. \n\nThe next thing to do is set up a practice portfolio on Yahoo finance and pick some stocks that you think might do well. Pretend that you bought them at a certain price and see how well you would have done or how badly if you had really purchased them.\n\nNext open a brokerage account either with a local broker or an on line broker. The on line brokers will be less expensive and give better service in my opinion. You will need to fund the account. Different brokers have different minimums. I would suggest starting out with $5,000 minimum, but that is up to you. \n\nIf you are thinking about trading stocks rather than investing, you will need to read carefully about technical analysis.
354800
You don't say how old you are, what kind of resourses you have or your knowledge of finance in general, I.E. do you know how the market works, listed vs over the counter, options, etc.?  Before you invest a dime remember the cardinal rule of investing: the public finds out after the money's been made.  In other words, if a stock is at a high it's not the time to get in.  Also, the corolary: if it's too good to be true, it's too good to be true.  Finaly, don't invest money that you can't afford to lose, especially if you're speculating (which it sounds like you are).  Go to Morningstar.com and sign up.  It will be the best money you spend for ideas, research and analysis.  Read the Wall Street Journal and look for companies with a future.  You might want to put money in an index such as the S&P 500 especially if you think the market will keep going up (and it won't - it will correct).  Bottom line is that there is no easy answer to your question.  \n\nAvoid the following:\n\nemails with stock tips\nfax messages with stock tips\nany stock selling for under $5.00 a share (unless you're willing to lose all you invest in it\npenny stock\noptions\ncommodities\nfriends who say they "know a guy who knows a guy who said..."\n\nDo the following:\n\nUse a reputable broker either bricks and mortar (Merrill Lynch, Lehman Bros, etc, or a reputable on line broker like E*Trade, Scwabb, etc.\nPut half your money in a good mutual funds of either high or mid-cap companies - you'll have gains while you experiment\nPick a point at which you want to get out on the up side (on Wall Street the pigs get slaughtered) and stick to it\nIf a stock is falling, pick a point at which you want to cut your loss.  If it;s a good company you can always buy in at what you think the low is.\n\nGood luck.  If you find the secret let me know.  I stick to known companies with solid balance sheets and a track record.  Even so I've lost (Worldcom, GM and a few others).
58347
Watch out for some of these answers. 20% return (with no time frame mentioned...hmmm) with little risk is not realistic. A private equipment leasing investment is a huge risk, not only if construction slows and business drops off, but there is zero transparency, who are they?\n\nHigh yield (junk) bonds aren't a terrible idea, but only for a portion of your money, not all. What you have to ask yourself is:\n\nDo I already have a sufficient emergency fund (3 months worht of expenses, min) set aside NOT counting the 9Gs? If so, you can invest for the longer term. If not, find a good money market account (INGDirect or HSBC Direct) and plug enough of the $9,000 in there to make up the 3 months. Depending on your expenses you may need to add money to $9,000.\n\nOnce your emergency fund is taken care of, you can invest the rest. You now have to ask yourself (or have a financial planner ask you) what am I saving this money for? Is it ok to lock it up for retirement or do I expect to use these funds to buy a house in 5 years or send someone to school 16 years from now? Your time horizon(how long you have to stay invested) is the single largest determinant of how much risk can be built into your portfolio through asset allocation. Your attitudes towards risk will fine tune your allocations. A competent financial planner can help you through this process.\n\nALSO, AVOID these spammers talking about Daily12 or Swisscash or any other pyramid scheme. They're garbage.
434528
I've been with Scottrade for about ten years now... and I believe they are the best discount brokerage available.  You'll pay just $7 a trade.  You'll have resources to explore.  You can even get advice from one of their brokers, which will result in a small fee.  Bottom line: Take it from a retired stock broker... if I could invest at a better company, I'd do it!
50864
depends on how active a trader you will be. if you are just buying and holding without keeping a large cash balance then Scottrade is a good choice. Low Commissions.\n\nFidelity.com has very good rates for active traders and has great mutual funds and high paying money market funds for idle cash balances.\n\nSchwab.com commissions are slightly higher, but if you are a very active trader they will compete with other brokers to get your commission rates down.\n\nBrown & Co is now part of Etrade, since I don't care for Etrades service or market making I cannot recommend them at all. Brown is only $5.00 per trade.\n\nAmeritrade... I know many people who use them. It seems as if the website for trading is down to often for me. Schwabs Streetsmart Pro is rarely out of service.
532848
I have a great trading pair for you.  Basically you pick 2 stocks that are very similar, but you think one is better than the other.  So you short the one you don't like (Sell-short) and go long on the one you do like.  I think wind energy is going to be a better investment than coal, so I want to go long on Florida Power and Light (FPL), because they are the nation's largest owner of wind farms.  I want to sell-short TXU, because they are planning on building up to 10 new coal-fired power plants.  \n\nNow, even if both stocks go down, as long as FPL goes down less than TXU, you will make money.\n\nIf you are looking for other strategies, and to see what the best traders are buying and selling, I would suggest http://www.top10traders.com - this is a free site that lets you create a portfolio of stocks with $100,000 in "play" money.  Each day the site ranks the best performing portfolios, so you can see how your picks perform compared to other investors.  You can also read posts on investing from the best traders, as well as share your own investing ideas.\n\nHere are this month's best traders:\n\nhttp://www.top10traders.com/Top10Standings.aspx\n\nGood luck!
244273
I say go with Scottrade.  I have been taking a look at the different online brokers and have recently decided to go with Scottrade myself.  They have lower fees and require a lower balance to open an account ($500).  Also they have many offices around the country that are there if you want to meet with someone in person.\n\nTake a look at this link, it compares the online services of different brokers:\n\nhttp://www.scottrade.com/frame_brokers.asp
451359
First of all, I wouldn't suggest you to enter into any options since it is mostly for hedging purpose and not for speculating...it is extremely risky~!  But~!  if you really want to get into one by using scottrade as your broker,  you have to open up an account and also sign an option/margin form stating that you want to trade option in your account.\n\nSecond, you NEVER exercise an option~!!!!  NEVER~!! You either Sell or Buy to Cover the option to close out your position.  The gain by closing out the option (if your option is giving you a profit) will always be higher than when you exercise the option because unless the option expire, there's always the time value in the option that will make the price higher.  \n\nIf you do decide to open a scottrade account, please use me as referral so we both get free trade =)  Feel free to e-mail me if you have question or decide to open an account Ken2681@gmail.com
320046
Buy a diversified series of HIGH QUALITY, LOW EXPENSE mutual funds. One good piece of advice is that especially when just starting out, owning individual stocks is just way too risky. In many cases, it's more akin to gambling than investing. So go with mutual funds, which are much more diversified, and therefore spread the risk among many, many more holdings. The key, of course, is buying quality. So make sure you hit ALL the asset classes, like Large cap stocks, small/mid cap stocks, international stocks, emerging markets stocks, government debt, corporate debt, hi-yield debt, foreign debt, emerging markets debt, real estate, commodities, and precious metals. That's 12 categories right there, so with $1200, you're talking about $100 each. This is called asset allocation, and it's a step beyond simple "diversification", which most idiots think is buying a hardware tech stock AND a software tech stock.\n\nAdd systematically on a monthly basis. That means make sure you put the same amount of money in every month, no matter what. Soon you won't even care what any of the markets are doing. They're up? Great! Some of my investments are worth more. They're down? Great! Now I'm buying quality investments at an "on sale" price.\n\nThen sit back and re-balance each year, back to your original percentages. Again, this is called asset allocation. It's is very important, perhaps the most important thing you can do with your money. The thinking being, what's BEEN hot is more than likely not going to STAY hot. All markets are cyclical. There's hundreds of years of data to back this up. Yet some people still think they can ride the next hot wave. They usually wind up begging on the street for beer money.\n\nNow, this sort of portfolio should average 8-12% per year, so just split the difference and say 10% on average. Will it do 10% EVERY year? Of course not. I'd be surprised if it EVER did EXACTLY 10%. That's an annual average. With that average, your money should double roughly every 7 years.\nSo, if you're starting with $1200 or so like I said in my example, then in 7 years , even if you added no more money, you should have about $2,400\nin 14 years you should have about $4,800\nin 21 years you should have about $9,600\nin 28 years you should have about $19,200\nin 35 years you should have about $38,400\nin 42 years you should have about $76,800\nin 49 years you should have about $153,600\nin 56 years you should have about $307,200\nin 63 years you should have about $614,400\nin 70 years you should have about $1,228,800!\n\nOf course, if you keep adding money in that $100 a month, you'll become a millionaire MUCH sooner. The key is discipline, and sticking in when markets are up OR down. Don't try to time the market--you'll NEVER get it right.\n\nBy the way, here's a handy formula:\n\n$100/month x 12% x 20 years = $100,000.\n\nSo if you need $300,000 in 20 years and have no idea how to get it, just save $300 a month and you're there. If you don't get 12%, you'll wind up with less naturally. But IF you still wind up with $250,000, I'd call that one hell of a failure.\n\nOh, and if you qualify on income limits (generally, if you're a single filer and make under $90,000/yr), and do this all in a Roth IRA? Then every penny will be 100% TAX-FREE. That's a deal that's too good to pass up. That's why I tell anyone who's under 30--if you make under $90,000, and therefore qualify to do a Roth, you'd be a fool not to. Just having the power of youth (and therefore time) on your side is such an advantage, to squander it would be such a waste!\n\nHope this helps!\n--J.
411102
Hi, i suggest a great site with plenty of Issues related to your Investing and everything around it. it also provide clear and accurate answer to many common questions.\n\nhttp://investing.sitesled.com/\n\nI am sure that you can get your answers in this website.\n\nGood Luck and Best Wishes!
47296
For anyone to tell you whether or not it is wise for you to invest in a CD is ridiculous without more information.\n\nAssuming you have other investments in your portfolio and are simply trying to decide how to invest the portion of your portfolio that you have already determined should be in cash equivalents, then CD's can be considered. It sounds like you want to retain a high degree of liquidity for this investment. If this is the case, consider the money market. Seek an institution that consistently offers great rates. Watch out for smaller banks that come out of nowhere with a sepcial or introductory rate. I use ING Direct, but I have heard good things about HSBC direct also.\n\nIf you have not done an asset allocation yet, do that first before deciding how conservative or aggressive to be. Speak with a financial planner in your area.