I'm putting all my excess money into the S&P 500.  Good idea?
156820
I think most financial advisors would say that is a fairly conservative long term investment. Specially if you are doing it through a mutual fund company like Vanguard which has pretty low expenses
1123074
Put $100,000 into a bank.\nPay off all my debt.\nBuy things I need (like new car or a new home)\nBuy some real estate.\nInvest the rest into Traditional IRA (you don't qualify for Roth IRA), mutual funds, stocks and bonds, education plans (if you have kids), and variable annuities.
973396
Coach has maxed itself out @ almost $40.00 per share and will never offer you much of a return unless it plummets back down to it's foundation price.  \n\nIt is too high and was only a productive purchase to those smart enough to get in on the ground floor.  \n\nIt is rated at an 8,  a great stock to own but as far as it going up enough to make you money...  I don't see it happening.  It wont ever become an Abercrombie or an american eagle.  I don't think so anyway...  always go with your gut!  I would hate to be the deciding factor and you not do something you should have done. \n\nCheck out Psun...  It just split and is still cheap!
1154277
What you do depends a lot on what kind of person you are.  If you have a lot of self-control and self-discipline, take it all now and invest it, living off what it generates.  If it's a large enough amount, it can form the foundation for enough growth to keep you in comfort for the rest of your life if you invest propersly.  If it were me, that's what I'd do.\n\nIf, on the other hand, you're likely to spend it all as soon as you get it, take the sum over time, so you'll always have some money coming to you.  It's not a very good solution though.  Your annual payment in 50 years is going to seem a lot smaller than the one you'd get today.  Inflation would just eat away its buying power.
957235
Invest some of it in your future or your kids (if you have any) futures. But don't forget that we only live once. You should also enjoy some of your money. Pamper yourself some. You deserve it. We all do. If you died tomorrow at least you would go happy. We have to live life to the fullest. You know that Tim McGraw song "Live like you were dying"? But hey, do what you want to do with the money. It's your money and the choice is yours. Take care and have fun!
1043156
All the brokerages you listed are expensive ( relatively ) in their commissions, especially if you're going to be trading stocks, often, instead of just buying funds and leave them for a while.\n\nIf this be the case, you will be better off, exploring other deep-discount brokerages...such as E*Trade, TD Ameritrade etc.\n\nIf you have sufficiant funds in your Rollover IRA ( > $50K for E*Trade ) the commission per trade is lot less than what you will pay in your list of brokerages.  I think it's $9.99 or something along that line, with almost all brokerages, per trade.\n\nThe commission is something that you should consider. Also, some of these companies charges few cents per share. Only the first 1000 shares are covered by their flat fee. Anything above that limit, you pay additional CENTS per share.\n\nAll the tools - charts, portfolio manager, research tools etc...are all kinda standard all over the place.\n\np.s.\nSince you're rolling over and NOT THRU' YOUR COMPANY 401(k) anymore...There is no more free lunch. You will pay $$$ per trade..So, give it some thought
50843
Get an investment consultant. That and diversify. You dont want to have all of your eggs in one basket, just look at what happened with Enron.
284237
It is a good idea.  You can never make up the difference if you don't start investing until you are older (due to compounding interest).  A 401 K is dogmarked for YOU and no one can take that money.\n\nThe thing about baby boomers, that is really only affecting PENSIONS which are not the same as 401K.  Even if the market returns drop, your money will still be there.\n\nIf you feel worried, get an IRA from an independant investment firm.  Your return won't be as high and you will not get to put the money in before taxes, but this way your company cannot drain you.
87614
Since you're already just throwing money at the market, Here's three suggestions:\n\n1. Save up $1000 and make one good trade at a time. Don't worry about being left behind. Check out how William O'Neil trades, how Gary Kaltbaum trades, how Warren Buffett trades.\n\n2. Put it in mutual funds.\n\n3. Buy a single call option on awesome companies. Read William J. O'Neil's How to Make Money in Stocks. This is the most risky proposition of the three. Highest possible pay off too. You seem to like risk though! :-) Just keep in mind, if they're out of the money when they expire, they go to zero!\n\nOptions are not for everyone, they are very risky.
219365
i would invest. you can write off home interest.
473887
You have a chance of lowering your risk by not putting all of your eggs in one basket so to speak.\n\nIf you know what you're doing and you diversify anyway, you may water down your returns.  Warren Buffett is one of the more famous investors who doesn't believe in diversification because he thinks he knows what he's doing, and so far it's worked out for him.
1147648
Stay away from Edward Jones and other neighborhood brokers.  They will fleece you completely with their 6% load fees and 5% / stock transaction.  \n\nFidelity is an excellent company.  Look into the 2040, if this is the year you want to retire or 2035.  These funds have been around for a long time and have no loads or fees associated with purchasing.  If you purchase 10K of the 2035 fund in your Roth, you get 10K worth of assets, dollar for dollar.\nExcellent website: www.fidelity.com
597720
See a financial advisor.\n\nIt would be rare to double your money in a year.\n\nMost people would recommend a diverse portfolio.
1097246
invest it all, live off the returns
178959
with index funds expenses are the key. if you have used one with super low expenses like Vanguard, there would be no reason to change. if you compare performance of all S&P 500 index funds you will find similar results that are usually better or worse only because of the fees. if you are in a fund like s&p or total stock market index, you are well diversified already.
1007680
Here's a start - log on to Yahoo Finance.  Start reading the articles.\n\nIf you don't know much, just take a look at the closing prices of the S&P 500 every day, which is an "index" that covers most of the market.  That helps you get a feel for what "up and down" means.\n\nDon't spend money on research - learn how to understand company information.  The site below is great!  Avoid technical trading (buying or selling based on price movements, not company information) - it's simply not good for the beginning investor, and the folks in my office think it's crap, and I work for economists.\n\nBest to buy and hold a stock for at least 3-6 months.  A year or more saves on taxes!
695098
I don't think you are adequately diversified.  Most advisers will recommend you have more than 3 stocks.  Stocks are very hard to predict.  When you bought NT, you didn't expect it to drop 75%, but it did.  You have to consider the possibility that two of your stocks could nosedive, just like NT did.  Sometimes a stock will crash and never come back.  I would recommend at least 10 stocks, in a variety of industries.\n\nIn addition, while many mutual funds charge too much, Vanguard.com has some low expense, no-load funds that don't charge much.  You might consider putting half you money in a mutual fund for diversity, and half in stocks you like.\n\nI also disagree with your statement "banks always make money."  There have been many banks that have failed over the years.  Savings and loan companies, which are similar to banks, had a very rough time a few years back, and many failed.  Not that I expect TD.TO to fail, but you never know.\n\nI wish you the best of luck.