What's a good major that could help me one day head a hedge/mutual fund?
821016
Yes, finance.Take private equity course too.  Tons of money in private equity...
884875
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.
32492
That depends on what you're majoring in, but I would say NYU is not a bad bet.
395609
Get double major degree is a greater edu investment. (btw.. Are you a HS graduate or College/Univ graduate?)
332949
These 2 sites are pretty good for learning. The beginner will do best investing in mutual funds.
498699
Start out by buying a standard stock mutual fund, so your money can grow while you're learning; and watch what they do.  Meanwhile, start reading about stocks.  Books like "Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham, "One Up on Wall Street" by Peter Lynch, and maybe something on the Warren Buffett style would be a good start.  Or visit websites like Smart Money or Motley Fool.  \n\nGood luck to you.
781936
It's all about risk.  \n\nAn Asset Manager will manage your money by buying and selling assets (usually shares).  They are heavily regulated and are supposed to be experienced financial professionals who can get a higher rate of return on your savings than you would be able to on your own.  \n\nA Hedge Fund is more lighly regulated and employs all sorts of higher risk methods (selling shares short, derivatives, investing borrowed money) to get a higher rate of return.  They are able to go anywhere and do almost anything.  For years that meant they got a much higher rate of return than Asset Managers and were consequentially very highly paid.  These days they field uis much more crowded and the returns have come right down.  In addition regulators are paying more attention and also giving Asset Managers the fredom to do things like invest in derivatives.
806230
design airplanes or work in securities. Just google some firms in your area.
500935
One good choice would be to invest in a no-load mutual fund. I suggest either T.Rowe Price, Vanguard, or Fidelity.  Here are a couple of websites to help you choose a good performer.  Don't let an investment representative fool you into thinking he's worth the 5% or more commission he'll charge.  You can do your own homework, and probably get better results.  I know I do.  Good luck.  Don't be intimidated.\n\nhttp://screen.morningstar.com/fundsearch/FundRank.html http://biz.yahoo.com/p/top.html\nhttp://screen.morningstar.com/fundsearch/FundRank.html
357475
Broker of what?\n\nInsurance?  Major in Insurance.\n\nReal estate?  No special major needed.\n\nStocks?  Major in Finance.
5742
VFINX\n\nthis is the vanguard 500 index fund. it tracks the S&P 500 and basically gives you the same results as "the market". it is low-cost, relatively low-risk, and you don't have to think about it. Just put your yearly contribution into it every year, and you should do just fine. not amazing, but you won't get destroyed as long as you're in it for the long haul.
132504
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) would be the best option if you seek the same line.
288141
Buy a good S&P index fund. Vanguard has a good one with lows fees.  Should get you 8-10% a year over the long run.
941478
Unit Trusts or Mutual funds is a good starting point for investors who do not have the time to research on stocks themselves.\n\nThe Pros are:\n1. save you the trouble (or robs you of the fun of) of researching on potential stocks and to construct a portfolio of your own.\n\n2. easy way to get involved in the stock markets.\n\nThe Cons are:\n1. MANDATE! - Every mutual fund has a FIXED mandate that requires them to be almost fully invested at all times. As mutual funds have portfolios that are generally bullish, they only do well when stock markets do well... if the stock market crashes, the fund crashes with it and there is nothing the fund managers can do. The mandate prohibits the fund managers from bailing out of the markets even if they know the market will crash! This brainless way of investing in the stock markets has made hedge funds a lot more attractive recently.\n\n2. Fund Expense. There is a fixed expense ratio for every fund which pays for the fund manager's salary, admin costs, advertising costs etc... The profit performance is what is left after all these are paid for. That is why you see many fund managers driving nice, big cars even though their funds are not performing well.\n\n3. Tie Down Period. There is always a tie down period where you cannot withdraw out of a mutual fund without incurring some kind of penalty charge. That can rob you of short term cashflow when you suddenly need money.\n\n4. Withdrawal Charge. Yes, even if you fulfill the tie down period, there will usually be a withdrawal charge for getting out of the fund.\n\nProfiting from the stock markets is already a difficult thing to achieve consistently. By investing in a mutual fund, it makes the difficult thing more difficult by having so many expenses built into it. Frankly, when the markets do well, you would be better off just buying an ETF on the local index and when markets start to fail, you will be able to bail out quickly and safely without any penalties or expenses at all.\n\nMutual funds is only one of the many ways to get involved in the stock markets. There are a lot more ways, some safer and with higher returns, to invest in the stock markets and you need to read and research on your alternatives.\n\nI recommend some pretty good books that have benefitted myself at http://www.bestoptiontradingbooks.com...\n\nhope these helps.\n\n\n\n\nhttp://www.mastersoequity.com\n\n\n\n\n.
1169132
I know an advisor and he's definitely a good guy and passionate about his career.  Just make sure you are "purchasing" what you want and don't give in to all of their suggestions.  They are one of many good financial companies.
1031633
There is a website (www.madmoneymachine.com) that has created some mock portfolios based on Mr. Cramer's recommendations.  Look under "Portfolio Challenge" and you'll find some in there.  There's also an accompanying podcast where he regularly talks about Jim's picks.  Recently the site has turned its attention to Index Funds and their merits, but there is still lots of Cramer talk.  Good site.
175373
Morningstar is pretty good, sign up is free and you can compare lots of fund aspects. Dig deeper at yahoo finance for particular funds.