I have $5,000 to invest. Does somebody know if I can invest them in stocks and where?
831209
First, I would make sure you have at least 3 months salary saved up in the bank or in a money market fund for an emergency fund. (Some people say 6 months.) Financial disasters like getting layed off or sick happen to all of us.\n\nSecond, I would pay off all high interest debt. Pay off everything you can except the house mortgage and student loans. Paying off debt is one of the best investments you can make. You will have more money in the future because you won't have credit card bills to pay. (Depending on the rates, you may want to pay off the mortgage and student loans as well.)\n\nThird, start investing in stocks, bonds, and money market funds. You want to buy a diversified portfolio of stocks, as individual stocks are too risky. For most folks this means buying mutual funds. I like Vanguard.com, other people like Fidelity, TIAA-CREF, and DFA. Buy no-load, low cost funds. If you are like most people you will invest part of your money conservatively, in money market funds and bond funds, and part aggressively in stock funds. Vanguard.com has an on-line questionnaire which will give you an idea how aggressive you want to be. \n\nInvesting in a mutual fund IRA for retirement may give you an income tax break. Talk to your tax adviser. You may also be able to invest in a stock mutual fund via a 401K plan at work. Buying a house instead of renting will make you a lot of money in the long run. \n\nBelieving advice you get on Yahoo answers can be risky, so read these websites for further information. If you find it too confusing, contact a professional financial advisor. They will charge you significant commissions, however.
79819
Here's a list of companies you can buy stock directly from.\n\nhttps://gateway.equiserve.com/igwweb/content/secure/InvestmentPlans/index_plans_new.asp?PlnPage=PlanSearch&PurchOption=
1185175
YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING !!!   No one should have more than 5 % of their total investments in any one stock.   If you purchased it at $ .50 (total investment = $ 5,000 ), wait til it hits $ 1.00 and then sell off half.  You now have all of your investment back and no matter what happens,  you are safe.  If it goes to $2.00,  sell off another half.    Then just sit back and hope that it goes to $ 10 and splits.  In a few years, you could have 10,000 shares worth $ 100,000 but, in the meantime, you have had no sleepless nights worrying about it.
202390
Whatever you can afford.  The best way to get started is to figure out how much extra money that you have at the end of the month.  Make sure that it is money that you plan on investing for the long term.  You don't have to invest a big lump sum.  \n\nThe best strategy for a beginner is to systematically, dollar cost average into a low cost mutual fund.  Find yourself a good no load, index or growth fund and set up an account to automatically take a fixed amount from your bank account every month.  When the market is low, you are buying more shares and when the market is high, you are buying less shares.  You will find that you won't miss the money and in a short period of time you will discover the power of dollar cost averaging combined with the compounding of money.  Good luck!!
241803
the people who tell you that stocks priced under $2 or $5 don't have a clue about investing or the markets. many shrewd investors with experience and a good understanding of business fundamentals make excellent livings investing that way.\n\nmany of these stocks are undervalued or undiscovered. if you have good knowledge then head on over to :\n\ninvestorshub.com\nsiliconinvestor.com\nragingbull.com\n\nand read and research.. don't believe everything you hear, double check all.\n\nmy current favorite is EKCS, low float, excellent industry. do your due diligence.
1071408
invest all of it into a savings account that makes 5% interest and make 50000 each year for free
447111
I'm not in a class where this is small change but it wouldn't change my life if $5,000 appeared.  With my aggressive stocks and mutual funds, I make or lose that much several days of the year.\n\nIf I could have it April 12 and the market is up, I'd buy the emerging markets exchange-traded fund with the symbol EEM (I think that's an ishares ETF).  I might buy on margin in real life.\n\nIf I'm supposed to spend it I'd replace our front door and redo the entryway.\n\nIf I'm supposed to do something wild I'd buy a small windmill so I could generate electricity.  Partly to reduce our electric bills but mainly because it's the right thing to do.
457050
It's just like how you learned to swim.... jump into water as soon as possible.\nThe younger you start, the better you will be. You will never start investing in stocks if you don't have confidence that you will earn profits from stocks investment. You don't need to start with BIG investments in order to learn about stocks investment. Basically, you need to be focused on one industry and get all the information about a company that you would like to have shares.\n\nGood luck..!!
216354
If you have to ask that question in this public forum, I doubt that you are positioned to risk your money in any stock today. Stock market prices are driven by Public Perception and not necessarily by the value or the income of the company. Take a look at Exxon Mobil (XOM) for the last 6 months while oil and gasoline prices were going up. XOM is down 5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial is up 7.5%. Investors who put down their money without doing their homework are easily fleeced by brokers, some who hang around chat rooms hoping to get young investors into their areas of service. Remember one thing if nothing else: stock trading is a net zero business; it produces one loser for each winner, and the loser is usually the little guy who buys (through a broker) what the big guy doesn't want. Study how the market works, find newsletters that have a good history of recommending stocks, invest your money in a step after step manner, maybe 20% each month for 5 months, and be ready to sell even if at a small loss if the value of your selected stock decreases by more than 10-20%. You will have to set your own loss limits. Good luck, but don't rush.
436540
there are mutual funds with small initial investments. $500 for example. Some even less. That is a good way to start. I have included a link through Yahoo finance showing funds of that nature that are rated better than average by Moringstar. Yahoo sometimes does not provide correct information so you need to use this as a starting point and research a little furture. \n\nAnother way is to open an on line brokerage account and buy shares directly in good solid companies that have a good track record and pay dividend that have tended to increase over time, such as BAC, for example. But that is more risky without having at at least 5 and preferably 10 different stocks in your portfolio to reduce the risk of a piece of bad news causing disaster. You also have the option of buying exchange traded index funds. That is an inexpensive method to participate in general market trends. I personally do not like the idea, but a lot of people do.
761866
Before you invest the first dime of that 5k make sure you have:\n1. Contributed enough to your 401k to achieve your company's match. (if that is an option available to you)\n2. Paid off all debt (except for your mortgage if you have one)\n3. Set aside 3 months of living expenses.\nNow you are ready to go! As to tools... see the following url which has info on various investment strategies.\nSuccess and health to you! \n\nSource(s):\n http://www.investmentu.com/sitemap.html
824807
Congratulations on getting started. It’ll help you more than you know! \n\nYour first dollars should be spent on getting educated on investing. You don't have to train to trade them professionally, but we are talking about your future here. So the more you learn, the more it'll help you! So let's start there.\n\nYou ask a very broad question, so be prepared for a pretty long answer. Just take it in chunks!\n\n\nHow to invest depends on what you already know. We'll assume that you're beginning since you say you're new!\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 (he’s got a few). \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 and investopedia.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. \n\nIf you get a chance, watch Mad Money on CNBC. Don't trade any of his picks until you track many of them over time. 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\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\nFor 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 with a book or two to give you an idea of where to begin. Take your time, and let it seep in. \n\nAs you get up to speed, you should papertrade to practice (highly recommended). This should help reduce your losses in the beginning as you get used to buying/selling.\n\nYou can practice for free on almost any reputable broker site (optionsxpress, scottrade, thinkorswim, etc). And yes, you can definitely deal easily online.\n\nStart slow, then as you figure things out, you can buy more shares.\n\nCongrats again on getting started. If you have any questions, please let me know. \n\nHope this helps!\n\n\nAdditional edit: I tried to answer your question, but you haven't confirmed your email yet, so I can't reply.
290600
Dude, you need to check out what is called an indexed mutual fund. The way it works is the company guarantees your full invested capital; so you can't lose that. The money that they make is added to the value of your fund, but you have to lock it in for a minimum amount of time; can be as long as ten years. This is a good place to start out. If your feeling more daring invest in silver or mining companies like Pan American Silver trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker PAA. This baby is on rails right now, you can check them out on their web site and research their history. Hey your the blunt guy aren't you? Well good luck towards your first million and keep living the American dream.
7682
I would suggest that you work with a professional broker or financial advisor - they can recommend funds & stocks that meet your needs.\n\nAsk someone you trust to recommend someone they trust.\n\nI know nothing about stocks & investing, but I've managed (on average) make some money (and not lose it) in stocks, _only_ becasue I have a broker who I can trust.
131668
I started small, you might want to think about penny stocks, you can buy tons of shares, for hardly any money, but it is very risky. Make sure you have a comfortable amount saved first, then work on investing.
609952
If you are simply thinking about investing in the stock and bond markets, just go to Fidelity and invest in mutual funds, preferably index funds. You can find index funds of large cap, mid cap, small cap, international, and bonds. These funds have the lowest costs and will grow along with the market.\n\nIf you are thinking of real estate and other investments, you may want to find an Financial Advisor to help you with your decisions. Note that they often take a large cut of your income/trades/etc. so be wary of their fees.\n\nGood luck!
1165729
google stocks is good if u hold it for 5 years.