What companies do you guys reccommend investing in?
824996
Besides the blue chip companies that are buy and hold candidates such as JNJ, MMM, MET, COP, HD, BAC.   I like especially the closed end funds that have good long term track records and invest in things that I am not as well able to invest in individually.  TDF is one.  It invests in Chinese companies.  IIF is another.  It invests in Indian companies.  Is there anyone who does not think that these two countries are going to grow at 2 to 3 times the rate of U S companies?
61643
I use the Motley Fool, and subscribe to their Hidden Gems service.  Check them out at fool.com.\n\nGood Luck
661299
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.
789408
Unfortunately, I'll probably dealing primarily with stocks listed on American exchanges, I'll see if I can come up with a Toronto one.\n\nAltria (nee Phillip-Morris, MO) is a great stock to get because it's a solid tobacco company with some great brands (Marlboro) and they're just entering the smokeless tobacco market, which could be a huge payoff.  Also, this "light cigarette" class action hit the stock too much and I expect to see MO gap up in the future.  And they pay a 4.20% dividend.  It's hard not to like it.\n\nFor alcohol, the market seems to be going into liquor as opposed to beer these days, especially among the younger crowd (who tends to drink more).  This isn't strictly empirical, but I think going into a liquor company is a better bet.  For that, DEO is your best bet.  They have a great stock of brands (Morgan, J&B, Cuervo, Tanqueray) and are have some beer and wine brands (but their strength is far and away their liquor).  It's relatively cheap at 19.51 P/E and has a 3.90% dividend also.\n\nI don't know too much about weapons, but if you're into military stuff, Halliburton and even Boeing are sound investments.  Handguns, Smith and Wesson (SWHC) is the only one that comes to mind it's forward P/E seems a little high at 27.56 for manufactured goods in what seems to me a tight market, but there's not much industry data to go on (not very many handgun companies).  They're trading on the upper end of their 200dma so this stock could move upwards (and it's been trending up all year).  Analysts are bullish, so I'd say it's worth watching.\n\nFor gambling, you need to go where the money is, and that means what's hot.  No casino's hotter than Sands (LVS) which has exploded over the past year, but I'm worried that the money might have been made there.  It's the best casino stock out there, but it's the most expensive.  Casinos are still a good investment, but I'm thinking with concerns over the Democrats taking over (and the economic / legislative ramifications) you might want to go a little cheaper.  Harrah's (HET) is another good casino stock that's not so pricey as Sands.\n\nAs far as sex stuff, it's pretty hard for me to come up with a recommendation.  I'm sort of cold on the industry because a lot of it is privately held, and the public issues don't get coverage.  If somebody can come up with a good investment, I'd love to hear it, though.\n\nHowever, I'd be interested to know why you're interested in sin stocks.  As I touched on earlier, some people think a Democratic congress could hurt some of these companies (especially tobacco).  Maybe you're thinking these were irrationally factored into the price and that these stocks could jump up after the election?\n\nEdit:  Full disclosure.  The only stock listed that I own is MO.
846944
You can never go wrong with investing in an index fund for the long-term. I recommend a total US stock market index that will give you exposure to Large, Mid and Small cap funds. This is the best option for long term investing. You'd be hard pressed to really find something that has a better risk/reward payoff.
173247
Convince the company that you are aware that they are company that does not waste their earnings.  Then convince them that by investing in you is wise and a gain for them not a waste.
579165
Open a SHAREBUILDER ACCOUNT - either through Sharebuilder.com in the US, or HALIFAX.co.uk in the UK.\n\nThe most important thing to remember to invest safely is DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE BUYING THE SHARES..... first off look up the shares at Fool.com / Fool.co.uk and look at the FORECAST figures: The EPS % figure should be at least a +percentage (going up, not down) and the figure in the P/E column should be getting less over the next couple of years. Then look at the amount of dividend being paid out + who is in charge of the company. If they have shares in the company, it means they're showing an interest in the company and it stands a good chance of succeeding. If they don't have shares in the company, it gives off hints that they don't really give a crap about the company, as long as they get their wages.\n\nInvesment suggestions (US)\nAnheuser-Busch (BUD)\nWalmart (WMT)\nUnion Pacific (UNP)\n\nInvestment Suggestions (UK):\nPipex Communications (PXC)\nBHP Billiton (BLT)\nBritish Energy (BGY)\nPlus Markets Group (PMK)\nDebtmatters (DEBT)\nHBOS (HBOS)\nWolfson (WLF)\nHold on to them for as long as possible, reinvest any dividends earned.
2534
try one of the big companies
307735
I never heard of them before. I don't want to discourage you. If you interested I think you should look at what you getting and what is will actually cost in both time and money. \n\nMy experience with a similar deal was that most people don't find that they end up losing money.
373503
This depends on your goals, level of risk you are willing to accept, and many other factors.  For me, I like shares of small start-up companies.  Very high risk, but very high rewards IF it pans out.
638515
You can invest in the etf gld. Each share is backed by some amount of real gold. \nhttp://anyonecaninvest.blogspot.com/
45856
Motley Fool is a good source
892487
Frankly, if you are asking people for favourite stocks, then I think it is time you take a step back and improve on your financial literacy and investment education before you attempt to invest in anything. \n\nWho in today's dynamic society can guarantee that starbucks will last forever or at least until you retire? Who in today's dynamic society can guarantee the survivorship of any companies and hence their stock for 50 years until you retire? Who in today's dynamic society can guarantee that the stock market will not crash when or just before you retire? \n\nListening to free, off the street advice is an expressway to disaster and there is never one "God-Given-Sure-Shot-Highway-To-Freedom" Stock. \n\nRemember, just buying stocks and holding on does not make you an investor and does not guarantee you a nest egg... your nest could break faster than you expect and will hardly last your lifetime if you do not have any investing knowledge.\n\nIf you want to just invest monthly and forget about it hoping that someday in the future you will have enough to retire on, then you probably want to look at some investment linked endowment plans with a financial planner instead. The stock markets is no place for amateurs with completely no knowledge.\n\nRead more good books and articles on investments to expand your vision and horizon before you decide to go deeper into the subject. For some of the best investment books that I have ever read, please visit http://www.bestoptiontradingbooks.com and for some of the must-read investment articles that I wrote personally, please visit http://www.mastersoequity.com/articles.htm\n\n\nHope these information helps and good luck on your journey to financial excellence.\n\n\n\nhttp://www.mastersoequity.com\n\n\n\n\n.
957924
There's a reason these companies are trading on Pink Sheets. Invest in something that will actually make money (i.e. a company that has a future). $1,000 will buy you a decent number of shares in a reputable company.
596145
Great idea.  Not only you get quarterly dividend from these stocks.  Most of these companies increase their dividends annually.  A few names:  Citigroup, Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson, General Electric, Altria etc.
49556
Pick a company that you know will always be around and prosper. Then contact them,ask them to send you  information on investing in their company. Most companies will send you a whole packet outlining the companies stock performance.
717769
I would suggest you find whatever business that you have interest in. Ones that motivate you or open your mind to business input for them. Your own inner desire for a particular area of market will allow you to use your own  judgement to make wise investment choices.