Investing 101

[busymom]

All of my stock market investments are....made through the investing plan that my employer has for us...As an individual, I have never bought any stocks....I honestly wouldn't even know where to start.

Do you invest through an online organization? What is the minimum you have to invest? How do you decide what to invest in?

I know, I know...clearly, it's been a long time since I have thought about this stuff.....don't flame me too badly.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

1. Back in the 90's when I first got a computer I went to a website...

Fool.com. If nothing else it allowed me to ask really foolish questions. Haven't been there in years and doubt they have
a clue how to navigate through the times we are living in.

[polichick]

2. I've always heard that you shouldn't invest anything in the stock market that...

...you can't afford to lose. Simple rule, but wise.

I've made money and lost money in stocks, done it lots of different ways ~ mutual funds, individual stocks, large amounts, small amounts, long-term, day-trading. I wouldn't recommend it until Obama is elected ~ then I'm getting into green tech big time, something I really believe in. (The best kind of investment imo)

I also invest in real estate ~ where I've made much more money than in the market, especially in land.

(TD Ameritrade is the one I use these days - online; you can invest as little as a few hundred dollars in some funds/stocks.)

[BootinUp]

3. Im like you so I have been checking some

things out. Start here maybe:

http://www.wikihow.com/Manage-Your-401k-Investments-and-Choose-Your-Funds

http://www.prophet.net/default.jsp

http://www.morningstar.com/

At morningstar you can sign up for free trials and things like investor magazines or online trading trials etc.

[pscot]

4. Take a look at Vanguard's website

They specialize in index mutual funds. There is no commission on the funds they sell. Their administrative costs are very low. There is lots of information on the various funds, including minimum investment amounts, degree of risk, price & performance history and much more. You can trade over the net, by mail or by direct transfer, and some funds allow checking. I've been using Vanguard for 20 years, and I wish I'd found them 20 years sooner.

Stock picking is riskier than bungy jumping. Unless you're prepared to spend your spare time following the markets, sick with no-load (no-commission) index funds. You'll sleep better and make just as much money in the long run.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. I 2nd Vanguard rec.

Most reputable mutual fund company out there, it is owned by investors.
I have been using them since '93.
Easy to move funds around, to buy and sell online.
I made a good profit off some funds, then fled back to money market on 07.

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. Saying Vanguard is "the most reputable mutual fund company out there " is a bit of a stretch.

There are scores of Mutual Fund Companies, many with histories that predate Vanguard by decades.

Vanguard's claim to fame is their index funds and their low fees. Fine attributes, to be sure, but whether or not they are the most reputable is purely subjective. As a firm, they have only been around since 1975. Their funds with the longest histories, the Wellington (1929) and the Windsor (1958) have "since inception" total return numbers that are beaten by several other Mutual Funds.