Your Investments? (Page 2)

Snickelfritzer: Would you guys be able to help me to start investing? I would love to try doing it myself instead of approaching a bank and investing in mixed funds and what not. How does one invest in a particular stock without the brokerage...as naïve as that sounds. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Metaverseguy: There are a lot of ways to trade online without a brokerage. They charge a commission based on how much you're trading. Etrade is one company. Merrill Edge is another.

I'd suggest reading a book by someone who's made millions in stocks that was written or revised in the last 10 years or so. Jim Kramer of course is good at trading. So is Buffet, O'Neill, etc.

Basically just find a good industry that is doing well - and a company that is making profits and buy when they are doing well. Most basic rule is buy low sell high. You want to get those pull backs, as they call them. I'd recommend getting long term investments rather than trying to find stocks that will go up 10% or so in a month or two. Stocks are still pretty high risk. The average return is 9%.

If you're inexperienced you may want to test yourself by picking a few companies and adding them to a portfolio and see how they perform over six months without investing anything or a significant amount of money.

Snickelfritzer: Thank you so much. any other advice would be welcome too! thank you again.

GONZO_JOURNALISM: @ Snickelfritzer, there are so many opportunities out there to make $ . There are ways to even make profit on stocks when their prices don't increase/decrease, without selling them ! (stock options/ sell options etc.) that most of the general public doesn't even know about. Python above had a good point about just starting a portfolio with no $... That's a good way to learn for the first year. Then set yourself up a brokerage account with whom you will not be charged for every trade ( depending on the type of trading you wish to do) & go from there. I initially took a course at the NYSE to get some basic knowledge. Then read lots, join investing websites etc.. & do a lot of research/investigation before investing. In todays semi unpredictable financial climate, I would NOT use Pythons strategy of investing of buying & holding long term, except for a few companies. That is an old school philosophy. Most of the time I only hold stocks for a few weeks/months before dumping them when they reach what I believe to be their 52 week high range for the year or other motives. I have even sold stocks at a good profit after only holding for 2 weeks, beats getting up and going to work fo sho ;} Stay away from bonds which are basically a I.O.U. $ from the gov. <-- (most of which are technically bankrupt) and their payout rate is less than inflation over the amount of years held, unless you enjoy losing $. You are on the right path investing yourself, thereby avoiding silly mutual funds & their half assed pros. Python above mentions that stocks are pretty high risk, I think that depends on the amount of homework you're willing to do, obviously buying something "blind" is always a huge risk. One tip I would give you is when everyone is selling/panicking, that's when you buy ! Good luck yo

eziskowski: Its December and the makets are still roaring , guess i made a mistake about tanking this year , as some people have questions my divdends of 12k this year, I never really touch the monies just reinvest all the time and doing compounding will double my monies in the next 8 years if i live that long , My objective is to have enugh money if needed after i pass for my family.If i had to do my investing this year i would have stayed in the market longer but no one can predict future results
I can say the fed has to make a desesion in the coming year and it won;t help the markets move forward. Just be carefull and don;t listen to all the mutual fund manager and what they are saying , they make money even if u don't , have a Merry Xmass evey rone

Metaverseguy: I made 20% on a mutual fund and then sold for fear that it might turn into a ponzi scheme. Then I sold coke when it finally went up. I sold another failure YUM that never profited and waiting on a bond.

I've read books on stocks, watched the market over the years, watched Jim Kramer, read the articles. It still makes no sense to me. Apparently war is bad for the economy and so is nearly every thing on the floor in the house and senate. It fluctuates like a wave during unforeseen circumstances and can't be trusted. I don't think I'm going to invest in the future. It's too risky and the same thing as gambling. The only people that have a clue what's going on are the people who bought the million dollar chairs in Wall St. and have a say what goes on behind the scenes.

eziskowski: I understand u are scared of the markets but if u stick your money in the bank you wull be safe unless u invest over 200k then there is no insurance to back your money, I currantly invest in preferred stocks which yeild out 6% and are below its par value of $25 which means if these bonds get called they have to pay u there par value of $25.00 , Here is my list (gsprb) ( jpmpra)
(sttprc) (bkprc). these are gret compinies and if u reinvest their dividends into the same bonds u will double your money in eight years , noting fancy here but sound income for your future and prudent investing .

I sugest u look at Qutam on line and read up on preferred stocks and if u need answers i will be glad to help u .

Its a dangerous time to load up on equilities since we have gone six year from the last resession and it will drop again in the near future , I expect to lose some value in the stocks i suggested but the divdends will alway be payed to u each quater , My income is 18k year for these bonds

Metaverseguy: I wonder what the next boom will be. Apple was super big recently but I think that's like the biggest jump. The internet boom turned a lot of people rich in the 90's. We need something big like that again.

eziskowski: I am a scalper , Which i did invest in aapl and made money but i don;t stick around long to get beat up by apples tanking this year . I don;t have a magic ball about investing but i know enought that we are on the brink of the markets coming apart , Just look at history and it will tell u a lot . if u can;t afford to take paper loses then i stay out of the markets alltogether , get some books at the Library on Jim Cramer and read,watch his show and take small bites when u invest , Now is a bad time to get into stock alltogether , I am a bear and bulls and bears make money and pigs get slattered as Jim C would say , and he is right ,back in 2008 i was a buyer on the dow @8000 and made great returns but now i am cautous , not wiling tol comitt in a tops market which is way to high

Mr Bitcoin: #1 BITCOIN already paid and will keep paying...........#2 Real Silver...............#3 REAL Gold........... WS Wildcat silver............PCLG Pershing Gold............When the stock market crumbles as it will eventually I will be uber rich

eziskowski: The BEARS are Roaring again ,check your shorts !!!

dave3974: ?

Metaverseguy: dave, Jim Cramer typically labels stocks as either "bulls" (expected to go up) or "bears" (expected to decline). So I guess the bears are doing good?

Mr Bitcoin: listening to jim cramer is a good way to go broke

Snickelfritzer: I would imagine Cramer's roi over a decade to be shite but anything under 6 months as his programming goes..
Has to be a reason why he is on tv still lol

eziskowski: Cramer has lots of great news for people who are just starting out in the investing world , , right now we are in the sixth year after the ressesion of 2007, geenerally speaking the bull market doesn't last beyond that period , going long now could be a real problem , I am doing more short positions then long , the BRIC nations are on the verge of a collapse and that will bring us down . I would leave it up to u guys to tell me its not going to happen . see if u can forcast the future

Snickelfritzer: there is a insightful write up on zero hedge about HFT. More acronyms but it seemed to make sense. It was worth a read.

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thanks

dave3974: if you have any spare cash e mail me too

bruceglidden: Invest in yourself, its a sure thing.

Metaverseguy: sounds like motivational advice yet it makes no sense. i'm not a stock, index, bond, or t-bill.

Snickelfritzer: wonderful irrelevant fortune cookie advice....yay. I am still broke!!!!

Metaverseguy: Can't believe our economy is so closely tied into a giant gambling ring that crashes every other decade and leaves half the country bankrupt.

eziskowski: The key to success is keep yourself out of debt , work hard , save money and have a plan for the future, invest in the stock market for the long term, listen to people like Jim Cramer ,read some books by cramer and it will all fall in place .

Metaverseguy: Warren Buffet was in an article the other day. How to turn $40 in a billion. So if you invested in coca-cola with $40 in 1912 then you'd have $150 million today. Not sure how that's a billion and I'm pretty sure 0 people out of 100 are going to hold a stock for that long without selling it but there is some good news it looks like. Most people under 30 aren't investing but they say to get the biggest retirement package you need to start putting money in a 401(k) in your 20's.