Invest online? is there such thing?

Question

I wanted to know if there is a way to invest online, not big money lol, i'm a college student, start low nothing big, and if so is it safe? i mean if i put umm 100 USD, is it safe or is there a possibilty of losing that?

Answer 1

I start several years ago with $500.00 dollars to I understand. But if you wish to start investing, you can go one of two ways. You can start and account with one of the major on-line firms TDameritrade, Etrade, or scotttrade. But when dealing with small sum of cash you might want to try, ishares.com.

But the other option you might want to pursue is to go down to you local bank, (whomever you do your banking with) and have them start and investment account for you. Since you are a banking customer they wont have the minimums that others might have. You may not have the same type of control but this is a way to at least get you feet wet.

All major banks offer this, so at least you could go and ask them. I am sure they would be happy to get you started. But if you have any additional questions, I will be happy to answer them for you.

Good Luck

Answer 2

The safety of your money (and its potential return) depends on what you invest in. Basically, the safest places to put your money would be government-backed bonds (T-Bills, for example) or a bank's money market account. Barring a total collapse of the federal government, these are pretty much safe. You should look for an APY (annual percentage yield) of 4% or more in this case.

Stocks offer a higher potential return but more risk. It is entirely possible (though perhaps not likely) to lose a significant portion of your investment. The best way to guard against the risk of losing money is to diversify into many different holdings, although this is difficult with only $100. I would also say that the broad American stock market is not poised to return much at the moment, so you may wish to stay out of this area.

Another area that is receiving a lot of attention is the commodities sector. Commodities can be just about any raw material, but the commodities with the most attention now are probably oil, natural gas, and gold. While it has previously been difficult to invest in these, the advent of ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) allow you to trade certain commodities just like stocks. You can invest in gold under the ticker symbol GLD and oil under the ticker symbol USO. I think that this area (and bonds) are probably the best areas to invest in over the next few years.

Keep in mind that if you invest online, the fees are likely to be an incredibly high percentage of your initial investment. The least expensive online stock brokers charge around $4 to $7 per trade, which means that fees will make up a higher percentage of your initial investment if it is low ($100) than if it's higher ($1,000 to $10,000 or more).

Answer 3

Try www.paxworld.com. You can start with as low as $250.00 Plus you get the added bonus of investing in socially conscious companies. If you want relatively safe, stay with a money market, you won't make a lot, but it is less risky.

Answer 4

Most of the major brokerages like Etrade are FDIC (Federal Deposits Insurance Corporation) insured up to $100,000. So you won't lose your money because of a default on their part. But, you could still make a bad investment.

Answer 5

Investments in stocks and mutual funds are NEVER FDIC insured though any bank. FDIC only covers CD's and demand deposits.

Answer 6

If you invest there is always a chance of losing it. If you want no-risk go to your bank and get a CD or join HSBC

Answer 7

See this is a genuine site which promises you of $100 per day.

http://tinyurl.com/ha53g

Answer 8

search in google/yahoo "randomiser", please study the sites before investing