I want help with investing but I don't trust investment companies that charge fees. Is there nonprofit help?

Question

I'm sure there is a lot of investment advice out there that won't require me to hand my earnings over to commission based investment places.

Answer 1

Start by learning about investing, then worry about commissions later.

Congratulations on getting started. It’ll help you more than you know!

Your 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.

You ask a very broad question, so be prepared for a pretty long answer. Just take it in chunks!


How to invest depends on what you already know. We'll assume that you're beginning!

A 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.

Another good one is one of Jim Cramer's books like Real Money (he’s got a few).

But 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

For 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.

If 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.

Next, subscribe to something like Investorsbusiness daily or something like that that can help you identify good stocks.

Once 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).

For discipline (which is crucial to successful trading), probably Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas or Mastering the Trade by John Carter

I 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.

As 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.

You can practice for free on almost any reputable broker site (optionsxpress, scottrade, thinkorswim, etc). And yes, you can definitely deal easily online.

Start slow, then as you figure things out, you can buy more shares.

Congrats again on getting started. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I am not sure how much of investment that you are talking about or what your investment objectives are. It is also important to consider how close to retirement you are, do you have major expense coming up (buying a house or sending kids to college). It is also important to do a little soul searching and decide what your risk tolerance level is.

In the mean time I would be happy to send you a report that a friend of mine wrote that explains a very interesting investment strategy. You might want to consider this as one portion of a balanced investment portfolio. They even offer a 15 day trial so that you can check it out for free and see how it fits with your overall objectives.

Best wishes for a prosperous 2007.

Paul
[e-mail]

Answer 3

You should invest through Scottrade.com or some other online broker. Scottrade offers $7 online trades. To find investment ideas, you should see what the best investors are buying and selling at http://www.top10traders.com - this is a free site that lets you create a portfolio of stocks with $100,000 in "play" money. Each day the site ranks the best performing portfolios, so you can see how your picks perform compared to other investors. You can read posts on investing from the best traders, as well as share your own investing ideas. There is a charting feature, so you can see how your portfolio performs compared to the S&P 500. Also, you can create your own "group" so that you can see how you are doing compared to your friends.

Here are this month's best traders:

http://www.top10traders.com/Top10Standings.aspx

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

I'm not aware of any nonprofit help. The best thing is do your own research or hire a flat fee financial planner. Some financial planners will charge you a flat fee (hourly or lump-sum) to help you with your investments. If you don't want to pay anyone the following is a good article for you to read. Basic concepts: use index funds and asset allocate.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6203264

Good luck!

Answer 5

OK, does 300% return in 15 months excite you? I am talking from my personal experience here. I have started with USD12K in 30.8.2006 and from that time, they never miss to provide me with the monthly return as promised. They used the scale of 10%x3months + 15%x3months + 20%x3months + 25%x3months + 30%x3months.

The best part of it, they have started a new product called EMF that had a value of USD1 in December 2006 and now valued at USD2.11 per unit and expected to reach USD4 in April 2007.

See for yourself and experience this exciting investement. Mind you, this is not a HYIP but real investment in offshore financial market.

You can register free for 14 days but need an introducer to start. Use mine: mygha1605101 to register yourself.

Answer 6

There are some great publications out there for beginning investors that will help you understand what's going on in the investment world. I would recommend Money, Smart Money and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. They all have articles for both the beginner and the more advanced investor.

Good luck and happy reading!

Answer 7

Let me get this straight.

You want to become a millionaire but you don't want to pay any fees to the persons that actually are going to work 24 hours a day 7 days a week selecting the best stocks for you?

If you want to drive a Mercedes Benz you have to pay the price.
If you want to save then use the Bus.

Answer 8

there is nothing wrong with paying commision if they make you money. The good companies are etrade and scott trade. of you are looking for mutual funds check out ingdirect

Answer 9

You get what you pay for. The good guys are worth every penny you pay them because they can make you more than the cheap (free) guys.