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 since you say you've got no clue!
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!
TOP Mutual funds
Just so you know, Mutual funds aren´t for everyone. Personally, I wouldn´t invest in them unless I had to. For more detail on that, just do a search for where I´ve addressed this question in other answers.
However to answer your question, there are several rankings of mutual funds, keeping in mind that past performance does not guarantee future results. I'd also stick to no load funds so you don't get "as" soaked on fees, etc.
Here are some of the sources with appropriate link.
Lots of sources for Mutual fund reports that you´re looking for. Here are some.
Money Magazine
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestfunds/indexfunds.html
Morningstar
http://www.morningstar.com/Cover/Funds.html?pgid=hetabfunds
Kiplingers
http://www.kiplinger.com/personalfinance/investing/funds/?
MutualFundRankings
http://mutualfundrankings.org/
And you may want to take a look at this article on mutual funds too just so you have a little more info if you´ve got tax concerns.
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/93/930429Arc3288.html
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Hope that helps!
Info on mutual funds
http://beginnersinvest.about.com/cs/mutualfunds1/a/aa031501.htm
Investing for Beginners
http://beginnersinvest.about.com/popular.htm
2007-06-18 06:41:39
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answer #1
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answered by Yada Yada Yada 7
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The stock market can be risky at the best of times, even for experienced investors. However, everyone has to start somewhere, and if you do not start now then when will you acquire the necessary experience?
Do read some books on the subject. Visit your local book store and find a book that you like and feel comfortable with.
Some of the titles I have on my bookshelf include:
One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch
How to make money in Stocks by William J. O’Neil (Founder of Investor’s Business Daily)
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J Stanley and William D Danco
Check out web sites like fool.com and yahoo finance.
Investigate trading strategies with a proven track record over 3, 5, 10, and 15 years.
Pick something that you understand, find easy to use, will help you realise your goals, and where you can take responsibility for your investments and be in full control of your capital.
Systems like the Stocks Monthly system are definitely worth investigating once you are up to speed with the nuts and bolts of investing.
2007-06-15 01:27:18
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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The stock market where buying and selling of shares take place, is a complex game played by bulls and bears and it is seen that new comers generally incurs loss because little knowledge in the stock market is very dangerous. As such, I feel you must route your stock market investments through Mutual funds who are professionals and well equip to play the stock market game.
2007-06-15 01:50:29
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answer #3
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answered by pup 2
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