I have $3000.00, what's the best way to invest?

Answer 1

If that is all you have, you better put it in a tax-free savings a/c for a rainy day.

When you have enough to keep you for 3 months out of work, and enough to put down for a mortgage deposit, you can then start thinking of mutual funds and the stockmarket. The road to prosperity is long and needs sensible management.

Answer 2

Mr. Poet is very close to having given you an optimal answer. My only critique is that most mutual funds require a minimum investment of about $2500. But I do believe that mutual funds are a good way to invest, not the best but good. The best is only known by hind sight.

Indeed at the moment the stock market is very unsettled, but for a long term investment this is a good time to begin. Sort of like buying at a discount so to speak, but the discount can become greater also.

What I am comfortable with suggesting is investing the minimum amount in a good mutual fund and putting the remainder in the bank for 3 months and then investing it.

Pick a diversified equity mutual fund from a no load mutual fund company such as Fidelity, T Rowe Price, or Royce Funds. Royce is not really diversified but their mutual funds have a supurb track record. Here are the links to these companies.

Fidelity:
http://personal.fidelity.com/products/funds/funds_frame.shtml.cvsr

T Rowe Price:
http://mutualfunds.troweprice.com/?rfpgid=10875&scn=Mutual_Fund_I_Want_to&origins=prospect

Royce:
http://www.roycefunds.com/funds/index.asp?

Answer 3

$3000.00 is a pretty small amount of money to start with. I suggest, since the market is currently very volitile, that you invest around $1000 in a good mutual fund that has a history of steady growth. Then, invest another $1000 in something like bonds, that isn't heavily influenced by market ups and downs. The last $1000 you could probably put into perhaps a stock that simply isn't cyclical. By cyclical, I mean that it doesnt go up and down in trends. Consider investing in medicine, furniture manufacturers, stuff like that where people are always needing them. Also, maybe put in $200 in AAPL or GOOG, simply put these stocks are perfect examples of stocks that are expensive, but can still go higher.

Answer 4

There are way too many questions that go with that such as your tolerance for risk, current financial situation, and your goals.

The quick answer is: if you want to invest in stocks and do it yourself, get signed up with Scottrade or e-trade or similar. They usually have you send them a check with a minimum $1000 to open an account, then you can invest online. Trades are as low as $7 through Scottrade with no inactivity fees (the one I use).

If you are worried about all the research for investing, try buying mutual funds.

If you are worried about losing your money, just put it in a CD that you can buy at your bank.

But before you do any of this, be sure you pay off high-interest debt like credit cards, have a cushion of liquid assets for emergencies, and have a retirement savings plan of some type (401k or IRA).

Answer 5

No responsible financial advisor could answer this question. To know "the best" for you would require a lot more information regarding your timeframe, the ultimate purpose of the money, your liquidity needs, your risk tolerance, etc.

With that said, an online bank like netbank.com or capitalone.com will offer the highest yielding FDIC insured money market funds and CDs. If you're up for greater risk, you might consider a low-cost no-load stock mutual fund like Vanguard's Total Stock Market fund.

And of course, if this money is for education you should consider using a 529 account or Coverdell IRA. If the money is for retirement, you should fully fund your 401(k), IRA, or Roth IRA.

And if you have credit card debt or an auto loan outstanding, that would be a better use for the money than "investing" it.

Answer 6

Invest in Mutual Fund: As the mutual funds are designed by investment companies to buy shares in different stocks and other securities, the mutual fund investor along with their ownership of shares of the mutual fund, have a restricted claim to ownership on few of the securities held by the mutual fund. Besides mutual funds provide the dual advantages of diversification and professional money management services to manage the money invested in the fund.

Shareholders can buy more shares or sell the shares they own whenever they wish. But these transactions should be carried out carefully since the prices of the shares vary daily and can significantly affect your profits.
http://debts-to-wealth.com/category/Guide-to-Mutual-Funds.html

Answer 7

Most brokerages require about $5K to start so I would suggest putting it in a savings like ING or CitiBank ESavings where the rates are 4 to 5 % .
Continue adding to it also and when you get enough to open a brokerage account , I reccommend Schwab .
ALSO , use this time to study finances and Yahoo Finance is free with all the market info .
The Investing Ed section is about 1/2 way down on the left .

http://finance.yahoo.com/

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Answer 8

We cannot answer this because you have not given us enough info.

- If you are in credit card or student loan debt, then pay that off first.
- If you do not have an emergency fund in a bank or money market account, then put your money into that first.
- What is your goal and time horizon for this money? This will determine how to invest.

Answer 9

With very little risk and returns above the annualized market returns you can do very well in the long term. The stock market is the best place to be if you know when to get out. Go to : www.justmanageit. com and see how easy it is to manage your money. It will take you less than 5 minutes a months!

Answer 10

A bank CD is a sure bet. A good mutual fund can earn you more but it might not and you could lose. Depends on how much risk you can afford and how much time you have. Good luck.