investment advice

[Rasker]

My two cents, assuming this is not money you'll be needing to cashout within the next few years,get into a good large family of no-load funds like T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, Scudder, Stein Roe (its been a while -  some of these might have changed names or policies) that allow you to switch money between funds for no fee, put some money in a growth fund, a bit in asset/metal/inflation hedge fund like T. Rowe Price New Era, some in a money market or bond fund, and some in a large cap or index fund if the family has one.  Every so often rebalance the portfolio by selling the funds that grew to buy the funds that didn't.  Over time this will keep you diversified and you'll be able to benefit from appreciation of different sectors of the market.  You might also consider putting some $ into a global or international fund as a dollar-drop hedge if the fund family has one.

[john9001]

subscribe to standard and poors newsletter (S&P) i made thousands from their market tips.

[Curval]

Originally posted by Dago
This is both a useless comment, "what you should have done" and just a slightly veiled shot demonstrating the enjoyment you get out of something  negative about the US economy .

dago

And this is about the stupidest comment I've seen you post, demonstrating your ignorance.

I get paid in Bermuda dollars.  The Bermuda dollar is on PAR with the US dollar.  Every time the US dollar decends my earnings go down with it.

You think I enjoy this?  What an idiot you are.

[Dago]

Originally posted by Curval

I get paid in Bermuda dollars.  The Bermuda dollar is on PAR with the US dollar.  Every time the US dollar decends my earnings go down with it.

You think I enjoy this?  What an idiot you are.

So your point was?

 It's not exactly like you dont have a bit of an anti-US past on this board.

dago

[Curval]

Yea right Dago...I'm an Ameristalker...beware Curval the Ameristalker....



This thread is a year old.  My point was that Krusher put his money into stocks that paid him a 19% return, when he could simply have bought Euros and made quite a bit more.  But, that is easy to say now given that, as I said in my post, that HINDSIGHT IS 20/20.

Infact a 19% return on his money is FANTASTIC given the market turmoil over the past year.  If he can maintain that he should manage money for a living.

No real point...just commenting.

Of course your brilliant idea of buying lottery tickets was a very well thought out comment.

[Dago]

Originally posted by Curval
Y
Of course your brilliant idea of buying lottery tickets was a very well thought out comment.

Well, the laughing smiley was a hint that I was joking.  Hopefully you caught that.

dago

[Thrawn]

One word, "Va-poo-rise".

[Halo]

A year after this thread started ... but investments are forever.  

For investment overview as well as particulars, Morningstar on line might have the most and best financial advice for the money, both for starters and veterans.

Diversification is essential.

No-load mutual funds are a good place to start after putting enough money in a tax-free money market or credit union to meet a couple months of expenses.  

Always buy low and sell high.  It sounds so simple, but ignoring this truism probably costs more people more money than any other single financial decision.  

Index funds can be overrated -- many other funds consistently beat them.

Before you buy anything, decide at what point you will sell, i.e., when you will take your money and run.  

The essential balance is return vs. risk.  Morningstar bases its entire rating system on that.  

Look into Morningstar.  You can see and learn a lot for free, and if you decide to go full service, you'll be even better off.

[Wolfala]

Originally posted by Krusher
I sold my company stock to pay off a few debts. We still have about 2 grand left that I want to open some sort of investment account with.

Do any of you guys have any experience in online trading? Any recommendations on a online broker, or should I go with a financial planner?

I was going to put the extra cash in to a money market account and add about 100 dollars per month to the total. Eventually after we were a bit more comfortable (self education) with the workings of stocks and bond investments etc, I was going to start a small portfolio.

Any advice, tips or cautionary tales would be appreciated !

If you havn't started a ROTH IRA for your retirement - the longer u wait the worse it is. Max contribution for this year is $3,000.

[tapakeg]

2 words,   "Warren Buffet"

He knows what he's doing.




And for god's sake,  not "Jimmy Buffet"

Great songs, not much for investment advice





We own some of Buffet's stock,  the other day it went up 50 bucks a share.


Tapakeg

[john9001]

anybody can invest like Warren Buffet, just buy lots of blue chip stocks and sit on them for 30 years, and you can be rich also.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Ripper29
If you had bought $1000.00 worth of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00.

With Enron, you would have $16.50 left.

 

Admittedly I know very little about stocks and the market.
Tried to make sense of it once and only came to the conclusion it seems to make little sense at all LOL

But
With those stocks so low now wouldnt it be a good idea to invest in them now?
Enron in particular

On another Note

I have just over 10 Grand in a Vanguard Prime Money market fund

Any thoughts on this?
Leave it as it is for the next 20 years or should I do something else with it?

[Krusher]

Originally posted by Wolfala
If you havn't started a ROTH IRA for your retirement - the longer u wait the worse it is. Max contribution for this year is $3,000.

Do you think it is a better investment than my 401k?  I already put 15 percent in and I may add another 5.

[JBA]

look into convertable bonds.

[rpm]

If it were me, I'd open an IRA. Sure, there's less potential for gain, but there's zero potential for loss. The money will be there when you need it most, retirement.