Originally Posted by ec1990
Do your research mainly, I'm a fan of doing all the research on my own, so yeah I take more risk in doing so but I also educate myself and gain a skill. I started roughly 2 years ago, almost. Motley Fool is a pretty good website. Take the risks you can, I tell anyone if you can't afford to lose it all in the stock market don't put it in. Personally I started with dividend funds (Ford/Intel, made close to 25% on those 2 overall, plus dividends at roughly 3-4% which is better than any money market/CD out there) That was the main reason for investing, I was looking at my checking account and steadily watched interest rates drop as the economy went down and just seems crazy not earn on money I'm not using.
For a safe bet I love Vanguard Mutual Funds, their Dividend fund closely matches the S&P which usually beats the market overall, as well as their Windsor II fund if well balanced, plus you can't beat their expense ratios.
You'll win and lose, I've had stocks go down 99% which I still hold since it's pointless to sell at this level, but I've also tripled money on a stock, recently I owned Power One (PWER) bought at $4, it was recently bought out for 6.50 a share. Sell when it's high, buy when it's low, I bought into Nike at a low point and have made almost 25% in just over a month. Now I don't have hundreds of thousands so it may appear miniscule but it's all a percentages game. I would love to do day trading once I safely have 10,000 in capital purely for that.
Definitely, so don't buy into 3/5 year charts, 2007-early 2009 saw most stocks go down 20-50%, 2009-now have seen most go up 15-60%. So anyone who says they've made money the last 3 years is an idiot, why? Because anyone with money in the market with half a brain could have increased their money 50% plus in the last 3 years.
Mutual funds offer less risk but less reward, stocks are higher risk but high reward so keep it diversified. At most of our ages you can afford to be risky (within reason), but also save up for retirement, Lifetime funds which you put in your retirement year are great because the advisors shift the holdings less risky as you get closer. Unless you're lucky enough to have a matching retirement portfolio, then certainly do that first, me since I don't put money into my Roth.
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