drinkTHEkoolaid Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Does anyone here (I'm sure some of you do) use online personal investing in the stock market? What broker service do you use? Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsner Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 No one has a more vested interest in your investment success than you. If you think you are worth it then keep doing your due diligence and keep forging ahead. I haven't had any problems with Ameritrade. They are cheap and easy to use. If you are willing to do your own research then don't get distracted by extras that some services might offer. You are already ahead of the curve by putting investments in your own hands. Just do your proper research and take all advice with a grain of salt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zevo Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 No one has a more vested interest in your investment success than you. If you think you are worth it then keep doing your due diligence and keep forging ahead. I haven't had any problems with Ameritrade. They are cheap and easy to use. If you are willing to do your own research then don't get distracted by extras that some services might offer. You are already ahead of the curve by putting investments in your own hands. Just do your proper research and take all advice with a grain of salt. Agree with most of this but if you are not 100% confident use www.napfa.org great site to find a fee only advisor in your area....I use a advisor that makes suggestions but I ultimately pull the trigger on where my investments go....as a young'n I started out with scottrade but m currently using vanguard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drinkTHEkoolaid Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 I have a 401k through my employer but I'm becoming more and more interested in common stocks so I am looking into ways to start investing that route as well. I've been reading up on some liquid natural gas companies that have me intrigued for growth and profit potential. Can you invest in stocks with an IRA or are they mutual funds? Any ideas or recommendations to begin investing with minimal starting funds? Thanks again Agree with most of this but if you are not 100% confident use www.napfa.org great site to find a fee only advisor in your area....I use a advisor that makes suggestions but I ultimately pull the trigger on where my investments go....as a young'n I started out with scottrade but m currently using vanguard Thanks ill check out napfa.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Can you invest in stocks with an IRA or are they mutual funds? Any ideas or recommendations to begin investing with minimal starting funds? I'm not sure about a traditional IRA, but I know you can invest in individual stocks with a Roth IRA. I'd avoid ETrade -- they're expensive and changed their terms of service years ago to charge an "inactivity fee" -- negating the "buy and hold" strategy. And it was expensive, like $20/quarter if you didn't make a trade. They may have removed that, I haven't looked, but they made the change without contacting me through mail (they claim they sent a letter, but I never received it) and wouldn't reverse it. As for a starting amount -- any amount you don't mind losing. Keep in mind that you'll need to pay a transaction fee when you buy AND sell the stock. If the fee is $10/transaction, keep that in mind when investing -- you probably don't want to buy $100 worth of stock if you're going to spend $20 to trade in/out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 First rule....take no advice from a message board( except this of course LOL.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 First rule....take no advice from a message board( except this of course LOL.) Unless, of course, it's about dating ... or serious health concerns. But money? No effin' way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 I have a 401k through my employer but I'm becoming more and more interested in common stocks You should talk with the broker who oversees your 401K at work. (Not the HR administartor, the actual broker) They will do a free portfolio analysis for you (that's part of their 401K admnistration duties). Free advice never hurts. FYI, managing your own money takes time (a lot more than a couple of hours per week). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMannn Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 I haven't had any problems with Ameritrade. They are cheap and easy to use. If you are willing to do your own research then don't get distracted by extras that some services might offer. Yeah I use TDA but also found Fidelity (my 401K manager) useful. What steps do you do in your research? I'm always willing to learn. People mentioned their 401's. If you don't like the investment choices, roll out what you can into a IRA. You may be limited on how much you roll but at least then you have more choices. I do some stocks but lately I'm leaning more towards funds Today's tip: MNKD. In the last couple weeks I made more on this than working my job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Yeah I use TDA but also found Fidelity (my 401K manager) useful. What steps do you do in your research? I'm always willing to learn. People mentioned their 401's. If you don't like the investment choices, roll out what you can into a IRA. You may be limited on how much you roll but at least then you have more choices. I do some stocks but lately I'm leaning more towards funds Today's tip: MNKD. In the last couple weeks I made more on this than working my job Do you work in either finance or the healthcare industry? How did you stumble across MNKD and where did you learn the keys of picking bio-tech/pharma stocks? Personally, I won't touch bio-tech or healthcare stocks. As if investing in a company which is essentially pre-revenue isn't difficult enough, add in the FDA, clinical trials, and the incredible uncertainty surrounding the ACA and I have no idea which way is up when it comes to healthcare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Any ideas or recommendations to begin investing with minimal starting funds? Unless you really know what you're doing, best to stick to the mutual funds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 You should talk with the broker who oversees your 401K at work. (Not the HR administartor, the actual broker) They will do a free portfolio analysis for you (that's part of their 401K admnistration duties). Free advice never hurts. FYI, managing your own money takes time (a lot more than a couple of hours per week). It certainly doesn't have to. If you're trying to manage your account like a mutual fund or day trade, then certainly it can, but if you invest in long term value plays you're mostly just taking the occasional glance at your positions and then reading up at each earnings announcement. Your time commitment is all up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Does anyone here (I'm sure some of you do) use online personal investing in the stock market? What broker service do you use? Any advice? There's a few different things you can do with very little up front money. I am a firm believer in dollar cost averaging (you can't time the market...you have to invest in solid, profitable companies over time rather than putting a large chunk of money in all at once). Most of these websites keep your cost basis history for you so calculating gains in the future is all taken care of). TD Ameritrade is my company and it is user friendly. I make a small direct tranfer from my personal checking account each month and it accumulates in my TD Ameritrade money market/cash account so when I am ready to buy shares of a company I like, it is available. I don't ever buy stock on margin (i.e. borrow money from the brokerage based on the equity positions I hold) and I don't short stocks (betting that they will fall in price). If you want to just invest in blue chip stocks on a dollar cost average basis, most big companies (IBM, Coca Cola, Pepsi, etc) have a DRIP (dividend reinvestment program). This means that you buy stock directly from the company and your dividends reinvest to buy more shares. If you buy 100 shares and it pays a dividend each quarter, they automatically reinvest those dividends to buy more shares for you. These are nice starter programs that you can research, invest in and let sit for years and years. Finally, I do own a TIPS (Treasury Inflation Protected Security) and this is not something alot of people like (given it is government backed) BUT with interest rates at an all time low, I personally feel inflation is around the corner and this security not only pays fixed interest but also adjusts upward as inflation rises. Not something offered on TD Ameritrade but you can buy them direct at treasurydirect.gov Be careful in what you invest in, learn to analyze a balance sheet and profit/loss statement. Research online and remember the old saying "Pigs get fat, but Hogs get slaughtered" (i.e. when you make a profit, don't be afraid to sell because if you think it will go higher, invariably, it goes down and you end up kicking yourself. Be a pig and take profits or at least take your initial investment out...if you are a hog, you may get slaughtered and lose some or all of your initial investment) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Be a pig and take profits or at least take your initial investment out...if you are a hog, you may get slaughtered and lose some or all of your initial investment) Good advice - and something I'm still really bad at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Good advice - and something I'm still really bad at. So much easier said than done...I'm still learning as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanM.D. Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Be careful in what you invest in, learn to analyze a balance sheet and profit/loss statement. Research online and remember the old saying "Pigs get fat, but Hogs get slaughtered" (i.e. when you make a profit, don't be afraid to sell because if you think it will go higher, invariably, it goes down and you end up kicking yourself. Be a pig and take profits or at least take your initial investment out...if you are a hog, you may get slaughtered and lose some or all of your initial investment) I'll second Fez's comment that this is good advice. How many people are kicking themselves in the backside over Apple (just for example) right now? Nothing wrong with a good solid return on your investment. Lock in profits and leave some to gamble if that's your game. One more thing....and it goes with this advice to some degree. NEVER get 'emotional' with a stock. Don't fall in love, abandon your own due diligence, and stick with something because you've made it personal (i.e. I'm smarter than what the market is saying/doing or you've disagreed with a friend/fellow investor and it becomes about 'winning'). In other words, don't be afraid take a loss. You lick your wounds and move on. Pride be damned. It's much better than sitting there insisting 'everyone' else is wrong and watching your investment completely bottom out. Lock up that cash when you've made a nice run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 (edited) I'll second Fez's comment that this is good advice. How many people are kicking themselves in the backside over Apple (just for example) right now? Nothing wrong with a good solid return on your investment. http://finance.yahoo...urce=undefined; Thos folks who did not sell Apple at 188 when it went to 90 gotta be kicking themselves . Not trying to be a richard here.., just saying getting advice from a sports message board on what to do with your mone is the same as going to the Buffalo City govenment and asking them how they plan Championship Parades...makes no sense Edited May 20, 2013 by plenzmd1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 http://finance.yahoo...urce=undefined; Thos folks who did not sell Apple at 188 when it went to 90 gotta be kicking themselves . Not trying to be a richard here.., just saying getting advice from a sports message board on what to do with your mone is the same as going to the Buffalo City govenment and asking them how they plan Championship Parades...makes no sense You're reading too much into it. All we said was "Don't be afraid to take a profit." If you think the company is still undervalued based on your own research, then by all means, hold onto it. Just don't kick yourself if you sell and it still goes up - because profit is profit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 You're reading too much into it. All we said was "Don't be afraid to take a profit." If you think the company is still undervalued based on your own research, then by all means, hold onto it. Just don't kick yourself if you sell and it still goes up - because profit is profit. But when do you take the profit and what's left of the profit after your oftentimes short term cap gains tax? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 But when do you take the profit and what's left of the profit after your oftentimes short term cap gains tax? Preserve that capital at all costs!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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