Investing - Where to start?

[disneysteve]

the stock market has become very volatile and only a smart investor can make gains here.

The stock market has always been volatile. And anyone can "make gains" through a plan of regular investing over time.

[YolandoAmaya]

Yes, this is the perfect time to invest for you peoples as you are young and capable enough. You can have a saving account as well as select a good plan to invest. As you are new in investing price to earnings ratio (p/e ratio), market cap, and return on equity, can be a bit confusing to you. It will be good if you take some advice from experts.

[snafu]

1st rule of investing presumes you will let the money grow and not withdraw for a minimum 5 years.

I suggest you set a deadline to start putting your desire to start an investment plan into action. I started with the very popular DCA [Dollar Cost Averaging] program. Use figures appropriate to your circumstances possibly $ 1K which was the minimum requirement to open an account and authorized an automatic withdraw of $ 100. on the 30th of each month in their very inexpensive Index Mutual Fund [MF]. It was so easy I didn't feel the re-directed money. Understand that some months you'll buy more units, other months less depending on the gyrations of the stock market. Re-investing any dividends gives gain without pain. You can make any changes you like, increase contributions or even stop them if you need to.

It can help to 'sweep' money from your chequing account to a linked savings account on the day your pay hits [less the float that gives free bank services and any items outstanding from current month] It's incredibly easy to transfer 'leftovers' in savings as extra to buy more units. Pushed by dad's philosophy of 'if you fail to plan, you plan to fail,' DH and I changed it up to invest 15% of income to our investment portfolio.

Following the theory that investment is a 3 legged operation, I reluctantly bought Bond Funds but I'm really uncomfortable in that market segment so I added a Dividend Fund.

sorry the description got so long, really just a couple of phone calls helped with Quarterly Net Worth reviews.

[stock_market]

Start investing your money in stock market in shares like google,apple,exxon mobil,facebook,BoA,which can give you a better return in long term.

[ashleyjohn]

Credit union is an answer to your question. Credit unions help keep the client's money safely. If you are thinking about investing in real estate or any other market, you can apply for loan with the same credit union. Last year, when I bought a house in Killeen, I applied for loan with Greater Central Texas Federal Credit Union and these guys took care of everything for me.

[johnt78]

Whether you're approaching retirement age, just starting out on your own, or somewhere in the middle, you've begun to think about your financial future.

[jIM_Ohio]

My husband and I are in a great position where we are debt free, I'm 26 and he's 25, we're young and I know that we should start investing because we are so young we can afford to take more risk and potentially earn more in the long run. But I have no idea where to start. I considered getting with a financial advisor but I've also heard from people that we shouldn't pay someone to handle our money. Where should we start? What should we do? Any help would be greatly appreciated. =)

Set aside 20% of your GROSS income each month.
Put it in a savings account
Put it in permanent portfolio (PRPFX)
or invest it another way.

Take moderate risk before you make a bigger decision. If you focus on habits over decisions, this will be easier.

Habits:
1) Save regularly
2) research decisions
3) avoid high expenses and fees

[jpham540]

Like some of the poster mention start contributing to your 401k up to your employer match. This is free money so don’t pass it up. Look at your company 401k plan and see how much you will get for how many years you have worked.
Do you have an emergency fund? Normally we recommend a 3 to 6 month to cover for expense.
Figure out your short term goals <5 years & long term goals >5 years.
Do you plan on buying a house soon?
If you plan on needing the money less than 5 years you should just stick it in a saving account.
Also I would follow rennigade advice of visiting boglehead; I have most of my investment in vanguard index funds mainly the 3 fund portfolio. Hope this help.

[Blueknight44]

Start by talking to lic financial professionals, message boards have many opinions. Banks have lic brokers, Schwab.com has free information with real people, I'm a 17 year client.I'm self directed, research, trades.

I search boards for ideas that support or resist my ideas.

Casino stocks are my choice, Macau China is the global leader for gaming.

Las vegas sands is my choice, sands down from $88, today $63

I got out at 83.99

I'm looking at 50-55 in 12 months from today

[YolandoAmaya]

It is truly great that you are made the decision to make investments of your income at this younger age, it is actually a great time for you. But I must say before making an investment of your income set some limitation, make an excellent strategy and then start your investment plan into actions. There is a few good companies where you can make investments of your income safely and securely with the results of some interest such as saving accounts and CD. But as you stated that you are not having any thought about where to begin your investment, it is best to look some economical adviser who will provide you the best advice for your investment and make you aware about all the legal benefits of the investment services.