Stock Traders Come In Here

[The King]

I use sharebuilder due to the fact it doesn't require any minimum investments

I've been using Sharebuilder myself for years. No complaints whatsoever so far.

[BLK306]

So those of you who do trade did you just do a little reading and try to make a decent purchase, use the virtual traders until you thought you knew what you were doing, or did you have a mentor to help you get started? With all of the jargon, charts, etc. its kind of intimidating having never really paid any attention before. However, I'm trying to self educate to the best of my ability. It's just kind of hard trying to figure out where to start.

[Broncojohnny]

My advice is to not "trade". That bullshit is for suckers. What you should try to do is "invest". Anyone who tells you that they know where a stock will be next week or next month or even next year is a hack.

This post will be followed by blowhards who will tell you different. Don't listen.

[Shorty]

My advice is to not "trade". That bullshit is for suckers. What you should try to do is "invest". Anyone who tells you that they know where a stock will be next week or next month or even next year is a hack.

This post will be followed by blowhards who will tell you different. Don't listen.

It's like craps. Just keep making the boring bets with the best odds. Let all the suckers throw their money away.

[Vertnut]

My advice is to not "trade". That bullshit is for suckers. What you should try to do is "invest". Anyone who tells you that they know where a stock will be next week or next month or even next year is a hack.

This post will be followed by blowhards who will tell you different. Don't listen.

Yeah. I set two accounts up a while back for long-term stuff. One is for my granddaughter (it's a custodial account- she's 2), and all I do is watch it. When her dividends hit, or I add money as a gift, I've just been buying more of the same stock. Her stock is about to have a 2/1 split on Thursday. The little shit has done pretty well. LOL.

[Jose]

the only way to add funds is to actually take the money to one of their offices or send a check. I sure wished there was a way to do it over the phone , internet or through a bank quickly.

Fidelity allows you to deposit a check using the smart phone app like a lot of banks do now a days. You can also do a funds transfer online if you have a bank on file. Unfortunately none of them transfer funds instantly and usually take a day or two.

[FastFox]

JYRO, I use Scottrade and I send money via bank transfer. Go to their site and get that set up. It's easy.

[BLK306]

My advice is to not "trade". That bullshit is for suckers. What you should try to do is "invest". Anyone who tells you that they know where a stock will be next week or next month or even next year is a hack.

This post will be followed by blowhards who will tell you different. Don't listen.

Could you explain a little more on what you mean by investing vs trading? I know its a noob questions but I guess I kind of thought that by getting some stocks and creating a portfolio that was investing.

[Vertnut]

Could you explain a little more on what you mean by investing vs trading? I know its a noob questions but I guess I kind of thought that by getting some stocks and creating a portfolio that was investing.

Some guys like to fancy themselves as "day traders", and make a lot of transactions. Most of those guys lose their asses, too.

[Taylor]

I would suggest learning the different types of products you can trade, how they trade and what sort of capital you would need to begin trading each. Stocks, options, mutual funds, ETF's, commodities etc. From there maybe take a look at suitability. Are you risk averse or open to more risk? What's your time horizon like? Are you just looking into this for something fun to do or are you looking to make some serious investments?

Have solid, informed answers for these questions and you will be started down the right track. Just my .02

[Hmbre97]

Buy low, sell high.

[BLK306]

I would suggest learning the different types of products you can trade, how they trade and what sort of capital you would need to begin trading each. Stocks, options, mutual funds, ETF's, commodities etc. From there maybe take a look at suitability. Are you risk averse or open to more risk? What's your time horizon like? Are you just looking into this for something fun to do or are you looking to make some serious investments?

Have solid, informed answers for these questions and you will be started down the right track. Just my .02

Thanks for the .02. I'm intersted in making some serious investments. Not that I have a lot of money but I'm willing to liquidate some stuff to get started. I want to invest in some assests that can make me some money over time. Definitely not something I want to do just for fun.

[SBFORDTECH]

My advice is to not "trade". That bullshit is for suckers. What you should try to do is "invest". Anyone who tells you that they know where a stock will be next week or next month or even next year is a hack.

This post will be followed by blowhards who will tell you different. Don't listen.

Like anything else, the more you educate yourself on a subject the more you reduce risk. Everybody has their own tactics and methods, just depends what kind of return you are looking for. If you are fluent with charts, day trading is not a bad deal. I would not recommend a new investor/trader to day trade. I never have more than 20% of my portfolio tied up in my day/swing trades to limit over exposure. Remember, the entire point is to buy low and sell high. The more often you do that, the more often you make money.

[jefehbk]

I will add to the origianl O.P.'s query.

....any financial analysts or gurus that are good to follow for investing tips, education and such? I usually watch Cramer and msnbc in the morning for their shows.

I usually browse sites like seekingalpha.com and thestreet.com as well as msnbc.com.

I was talking with the coke rep at work, he is into investing big time. He suggested I read up on investing in market index funds, dividend ETFs, and mutual funds. He mentioned to look into IRA/Roth IRA.

Can someone break down into layman terms the benefits/disadvatages of both IRAs?

[gt500]

JYRO, I use Scottrade and I send money via bank transfer. Go to their site and get that set up. It's easy.

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