How many of you guys invest in the stock market? What do you guys use, E-trade, Ameritrade? Any good or bad experiences? I am just thinking about maybe looking into starting to get my feet wet with the stock market. I want to see what you guys felt about it. Thanks
Investing in the Stock Market
- Thread starter URDONE
- Start date
I invest, but not as an active trader with on-line brokerages like ScottTrade, E-trade, or Ameritrade.
My account is with Fidelity. They have been holding my accounts since 1995, because my employer used them for my 401k. They have great research and information that is free for customers, but the cost for market orders will vary depending on how much money you have in your accounts.
My IRA is funded monthly by automatic bank debit.
On-line access is excellent and I've got all my account info available anywhere I can get an Internet connection.
Check out Sharebuilder....it costs $4/trade....probably the most thrifty way to go.
My investing style is GARP (Growth at a Reasonable Price) and looking for momentum/growth stocks that pay dividends.
Right now, I own Exxon (oil), Consol Energy (coal), Symantec (software), and Ciena (telecom).
Mutual funds are 2 small cap funds and Fidelity Select Energy Services fund....the Halliburton shares they've bought have been kicking @$$. That particular fund I bought at $49/share & it sits at over $70 right now.
Thinking of pushing out into gold....wished I had done it last May while the price was still around $420/oz.....it will be going higher, believe me.
My account is with Fidelity. They have been holding my accounts since 1995, because my employer used them for my 401k. They have great research and information that is free for customers, but the cost for market orders will vary depending on how much money you have in your accounts.
My IRA is funded monthly by automatic bank debit.
On-line access is excellent and I've got all my account info available anywhere I can get an Internet connection.
Check out Sharebuilder....it costs $4/trade....probably the most thrifty way to go.
My investing style is GARP (Growth at a Reasonable Price) and looking for momentum/growth stocks that pay dividends.
Right now, I own Exxon (oil), Consol Energy (coal), Symantec (software), and Ciena (telecom).
Mutual funds are 2 small cap funds and Fidelity Select Energy Services fund....the Halliburton shares they've bought have been kicking @$$. That particular fund I bought at $49/share & it sits at over $70 right now.
Thinking of pushing out into gold....wished I had done it last May while the price was still around $420/oz.....it will be going higher, believe me.
I day trade my own account when the time permits. I also have investments that I am long on. I use Ameritrade, as E-Trade screwed me big time. They cost me $11K on a "short" situation and they decided to make it up to me by only refunding the cost of the trade, not the money it cost me, although they were completely wrong.
I myself use my broker. I found that since commission is involved, brokers go to great lengths to research and decide on the best stocks, mutual funds, money market accounts, et cetera.. Now the issue is finding a competent and knowledgable broker. I do buy/sell small amounts of stock online, but I try to keep it to a minimum as my time allocated for researching stocks is minimal. If you're looking to get your feet wet, I would suggest Ameritrade. Spend some time researching stocks and the type of stock you would like to purchase. Analyze it's growth/decline in the past few years and keep an eye out for any trends (ie.. value rising at year end or beginning). Once you've done your homework, purchase a few shares of a few different types of stocks and watch them over X amount of time. 
note to self - don't post in threads with FordSVTFan. Everytime I do I get hungry.
note to self - don't post in threads with FordSVTFan. Everytime I do I get hungry.
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So Ameritrade is pretty good? I don't have much I want to invest in the stock market, because I do plan on buying a condo in a 1 1/2 yrs time so is there a minimum amount on Ameritrade or E-trade that I have to purchase? I do have a few grand to play with.
2003 Silver
Banned
URDONE said:
Real Estate....Real Estate!! Don't bother with the market until GM tanks and then buy in big!!!!
The good thing about the stock market is you can diversify your stocks, thereby eliminating a lot of the risk. Stocks inherantly fluctuate, so by purchasing diversified stocks, you can ensure (or project) that if one does go down in value, one of your others will raise value to make up for it.
95rcobra
New Member
Bl4ckedoutc0bra said:
Exactly how I set up my portfolio. Diversify. If you set it up correctly you can put yourself pretty much in a no lose situation. these last few years while the market is going sideways my returns keep rising steadily. I am diversified all over with small,medium,and large caps,real estate and international funds. I am happy with market everyday whether it goes up or down. If you put all your investments in one area you will eventually get burned. Keep it diverse. Real Estate is good but I like the Stock Market better for the long haul.
Later,95rcobra.
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95rcobra said:
Glad to hear you are doing well. :beer:
Symbol for gold?
If you are talking gold stocks in companies, more than you can shake stick at.
I was talking about the physical metal. There are companies out there that allow you to purchase gold in a "pool account" and they deliver the metal to you later.
A pool account lets you leverage gold with dollars, and either buy more or sell the leveraged (undelivered) gold back on a price increase.
Pretty handy for investors who want momentum in gold without holding onto the metal....or if you like, you can ask for delivery of gold coins to you.
See kitco.com or some other goldbug sites for more info.
If you are talking gold stocks in companies, more than you can shake stick at.
I was talking about the physical metal. There are companies out there that allow you to purchase gold in a "pool account" and they deliver the metal to you later.
A pool account lets you leverage gold with dollars, and either buy more or sell the leveraged (undelivered) gold back on a price increase.
Pretty handy for investors who want momentum in gold without holding onto the metal....or if you like, you can ask for delivery of gold coins to you.
See kitco.com or some other goldbug sites for more info.
First step in investing is paying off high intrest debt.
I just started investing around the new year. Being that i am a fairly young investor (turned 25 today), have all debt paid off (including my cars), have no obligations (wife, kids, etc) so i have quite a bit of 'disposable' income. I opted to start out in penney stocks (generaly anything under $5.00 a share), there are a ton of people that dont like them but with the right research i think it CAN be a good short term investment. I only invest what i am willing to loose. I have subscribed to Peter Leeds and soon will be subscribed to Global Penney Stocks. They pick the stocks, i review them and if i like what they pick... i invest. So far it has worked out pretty good, my frist investment was EGAM (OTC BB) back in mid Dec. I also recently bought RAE (AMEX) about a week ago.
The rest of the year i plan on diversifying into other mid/large cap finds as well as some mutual funds and a Roth IRA. I am still looking for a bank to handle all of my long term investments; fidelity is at the top of my list.
-Mike
I just started investing around the new year. Being that i am a fairly young investor (turned 25 today), have all debt paid off (including my cars), have no obligations (wife, kids, etc) so i have quite a bit of 'disposable' income. I opted to start out in penney stocks (generaly anything under $5.00 a share), there are a ton of people that dont like them but with the right research i think it CAN be a good short term investment. I only invest what i am willing to loose. I have subscribed to Peter Leeds and soon will be subscribed to Global Penney Stocks. They pick the stocks, i review them and if i like what they pick... i invest. So far it has worked out pretty good, my frist investment was EGAM (OTC BB) back in mid Dec. I also recently bought RAE (AMEX) about a week ago.
The rest of the year i plan on diversifying into other mid/large cap finds as well as some mutual funds and a Roth IRA. I am still looking for a bank to handle all of my long term investments; fidelity is at the top of my list.
-Mike
Mike K said:
Happy birthday you old man you! :beer: :beer:
Bl4ckedoutc0bra said:
Yeah... the big two-five... almost over the hill
:lol: Thanks though :beer:
Bl4ckedoutc0bra said:I myself use my broker. I found that since commission is involved, brokers go to great lengths to research and decide on the best stocks, mutual funds, money market accounts, et cetera.. Now the issue is finding a competent and knowledgable broker. I do buy/sell small amounts of stock online, but I try to keep it to a minimum as my time allocated for researching stocks is minimal. If you're looking to get your feet wet, I would suggest Ameritrade. Spend some time researching stocks and the type of stock you would like to purchase. Analyze it's growth/decline in the past few years and keep an eye out for any trends (ie.. value rising at year end or beginning). Once you've done your homework, purchase a few shares of a few different types of stocks and watch them over X amount of time.
note to self - don't post in threads with FordSVTFan. Everytime I do I get hungry.
brokers are good....but if you believe what they say blindly...then your setting yourself up for a kick in the nuts. Ask them what they think and research it yourself.....most companies promote their own mutual funds or other funds they are associated with....even if there's a no-load fund out there that historically makes a better profit they may push their fund on you because the brokerage house has a deal with the manager or the brokerage h as is the manager of the fund.
holtsch said:
I agree, that's why I originally mentioned using a broker, but finding a competent and knowledgable one. Meaning one you trust to not do the above mentioned things and one which will do the best for his client, not himself.
Mike K said:
Interesting. I thought about this too. I just haven't done anything yet. I want to research more before I start shelling out money.
How would you go about finding a good mutal fund or a Roth IRA? What should I look for?
Sorry for all the noob question. I am fairly young myself (just turned 24yrs old) and I really would like to get into investing my money. Thanks for all your help guys.
Real estate can be very lucrative, but very taxing. Buying and flipping a property is a quick way to make a lot of money, but it takes a lot of research and sometimes physical labor to get it done. I use my extra $$ to invest in international stock funds. I have some U.S. company stocks, but the international market is making me more $$ right now.
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