Schwab, i dunno what stocks to pick or what to even do

anyone want to teach me some quick stuff for newbies or point me to a thread/website?


i should know this since i took a stock market class, but i dont.


am i going to lose all my money?

 

You have money?

 

Most likely.

I recommend newbs buy index funds until they start to understand the game.

 

I recently opened an account with Ameritrade. I put my money in companies I believe in and patronize. I'm not using it like a gambling account. Ironically, I invested in IGT and RIV.

My plan is not to hop in and out, but just to buy when prices are low. Stock trading doesn't have to be difficult.

 

check out www.investopedia.com theres tons of info u can read up on for a beginner...

 

 

go long on Ford

 

How much money are we talking about?

 

like maybe 5-10 thousand.

 

^^And this is not your life savings? Something you don't need in a flash? Have you been approved for margin trading, option trading or just cash trading?

 

Mutual funds fa sho. Consider vanguard index 500, and possibly a mid-cap index fund. Another option would be ETFs that function as index portfolios but are traded as stocks. As you gain income you can expand your portfolio to dividend funds, tax-managed funds, etc. Small-cap funds may be a little too volatile right now. My financial advisor has me avoiding emergent market investments because of volatility in russia and eastern europe.

 

+1 Got in on Ford at $2. with every execution, you look back and say I shoulda, woulda, coulda bought more. Today they closed at $3.49 and still steady after hours.

Bank stocks are questionable, but I'm loading up on C & BAC and I'm dabbling into solar energy stock (ESLR), and also have an itchy finger for a commercial lender (NEWS). Everything's so cheap, you can't go wrong if you have a long term outlook.

 

^What are your thoughts on citigroup, AIG, pepsi, coca-cola, or morgan-stanley?

 

Bank of America....

All time low and chances of going belly up is low (IMHO)...

Any stock you buy low, you should just hold and forget about it. Let it grow over the years...

 

yea i was thinking of buying for the long run. and if i make some money just sell how much i initially put in, and leave whatever is left there.

 

Citigroup - worth it if you got in dirt cheap. I got in around 2.90 for my overall basis, much better than most colleagues who got in at 5 & 6 thinking they were set for long term. It's questionable with them because they are slowly shedding and selling off many of their divisions.

AIG - 10 foot pole, for now i'll look at it as a day trader stock.

Pepsi - decent dividend, good cashflow. I'd do due diligence since their earnings reports ill be released on the 23rd of the month. 50/50.

Coca Cola - decent dividend, not much movement/volume for short term trading. no especially good news coming up. unless their Q4 earnings early May give investors some confidence.

Morgan Stanley - just as skeptical as Citigroup

BAC - a strong player. still pretty cheap at around 7 bucks, but I think they're really going to show their colors in the future, especially with the absorption of Merrill, they're a damn powerhouse. LONG on this one.

I'm looking forward to earnings tomorrow. market took a beating due to nonfarm payroll. tech stocks should be a big mover tomorrow.

surfer rick : why did your FA advise u away from emerging markets? they're at least 40% in the hole since our fiasco in October. Get into a broad emerging markets index now. Tons of studies are showing emerging markets and foreign/global equities have caught up and maintain close to half the world's current wealth. diversification.

Disclosure : I'm not a financial guru, nor do these forecasts promise guarenteed results. Consult with your financial advisor or representative to make sure you understand the risks involved. (I had to do it, especially if i'm wrong about these damn tech stocks tomorrow)

 

^I killed it with my emerging market funds beginning 2-3 yrs ago but they really took a nosedive over the past year. My FA is concerned about economic stability in Russia and how it may drag down the emerging market sector as a whole over the next 2 years. He is similarly, albeit, less concerned about China as their economic growth may exceed their infrastructure. However, in about 2 years time I will consider re-investing in this sector with my money on India and Brazil to do well. Mind you, I haven't liquidated any emerging market investments, just shifted my portfolio towards index 500, index mid-cap, and tax-managed funds.

P.S. thanks for the above advice. Doctors are amongst the worst investors so I may just stick to mutual funds. Work becomes so consuming that it is difficult to stay really focused on economic trends on a day-to-day basis as you certainly seem privy to.

 

It's tough for anyone that it's not a living for so u and me both... but whew! I was under the impression that you liquidated your previous positions. Thank god you didn't. but shifting future allocations is ok for now. Dr. Surfer Rick , Thank you for your service.

 

Newbs should stay away from margin and options.

 

Baloney. This is the best way to gamble the little money the person has. Not advocating trading options with ten's of thousands of dollars. The guy only has 5-10k.

What's he gonna do? Buy 2k shares of C and sit with it? How long? If he is really against volatility, he should just by an index fund and forget about it. I don't think he wants to do that since he's asking here.

 

There's that word again: gamble. God, that pisses me off. The stock market is not supposed to be a casino. And now that it is little more than a bunch of people pushing and pulling money to and from companies, there's no stability whatsoever.

 

^LOL. What do you think you're doing? Investing? Ok. Change the word to "invest" instead of "gamble". It's the same thing.

 

if mizouse doesn't know what he's doing, it'd be a bad idea to start off in something that can get him stuck with a liability bigger than what he originally invested.

mizouse: you WANT to go long term (but can't be sure if you'll need the $) or you ARE long term (you don't need this money at all for 10+ years)?

if you still want to try margin/options, start with one of those "fantasy" stock market sites and see how you do over a few months first...

 

this money i have has been sitting in a CD for the past 2 years, i dont need it. (of course i dont want to lose it thou)

and i dont make that much money from my job, so i dont want to end up owing more money than i put in.


i was thinking of picking up BAC? maybe PEP ?

id like to pick up apple but i cant afford very many shares of it.

 

BAC is very safe and you will make money long term period!

Crazy to me no one has mentioned SIRI, are you kidding me I am up over 300% And they have got alot instore for future outcome, they are going to be on IPhone, and Direct TV by summer. We are talking huge, their credit ratings just moved up, Seems like a no brainer at a mid 40cent buy.

Take a look at GM too, your safest is deffinetly BAC, buy at least 10,000 shares of SIRI then put the rest in BAC, those are two polor opposite stalks, one very aggresive, one stable,
Have fun

 

hmm... that does look pretty good..

 

why didnt i buy BAC when i posted this

 

should i still get in?

 

ah get on with siri and have a hay day, day trading holy wow! 15% a day it seems to change very fun stock!! woot woot!

 

ps stop looking at dollar amounts and look at percentages, you will lean that is all that matters. I love rooting and raving about siri when it goes up ten cents, people laugh! BofA is still long term, so in that regard ya it is still definitely a good time to get in, if you are planning on being a grandma investor... LVS is also a good one to check out, medium range stock, yet very aggressive!

 

lol!

 

looks like i might get another chance?

 

how do i know when i should get out and sell?

 

If you invest in a company, keep tabs on the news of that particular business and the economy as a whole. If you are getting started, check out VSE (Virtual Stock Exchange) and join a game. Play around for a while until you feel confident in risking real money. Don't worry too much! Oh and start watching CNBC

 

CNBC? are u serious..isn't that idiot cramer on there?