Where can one learn investing?

2016-08-15T02:30:41-04:00

I have thought about going into investing I want to start planning for the future. That way when I retire I have something to fall back on instead of being like my parents during back breaking work at 50. Where can I find good investing sites to do research at?

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 15 at 2016 3:13 AM

2016-08-15T03:13:42-04:00

SPC Private RallyPoint Member Look at the Vanguard website. Vanguard has very low fees for their mutual funds. Invest in index mutual funds to start. The site has plenty of information that will explain the basics of investing. Save as much as you can and invest in tax deferred accounts such as Roth IRA's, 401K, TSP, etc. Look at the Vanguard website, and let me know what questions you have.
http://www.vanguard.com

Mutual funds, IRAs, ETFs, 401(k) plans, and more | Vanguard

Vanguard is one of the world's largest investment companies, with more than $3 trillion in global assets.

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 15 at 2016 3:27 AM

2016-08-15T03:27:28-04:00

Connect with me, I ran a company teaching about investing (different vehicles to use), things to invest in, hedging, brokers etc etc. I'm not a financial professional but I can definitely give you what I use

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 15 at 2016 3:34 AM

2016-08-15T03:34:51-04:00

But for the public, the tools I use

Brokers:
TDAmeritrade (thinkorswim trading platfrom, futures, options)
Robinhood (commission free, equities only)

Securities:
I mainly focus long term investments in ETF's, they limit you from single stock risk.. Example, one that would of invested in $LEH (Lehman Brothers) would of lost their entire investment from the Bankruptcy. But if they would of put that money in $XLF (SPDR's Financial Sector ETF) they would of lost a lot, but not a complete loss since they owned the entire sector.

Also, look at what their dividend yield is (how much their dividend is against the stock price). This will allow you to compound overtime (as long as you sign up for DRIP). Great way for your money to make you money

Sites to learn on:
Investopidia.com (best site)
Seeking Alpha
twitter.com/modern_rock
twitter.com/chatwithtraders
stocktwits.com
twitter.com/mrockrulez
(stay away from paid subscriptions and penny stocks... these sources are free above)

If you're not interested in learning to manage your own Individual account or IRA, you can always set up an account with Vanguard, Morningtree, etc and use pre-made Mutual Funds.

Any questions, please feel free to PM me, I'm an open book

Response by CPL Christopher Volpe made Aug 15 at 2016 4:31 AM

2016-08-15T04:31:23-04:00

Suzie Orman has a few books out that will help you learn the basics. She also has out quit a few videos and tv shows out there as well.

Response by PO1 Tony Holland made Aug 15 at 2016 4:58 AM

2016-08-15T04:58:50-04:00

Join an investment club if available.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 15 at 2016 5:22 AM

2016-08-15T05:22:30-04:00

Investopedia.com is a great site to help you figure out that losing money is much easier than earning it when investing in stocks.
Mutual funds are the way to go once you realize publicly traded stocks are garbage.

Response by SCPO Jason McLaughlin made Aug 15 at 2016 7:09 AM

2016-08-15T07:09:11-04:00

Trump University

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 15 at 2016 9:31 AM

2016-08-15T09:31:30-04:00

Even without investing in funds or stocks you can start now. The idea of "Pay yourself first" is a good mantra. Take out 10% or whatever you can spare before you pay any bills and put it aside. You can build up an emergency fund to put into a savings account before investing. After that there are many options.

But never put all your eggs into one basket.
Sharebuilder is a good tool to build a portfolio. For $20/month you can conduct 20 transactions. What I did was auto-invest where money is taken from my bank on Monday and the stocks are bought on Tuesday. I started with $100 a week and bought $20 in 5 different stocks. (They allow for partial stocks). After a while I changed to 5 new stocks. Eventually you can have a very diversified portfolio.

After a set amount, I stopped sharebuilder and switched to a mutual fund. After I reach a goal with that I will start up another mutual fund with another company and so on.

Response by MSgt John McGowan made Aug 15 at 2016 1:30 PM

2016-08-15T13:30:30-04:00

PFC. One long term investment to look at when you have funds to spare is the duck. AFLAC is high now so I expect a split soon Dividends up every year for a long time

Response by CSM Thomas McGarry made Aug 16 at 2016 6:09 AM

2016-08-16T06:09:44-04:00

I would talk to a fee only Certified Financial Planner for guidance

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 15 at 2019 8:09 PM

2019-03-15T20:09:14-04:00

Max out your Roth TSP matching rate for sure (I think 6% is what Uncle Sam will give you, dollar for dollar). You want Roth so its taxed at your income level today vs when you're 65 and at a higher bracket (which is when the Traditional is taxed). I agree with other users on here who say Index mutual funds are great to start.
If you do get into investing in individual stocks, I'd go with Robinhood since it's zero fees for trading. Here's my referral code: share.robinhood.com/mattj422
They're giving away free stock to new users at the moment, which is s a bit indicative of how much money is sloshing around Venture Capital. Just remember, only invest in stocks what you are willing to lose.