Investing money in...something. (Questions)

So, I have some money to spare and wanted to know if buying stocks is a bad idea now. If it is, what are some other investments I should consider?

@broomhitches:

That's a pretty loaded question man with a ton of potential variables.

you should probably try an investing site instead of a video game site like giant bomb.

@broomhitches: Depends on the amount of capital, amount of risk you are willing to take, and what your other options are outside stock markets (eg. friends/family starting a business).

Edit: I have some experience in this stuff so if you want a convo you can PM me.

Research is gonna be your biggest asset to investing. I prefer investing into dividends to get a long-term snowball effect, while others prefer into the buy-sell method. There are several other ways to go about it and this site probably isn't gonna give you the best professional advice. I would like to say that don't expect a get rich quick thing to happen. I think a good idea is to go for the mid to long-term results and not fall into the trap of losing all of your money to get rich quick. It just doesn't happen unless you get extremely lucky. Also I think penny stocks are terrible, but some people swear by them.

Again I'm not super well-versed in investing and I advise looking elsewhere.

Bury it in the ground. Safe. -___-

Yes, buying stocks is bad, like inherently, it's-in-the-Bible-part-about-Satan bad.

Alright, it is the Extreme Money Investment/you came to the right place-Site.

What I did several decades ago was to acquire a good money advisor, or something stronger then that, really. He handles retirement accounts, and I can tell you there is much, much more than stocks. But, you need good advice on this matter. I wrap my money up for years. I never lose the principle, and mostly I have substantially gained. But again it pays to get a pro working for you. One who will respect how much or little risk you are willing to take, and provide the routes for investment. I am fairly conservative, and it in the long run has worked out well. That said, I am still somewhat locked to the S+P.

If you don't want to play the stock game you could always invest in bonds. Getting guaranteed interest paid to you semi/annually along with a full return of your initial investment on your bonds' maturity dates is as next to risk free as it's gonna get. Though I would highly suggest you seek out professional advice. I get the feeling a video game forum might not be the best place for investment tips.

There is only one good answer ... get gold or silver. Or visit a professional , what do I know

I would look into companies that are working on solar energy advancements

Bet on e-sports and go down that terrible gambling hole.

Send it to me.

The market is very volatile right now, but stocks have been holding steady in terms of their average value.. Some would say it wouldn't take much bad news to send it into a massive correction, others would say that if you know what you're doing, the fundamentals are sound/unlikely to lead to a bear market and you can ride the waves to make a bunch of money. One thing's for sure, you'll have to work a lot harder to make money than you would have two years ago.

Buy one share of AAPL and hope the gravy train doesn't drive off a cliff.

If you think you are going to need the money in the next 5 years, don't invest. If you do invest, buy an index fund. Bet on the whole shebang instead of one or two stocks.

Yeah I personally would avoid jumping in at this point too due to volatility, the current geopolitical crisis is still ongoing and Europe is still pivoting between deflation and incredibly small but steady inflation so maybe wait till the end of year to see how things shake out? Always remember to keep in mind that you can afford to lose whatever you designate as investment money.

As for me I'm loving stocks right now but only because my several year old positions are looking fantastic right now like GE and Qualcomm.

Buy silver bars, bury in ground next to your waterproof boxes of ammo. then buy a room full of water and canned food and try to get on one of those preppers reality TV shows to show everyone how crazy you are.

It would be way more funny if I didn't know people out there doing it.

@broomhitches: "What should I do with my money?" is probably the second worst thing you can ask the internet, right behind asking for medical advice. There are too many variables to consider. Off the top of my head:

1. How much do you have?
2. What kind of return do you expect? (Protip: Expectations are bad for your health.)
3. How much risk are you willing to take?
4. What time frame are you looking for on your expected return?
5. Are you willing to tie this money up for an extended period of time? Or do you need day to day access?
6. How active are you willing to be in managing this investment? Do you just want to sit and (hopefully) let it grow?
7. If all this money went away tomorrow, could you get by?

And so on. When I first started investing, I had sub $20k to put in, had an indefinite time frame to let it grow, didn't need day to day access, was willing to let the principle sit and any gains reinvest, and if it all went away, it wouldn't bother my day-to-day life in the slightest. So I leaned towards a growth orientated mutual fund and allowed the dividends to reinvest as they came in twice annually. It's made quite a bit now, because even as the market took a battering, I never touched it, it kept paying near a dollar per share in dividends, and the market has recovered to the point that now I'm double my initial purchase price. It isn't my only investment, but so far, it's done the best for me.

Hell, my grandfather put $50k in back when the fund first started, and the price per share was $2.50. It's $70 now. Without factoring in any additional investments...well, you do the math. But I want to stress that this is NOT TYPICAL. I'm no millionaire because I tossed a few grand into a "magic" fund or anything like that, and you won't see results overnight. It took my grandfather 50 years to see that kind of return.

You need to carefully consider the risks. Maybe a municipal bond fund would be better? The risk is certainly lower, and it pays monthly, but as such the potential gains are lower....but now I've just fallen into the same speculation trap I suggested was a terrible thing to listen to.

Bottom line: Do some research. Talk to a professional. Don't take the professional's word at face value. Talk to a second professional. Bounce the first's ideas off of the second. And make sure it's money you can lose, because at the end of the day, there is no such thing as a sure bet.

This is really not the place to ask that question. My advice is to talk to someone that is experienced in the stock market and that can assist you in the buying and selling process, inform you on how taxation of stock works (because financial gains earned from stock are taxable income), pitfalls to avoid, how to assemble a stock portfolio, and help you plan ahead with what to do with the money you earn from the market.

I do agree that this is not the best place to ask this kind of question, and regret that I even posted it. I'm not even sure why I did it, I guess it was done on impulse. I do appreciate all of your responses.

I generally invest any extra money that I have with Betterment - you can tweak it toward stocks or bonds depending on whether you're shooting more for more of a short-term or long-term investment. It's more of a hands-off approach, but if you aren't interested in doing the research into specific stocks and bonds, it's pretty quick and easy.