WordPress Demo

how do i start investing

Investing isn't as difficult or as expensive as most people think. Most of us just don't do it well. Here's what we do wrong and how to start doing it right -- with just $100.I'll let you in on a little secret about investing: It's not nearly as hard as you think. And it requires far less cash than you probably realize.However, the fact that most people do it badly might lead a reasonable person to believe that investing is incredibly difficult.How badly do most of us perform? A study by Dalbar, a Boston investment research firm, found that from 1984 to 2002, when the ($INX) grew at an annual rate of 12.2%, individual investors in equity mutual funds saw average returns of 2.6% a year, before taxes. So with the bar set appropriately low, I'm going to show you a method for starting and managing a portfolio that requires very little money (just $100), even less effort, minimizes taxes and transaction fees, and is likely to outperform the vast majority of mutual funds over the long haul. First, let's look at the reasons for the awful performance of most investors. There are as many reasons as there are overpaid CEOs, of course, but here are the primary culprits: A lot of investors believe that there's a right time and a wrong time to invest in stocks, and that it's possible for most of us to predict which is which. That's dead wrong, according to a classic study by William F. Sharpe, Nobel Prize-winning economist and a founder of Modern Portfolio Theory, a widely followed statistical method for minimizing risk while maximizing investment returns. The study revealed that a person who attempts to time the market needs to be right roughly three times out of four to match the performance of a buy-and-hold investor. Given that the market tends to make major moves in response mainly to events, that 75% accuracy rate can be a tough mark to hit, as the dismal record of individual investors demonstrates. This is one consequence of failing to time the market correctly, and it most often results from investors chasing the latest hot stock or mutual fund. Investments with the biggest gains will often suffer spectacular losses as well, leading to panic and a decision to sell at or near the bottom. A portfolio's tendency to rise and fall in dramatic fashion is called volatility, and that's something that should be devoutly avoided by those who like to sleep at night. Most often the product of an accumulating pile of company stock, usually in a 401(k), it also can reflect a poor understanding of different types of asset classes and how they move in relation to one another. Diversificatio


Video how do i start investing




News how do i start investing

Bay State businesses yet to feel much relief
Boston Globe, United States - Oct 8, 2008
s investment operations that are based in Boston. "A lot of people want to start investing again, but no one wants to be the first to do it. ...
Fed weighs radical financial fix Gainesville Sun
Fed creates facility to buy commercial paper MSN Money UK
all 1,567 news articles »

Back to "School" Part II: A Review of Some Investing Fundamentals
Town Hall, DC - Oct 7, 2008
Many people are highly risk averse when they start investing. The thought of a market decline can be disconcerting. Fear can cause some people to adjust ...

Annual Report
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - 4 hours ago
Whilst we admire the entrepreneurial flair and paper wealth that has been created, 452 Capital does not invest in start-up Century's investment portfolio ...ASX:CYA - ASX:CPU

Investing should be Child's play
Toronto Star,  Canada - 21 hours ago
The idea is to spark their curiosity, and intrigue them with a good range of investment ideas. "When I was about 11, my brother and I decided to start our ...

No change in Amplio's investment plans
Turkish Daily News (subscription), Turkey - Oct 8, 2008
... and added that Westgrund might also start investing in Turkey as it is aware of the Ampilo company's investments and projects in the country.

Speaker stresses credit scores
SFA The Pine Log Online, TX - 21 hours ago
... America's Financial Coach, has spoken to students about credit reports, investing and budgets, stressing that it is never too early to start investing. ...

Funding fears for high-tech start-ups
Irish Times, Ireland - 10 hours ago
"It's by no means a surge in activity but people are still investing and others are getting exits." The €55.9 million invested in firms during the quarter ...

VCs Ask Start-Ups: What’s Your Worst-Case Scenario?
Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY - 21 hours ago
by Tomio Geron, VentureWire For start-ups seeking venture-capital investment, it’s no longer good enough to just present the new hot idea that will bring in ...

Comment: Why start-ups need a platform to create alpha
HedgeWeek, UK - 18 hours ago
Steve Williams, chief executive of London-based full-service hedge fund investment management platform Harbour Capital Partners, says start-up managers now ...

Let the hunt begin: Start your job search early
Independent, UK - Oct 8, 2008
"Property management companies, for example, are now investing in rotational schemes whereby MBAs can spend two years working in different sections of the ...