Online Investing for Beginners

Investing beginners can easily get everything they need to get started online. The Internet has evened the playing field between investment professionals and amateur investors. Beginners can get everything from research, advice and online trading over the Internet. However, investing can be risky, so make sure you have all the tools you need to be successful.

Information

Look at good educational information and not websites designed to sell you products. A good example is the Motley Fool (see Resources). www.fool.com.

Online Research

Use public resources such as information from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to find out if there are any pending problems (see Resources). Also use the Internet to get annual and quarterly reports. These can be found on the SEC website, and often on the company's website as well.

Investing Forums

A beginning investor can also share opinions and get advice from more experienced investors. There are many stock investing forums a beginner can explore for free to exchange investment ideas and opinions (see Resources).

Online Trading

Open an online account from any one of many firms and start trading today. Commission rates are also very competitive, so it is now very inexpensive to trade online. Some top firms with competitive commission rates are E-Trade and Ameritrade (see Resources).

Warning

Be aware of the pitfalls of free advice. Many unethical brokers roam the investment boards to promote penny stock scams or to push stocks that may not be suitable for your goals.

Resources

• Top 10 Investing Forums
• Top Online Discount Brokers
• Motley Fool
• SEC