An Investing N00b

[Vanraw]

Yea like Grieve said there is a wealth of info out there. This site actually has a trading game where you play the market but not with real money. I haven't used it but seems cool. Ive seen them advertised.

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I use etrade as well for trading. Dont know if its the best but I've used it for years so I have no real reason to change. I also have a larger longer term investments with Fidelity with is also very good.

For day to day stock quote look ups and research both Yahoo and Google Financial are great. Also a really good site that has great info and research data is CBS Market watch.

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I would stay away from options (leaps, calls puts etc) if your brand new.

The main thing is to understand what you want before you start. Depending on your goals, there are different strategies. For instance, if your trying to plan for retirement, then you should be starting with 401k if your company has one, or and IRA if your company doesn't. If you already have all that squared away, and are looking for investment for growing your money / savings then you have a different set of strategies.

Understanding your goals and your acceptance of risk levels, is the first place to start.

Ask away. Im sure the folks here would be happy to help and answer questions. Just dont ask Grieve about apple. Please....