Official: RJ's DIY Investing Thread

[Hammer]

I cant copy all the content but I can start these badboys up again.

[Don Quixote]

Does anyone have experience with options? I'm curious about what your experiences have been.

I've sold a few covered calls (and just made a few bucks on a couple of expirations), but I don't want to get carried away.

[heyelander]

I opened and funded a TDAmertrade IRA account this year... I've got $5000 in it, but I have no idea what to do...

I don't even mean I don't know what to buy, I mean I have no idea how to even start going about things. Perhaps there's a tutorial online. I've been reticent to even open it. I'm sure there's a BURN ALL YOUR MONEY button somewhere that I will mistakenly hit.

[Hammer]

DQ- Ive traded options and the key to remember is that they are all related to time. There are numerous spread strategies but for me, Ive just bought calls on stocks I really liked and didnt want to shell a lot of capital out on.


hey- I am very familiar with TD. Where would you like to start?

[revo]

I opened and funded a TDAmertrade IRA account this year... I've got $5000 in it, but I have no idea what to do...

I don't even mean I don't know what to buy, I mean I have no idea how to even start going about things. Perhaps there's a tutorial online. I've been reticent to even open it. I'm sure there's a BURN ALL YOUR MONEY button somewhere that I will mistakenly hit.

TD Ameritrade has a nifty commission-free Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) program. You can sign up gratis, and they have about 125 ETFs you can buy/sell for free, as long as you hold them for 30 days. It's on their site under 'Research, ETFs.'

I just moved some cash in some of our smaller neglected accounts into a mix of 5-7 ETFs, even buying as little as 5-to-7 shares.

With the $5k, I'd look at a mix of around 75-80% equity (both US & Int'l) and 20% fixed income, and just let it ride.

[DJBeasties]

Is there a good site for investing that would something similar to say Baseball HQ? Advanced concepts but proven strategies and theories? Even it's a paid subscription, I am looking for something like that. Not just stock touts but deep, deep explanations with instruction and base performance-type evaluators.

Hope that makes sense?

[joncarlos]

Is there a good site for investing that would something similar to say Baseball HQ? Advanced concepts but proven strategies and theories? Even it's a paid subscription, I am looking for something like that. Not just stock touts but deep, deep explanations with instruction and base performance-type evaluators.

Hope that makes sense?

Motley Fool? I know that reviews are mixed but they definitely have a lot of what you're offering, and I think their logic and reasoning in their free stuff is usually pretty sound.

[revo]

Is there a good site for investing that would something similar to say Baseball HQ? Advanced concepts but proven strategies and theories? Even it's a paid subscription, I am looking for something like that. Not just stock touts but deep, deep explanations with instruction and base performance-type evaluators.

Hope that makes sense?

Investor's Business Daily is a great paper/site for stock trading using technical analysis.
StockCharts.com also tells you on their charts when a stock is in breakout (or breakdown) mode.
Motely Fool is OK for advice, as is Seeking Alpha.

[DJBeasties]

JC/Revo,

So if i were knew to this completely? (which I am) but want to shorten the curve and start being effective immediately, these suggestions would get me there? I know HQ is a random reference but I feel like that site jumped me leaps and bounds quickly solely based on base skill recognition. I would like that for identifying businesses and attack it similarly.

I'm pumped to start this.

[revo]

There's really no such way to 'shorten the curve,' and no way I would buy individual stocks without putting in some homework first. I thought by your post you had some investing knowledge. I would read "The Little Book That Beats the Market" and "How to Make Money in Stocks" before doing anything.

[onejayhawk]

Does anyone have experience with options? I'm curious about what your experiences have been.

I've sold a few covered calls (and just made a few bucks on a couple of expirations), but I don't want to get carried away.

I used to be an option rated broker.

If you do not want to get carried away, covered calls are an outstanding way to go. I always liked the option of playing the house odds.

Is there a good site for investing that would something similar to say Baseball HQ? Advanced concepts but proven strategies and theories? Even it's a paid subscription, I am looking for something like that. Not just stock touts but deep, deep explanations with instruction and base performance-type evaluators.

Hope that makes sense?

There are a ton of free guides available online. Just google "option trading education". If they try to sell you a program, go on to the next one. This is a much misunderstood industry. They know that it is in their best interest for you to be informed, so there is a LOT of good stuff for free.

Options are the edge of the knife. If you are careless of the edge, you can get badly cut. But, to a skilled worker, the sharper the edge, the better. For every dangerous position, there are ways to limit the danger. Indeed, one of the primary uses of options is to protect stock positions. As DQ indicates, covered calls are a great place to start. Covered calls are a way of earning steady return on an investment you already own. Double digit cash return is common, and the risks are actually less than simply owning a stock.

J

[DJBeasties]

There's really no such way to 'shorten the curve,' and no way I would buy individual stocks without putting in some homework first. I thought by your post you had some investing knowledge. I would read "The Little Book That Beats the Market" and "How to Make Money in Stocks" before doing anything.

Ok good thank you. I have read Mad Money and Peter Lynch's Beating the Street. I've studied some basic and preliminary stuff but I'm looking to start with advanced fundamentals and build on them. I used to work in 401k and while not stocks, I did and do understand mutual funds pretty well but I am looking forward to identifying blue chip stocks, undervalued stocks, homerun stocks and padding some bond income. Later -- a wad of 100's to speculate on. Much later but later.

Thanks for the recommendations. Right now I'm reading a good T. Harv Eker book and Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill [1938] online.

[bryanbutler]

Motley Fool? I know that reviews are mixed but they definitely have a lot of what you're offering, and I think their logic and reasoning in their free stuff is usually pretty sound.

+1. when i first got into investing i used motley fool extensively. as JC says, not everybody's cup o' tea, but it's a great place to start, IMHO.