Looking for some good investments……

[AUDRA]

Hi all, there have been many instances that have made me to think about my future plans for investing a good sum in some good in vestment markets…but now I have decided to invest the money at least for a start. So, here I need some good options to help me decide the area that I can focus on.
Any help will be appreciated.

[mrcaptainbob]

Geez, Audra, this is gonna raise all kinds of neat opinions! For me, I'm eyeballin' some oils, some fast foods and a couple utilities. Am also in a couple of investment funds.
If something catches your eye in the news, check it out...monitor it...do some research on it and stuff similar to what you're interested in. Make some of your own charts and even invest with imaginary money first to see how you do. Ince you feel comfy, try something. Just don't put it all on one number!

[ROSALIE]

I was too stuck with the same issues of investing in the right place but then I realized (with some advice from my friends)….to go for investing in real estate that really turned out a luck of pot for me and I was glad that I took that step. I would advice you on the same and would like you to focus more on the REI so that it would be a benefit and a mode of security too.

[jdc0222]

I have to say, if you don't know what you are doing, you can get yourself into a bunch of trouble. I'm a CPA, and it's a challenge for me to stay on top of everything that is going on in the investment world. You have to worry about risk, diversification, expenses, taxes, insurance, legal issues, estimating your future cash needs (ie, retirement), college planning, succession planning (wills), etc etc etc....

If you're new to this, my first piece of advice would be to find a financial planner. There a lot out there, so just take some time to find one that you trust. A planner will charge you, but there are a lot of different arrangements they can have. And of course, there are no guarantees, but a good financial planner might save you from yourself!

[LazyPup]

In keeping with what jdc0222 advised, discuss your ideas with your banker. Your banker has a vested interest in seeing that you do well financially and many banks now offer financial planning free or at greatly reduced prices