What are some good low risk ways to invest $30k for about a 3 month period? [more inside]
posted by trbrts on Nov 4, 2009 - 8 answers

Saw a television ad several years ago with fantastic art direction depicting the stock market as a circus or similar frenzy of colorful, somewhat frightening characters. Can anyone help me track it down? [more inside]
posted by drdanger on Oct 12, 2009 - 0 answers

Writing covered calls as a feasible source of income for retail investor? [more inside]
posted by pakoothefakoo on Oct 2, 2009 - 8 answers

NegotiationFilter: An old acquaintance who I trust is giving me the opportunity to invest in a business in which I would do all the work and he would provide all the financing. The amount of money he is talking about is in the mid six figures. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 26, 2009 - 14 answers

My 7 year old son has developed a passion for money. He enjoys collecting unusual coins and bills, spotting bargains at the grocery, playing 'store' and (yikes) making bets for cash. His favorite character is Mr. Crabs. Finance is not my specialty *snort* so any suggestions for age appropriate sites/activities that revolve around the wise use of filthy lucre will be appreciated. [more inside]
posted by maryh on Jul 21, 2009 - 26 answers

What is the fastest way to learn online shares trading very quickly? [more inside]
posted by gttommy on Jul 19, 2009 - 10 answers

FinancialAdviceFilter: How to best invest $10,000? [more inside]
posted by blueskiesinside on Jul 13, 2009 - 16 answers

City of Oakland, California, municipal bonds. How can I buy them? Good/bad idea? [more inside]
posted by Mountain Goatse on Jun 19, 2009 - 7 answers

A question about investing in an independent film. The filmmaker has done one award-winning documentary. He is now working on a feature film project. He is looking for investors..He has got a letter from a major film studio (signed by a senior vice-president) saying that they are very "interested" and want to be kept informed of the film's progress. This sounds good to me. But how good is it really? How many letters of "interest" do major studios send out? [more inside]
posted by storybored on Jun 1, 2009 - 24 answers

Economists vs. philosophers: Is investing in the stock market (specifically mutual funds) a net good or evil? And the bonus question: Where should a socially conscious man of means put his money so that he can retire comfortably without contributing to a growing wealth inequality? [more inside]
posted by Popular Ethics on May 5, 2009 - 23 answers

I dig "Mafia Wars" for its investment features. Would love to find more games about modern money-making and investing. [more inside]
posted by skypieces on May 1, 2009 - 14 answers

What are the steps towards managing other people's money? [more inside]
posted by erd0c on Apr 23, 2009 - 8 answers

Is the following securities transaction illegal? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 23, 2009 - 13 answers

What are some environmentally and socially concious mutual funds that I should be switching my $2k roth IRA to? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 13, 2009 - 6 answers

How do I get the most out of a meeting with a financial advisor I don't particularly trust? [more inside]
posted by LN on Mar 19, 2009 - 10 answers

Is this a hair-brained idea? You are not my financial adviser, trying to time the market is a bad idea, etc. but I've been entertaining making a change to the way the money in my 401K is invested. I've got about 12 years to retirement at 60, I have a defined benefit pension equal to 50% of my current salary and a portable pension that should be worth about $200K by retirement. So here's the Idea... [more inside]
posted by Carbolic on Mar 13, 2009 - 24 answers

Is a 457 plan a better way to save for retirement than a 403(b) plan? [more inside]
posted by grouse on Mar 9, 2009 - 3 answers

Where is my money doing me, and the world, the most good right now: going into a 401(k), or going into my wallet and getting spent? [more inside]
posted by logovisual on Feb 17, 2009 - 15 answers

I have four mutual funds in my IRA account - a Total Market index fund, a Small-cap index fund, an International stock index fund, and a Bond index fund, and I'm trying to figure out how to allocate my assets between them. I've read a little bit about "Modern Portfolio Theory" and the "Efficient Frontier", but I'm struggling to understand some of the math. So, is there a simple way I can test whether a particular allocation is on the efficient frontier? Or, see all the possible allocations on the efficient frontier and choose between them? How do I figure this out? Ideally, I'd love to see a simple enough formula that, given the mean and standard deviation (and maybe correlation matrix), of my four funds, would tell me what allocation is on the efficient frontier. Or, some type of online tool, or an Excel spreadsheet or something. [more inside]
posted by stuehler on Feb 17, 2009 - 10 answers

Schwab investment instructions for the complete noob? [more inside]
posted by rabbitrabbit on Feb 14, 2009 - 10 answers

I just received an inheritance. I want to figure out how to invest it, but I'm new to investing - and can't make sense out of this economy. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 11, 2009 - 16 answers

Does one reduce risk by investing in mutual funds held by different groups? If I invest in an S&P 500 index fund with both Fidelity and Vanguard is that better than just going with Vanguard? Or is the SIPC protection such that I need not worry about such things? [more inside]
posted by grouse on Feb 9, 2009 - 7 answers

Does anyone have a clear understanding of changes to 403b investment rules that become effective today? [more inside]
posted by Xurando on Jan 1, 2009 - 2 answers

Like many people, my retirement fund took a hit when the market crashed. My question is--who should I have been reading before this happened? Who was the consistent voice of sanity telling everyone, "Hey, stick your retirement in something safe RIGHT NOW." [more inside]
posted by mecran01 on Dec 22, 2008 - 32 answers

If you had a very strong incentive to invest money before the end of the year with a 30-year outlook, and a further strong incentive to not adjust your investment strategy over that timeframe unless absolutely necessary, what kind of portfolio would you assemble? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 5, 2008 - 15 answers

Lets say I have $20,000 that I want to become $100,000 (or more) by the year 2024. What (if any) lower risk options do I have to make this dream a reality? Assume for a moment that I really don't want to put this in the stock market because I can't afford the risk of a major loss.
posted by anastasiav on Dec 3, 2008 - 26 answers

How exactly does the Bid/Ask work on Intrade.com? [more inside]
posted by wastelands on Dec 1, 2008 - 8 answers

Can anyone recommend an online discount brokerage that can execute trades internationally? All the online brokerages I've looked at that do international trades at all do them over the phone and charge a lot for these trades. [more inside]
posted by atrazine on Nov 26, 2008 - 4 answers

Is now a good time to buy stocks? With my fourth grade level of understanding, I would think now would be a good time to buy cheap undervalued stocks if one wanted to make money. What about real estate? All those cheap foreclosed homes..? Is this a good idea?
posted by anybirds on Nov 20, 2008 - 18 answers

If I think the Dutch housing market will crash, how can I make money from that belief? [more inside]
posted by dhoe on Nov 18, 2008 - 8 answers

Investing/Day Trading -Why is it bad to pick stocks off the losers of the day assuming they will rebound? [more inside]
posted by SirStan on Oct 27, 2008 - 29 answers

I recently inherited about $100k. I'm pretty dumbfounded. This is the largest amount of money I will probably ever have to figure out what do with, so I want to be safe and smart and invest in the long term. I have no debts. I'm 30 years old and single. I know no one has a crystal ball, but what are your best guesses for what I should do with this money in light of our current financial meltdown? (I haven't even deposited the check yet... my bank is Wamu and I wasn't sure if it would fold).
posted by anonymous on Oct 10, 2008 - 37 answers

What are the issues to consider when buying a bear market or market neutral ETF or mutual fund? What are the various strategies these guys employ? [more inside]
posted by jeffburdges on Oct 10, 2008 - 2 answers

Recommend any financial crisis blogs written by people who are following all the relevant indicators, or by people involved in the finance industry, who are trying to make sense of the market and economy?
posted by vizsla on Oct 9, 2008 - 12 answers

I want to invest, but I'm a little wary, is a money market the right choice for me? [more inside]
posted by DrDreidel on Oct 7, 2008 - 10 answers

How can I find out the health of my investment brokerage (like Fidelity.com, E-Trade, etc)? Can brokerages even crash and lose my money like in a bank failure? [more inside]
posted by random1destiny on Oct 6, 2008 - 7 answers

Is it stupid to invest in real estate in the next year (knowing things are hitting bottom and buying a foreclosure)? Is it doubly stupid to intertwine family with it (they'd live in it rent-free until the market rebounds)? Is this the stupidest idea ever or brilliant? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 4, 2008 - 20 answers

Investing 201: Given the economic news of late, If the value of my mutual funds drop and the interest rate of my debts go up would it be prudent to liquidate the mutual funds to pay off my debts or should I "stay the course" despite this? Financial details inside... [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 29, 2008 - 8 answers

I was wondering if now would be a good time to buy stock in, say, a bank. The theory being buy low and then some years from now, it would be high. I'm talking maybe $1000, such that if I lost it all, while I wouldn't be very happy about it, but it wouldn't break me. I realize you are not a lawyer, or financial analyst, or whatever. I'm looking for any opinion, for or against.
posted by allelopath on Sep 29, 2008 - 16 answers

Where does Dick Cheney have his money now? I remember a couple years ago reading about how Cheney was 'shorting' the dollar (betting against it's continued good health). It struck me at the time as cynical, sure, but also indicative of better financial advice than I get. So, where's he squirelling away his money now? How to find out?
posted by From Bklyn on Sep 24, 2008 - 5 answers

How to invest to make money if a depression comes? Assume a repeat of the Great Depression's on the way (i.e. not a Mad Max depression): can you invest in way to make money when it happens? (Like some kind of short selling, some kind of option trading like the author of Black Swan does/did (and what's minimum investment on this or mutual fund type vehicle that follows this)?
posted by Furious Fitness on Sep 20, 2008 - 12 answers

I need to choose which shells (account types) under which to put the coins (inherited and disclaimed assets), and I am worried that if I choose the wrong one, I will lift it after shuffling to find nothing underneath. [more inside]
posted by Clyde Mnestra on Sep 17, 2008 - 2 answers

Are microturbines a serious contender in the future of world energy production? And if so, is investing now prudent? [more inside]
posted by humannaire on Aug 28, 2008 - 12 answers

Is cash value life insurance a good investment? [more inside]
posted by no_moniker on Aug 11, 2008 - 13 answers

So, we just had a baby and grandmothers keep coming up to us and handing us checks for $50 and saying "This is so you can buy a savings bond for the baby." However, I would like to hear about alternative saving/investing ideas for my daughter. [more inside]
posted by ND¢ on Jul 28, 2008 - 18 answers

Is cancelling my health insurance and investing the money instead a good bet, or a foolhardy risk? I'm young, in good health, and have no chronic health conditions. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 26, 2008 - 47 answers

What are your trading rules? [more inside]
posted by unSane on Jul 24, 2008 - 24 answers

Is there anyone (especially online) who's collected reasonably well-informed stock picks from, say, 2, 5, or 15 years ago and explained why the recommendations did or did not work out? [more inside]
posted by ibmcginty on Jul 21, 2008 - 5 answers

If a REIT has negative Cash Available for Distribution (CAD), how does it pay out its dividend? [more inside]
posted by undercoverhuwaaah on Jul 17, 2008 - 8 answers

About $100 000 has been transfered to me, and I don't know how to properly invest it. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 7, 2008 - 38 answers