Total beginner looking for advice

[Tuneman]

Quote from Drew07:

Sharebuilder sucks, if you want to open a Scottrade account send me an email and I'll be able to get you 3 free trades when you open an acct. Good Luck.

i agree scottrade is probibaly the way to go

 

[Drew07]

Quote from cashmoney69:

If you have at least 500, you can open an account with scottrade, and with that, you'll be able to watch the market in real time (streaming). I use them too, however have much more than 500 . Most software is provided by the broker, but you can get screening tools, news, and other specialized packages from different vendors.

cm69

Cash, do you have the Elite platform?

 

[cashmoney69]

Quote from Drew07:

Cash, do you have the Elite platform?

No, I wish, but soon. By January I plan to have it. I use the Demo though for my paper trades and I really like it.

cm69

 

[nkhoi]

Quote from stfarm:

Hi all,

I am sorry if this has been answered already, please don't shoot me right away...
I am so tired of my day job, and I would like to try something new.
I do not have a larger capital to invest, so I have a few questions.

1.) How much do I need to start investing?
2.) I have a ShareBuilder account, is that a good place to start?
3.) What software is good to monitor the market?
4.) And finally, how do I get info in what stocks to invest.

I hope you find it in your heart to help a total beginner.
I be happy to trade info for work. (I am a programmer)

Steve

all could be answer by reading spyder thread, warning: require lots of patient in following detail instruction on your part, the good news is you don't need much money to start
http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38777

 

[kiwi_trader]

Quote from stfarm:

Hi all,

I am sorry if this has been answered already, please don't shoot me right away...
I am so tired of my day job, and I would like to try something new.
I do not have a larger capital to invest, so I have a few questions.

1.) How much do I need to start investing?
2.) I have a ShareBuilder account, is that a good place to start?
3.) What software is good to monitor the market?
4.) And finally, how do I get info in what stocks to invest.

I hope you find it in your heart to help a total beginner.
I be happy to trade info for work. (I am a programmer)

Steve

Steve,

You say investing. You are receiving lots of answers but most of the answers probably buy and then resell the stock in periods from minutes to a few days. What holding period do you have in mind? What books have you read on making money from the markets?

 

[pv150]

Rule #1 for you newbie: Avoid Internet msg boards and chatrooms. Don't trust anyone else's 'investment' ideas (i.e. daytrading). Stick to your own research and never ever bet on some cheap stock you saw hyped on a msg board, especially a penny.

Seriously, stick with buying a couple shares a month in respectable companies and don't even think about quitting your day job to hang out with these losers. 95% of them daytrade garbage mostly for sh!ts and giggles, not a real living.

There you go. Just saved you months or years of worrying about recouping your lunch money.

 

[zyber]

I am a programmer as well and I'm so sick of my job. I'm trading E-mini options on the side and am doing well. I am forming an incubator fund this Jan. Soon I will tell my boss to kiss my a**.

Question of the day: Why do we see so many programmers/engineers turn traders lately?

 

[OddTrader]

Quote from pv150:

Rule #1 for you newbie: Avoid Internet msg boards and chatrooms. Don't trust anyone else's 'investment' ideas (i.e. daytrading). Stick to your own research and never ever bet on some cheap stock you saw hyped on a msg board, especially a penny.

Seriously, stick with buying a couple shares a month in respectable companies and don't even think about quitting your day job to hang out with these losers. 95% of them daytrade garbage mostly for sh!ts and giggles, not a real living.

There you go. Just saved you months or years of worrying about recouping your lunch money.

Very well written indeed, thanks.

 

[tradertony76]

Quote from zyber:

Question of the day: Why do we see so many programmers/engineers turn traders lately?

My guess is because most programmers are intellectual elitists who see themselves much smarter than Joe Boo on the street(and, for most activities in life *are* smarter than Joe Boo), and they get the "If I'm so smart, why aren't I rich" thoughts running through their minds.

Additionally, trading, on the surface, also seems to primarily be a numbers game and most engineers and programmers are attracted to numbers, especially numbers pattern recognition.

Its easy to combine those factors into thinking you can make it in trading and telling your employer to kiss your @ss.


-T

 

[OddTrader]

Quote from tradertony76:

My guess is because most programmers are intellectual elitists who see themselves much smarter than Joe Boo on the street(and, for most activities in life *are* smarter than Joe Boo), and they get the "If I'm so smart, why aren't I rich" thoughts running through their minds.

Additionally, trading, on the surface, also seems to primarily be a numbers game and most engineers and programmers are attracted to numbers, especially numbers pattern recognition.

Its easy to combine those factors into thinking you can make it in trading and telling your employer to kiss your @ss.


-T

Very smart comments.