[Ant10708]

A bit of advice from a finance major. Ant 10708? college educated? Amazing I know. Do not get involved in the stock market if you are not knowledgeable about it. If you cannot answer a simple question such as how do I buy stocks or how do I receive dividends then you have no business investing your hard earned money in a market that will eat you alive and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. And if you plan to invest for "shits and giggles" then please do not waste your money on paying a broker to make trades. Brokers just make educated guesses and the fees they charge is not worth it for small time investing.

Fidelity is your best option in terms of features and layout for investing without a broker. I highly recommend that you do not invest in the stock market (first of all the market is long overdue by a few months to correct itself so if you invest now you stand to risk more) and instead research some more stable investing options.

colonel flagg: "easy money when it works" is one of the dumbest statements any investor could make let alone tell someone else who is seeking beginner investment advice. Your money is being put to work by someone else so obviously when it works it is could be seen as easy money but short selling is not as simplistic as you make it seem and it involves more risk then just buying the stock at the asking price. And successful stock market investing involves more work and time then the average person who watches Mad Money will ever realize. There is no such thing as easy money. So called "easy money" comes with risks and by having risks it is not easy money. Big risks = big rewards. If you think its easy try investing tens of thousands of dollars with the potential to come out in debt and you will be having stress out your ass worrying about the movements of the market. Stop telling him investment advice that is unrealistic to the beginning small time investor. currency trading? are you serious? He said he wants to invest for "shits and giggles" not "so i can have a brain aneurysm trying to learn the ins and outs of the vastly more complicated financial markets"

Fathom is on the right track, despite my opinion that it is best to stay out of the markets right now, the best strategy for small investors is to invest in products and companies you use(or your friends, families, or acquantinces use) and are familair with.

Keep your eyes on EA(since you like the gaming industry). Rumors are going around that microsoft is trying to acquire the giant publisher.