Hi all. I am very new to investing and haven't spent a penny yet. Can I get some advice on where to start?
Welcome to the best stock market forums on the internet! A good place to start would be here: http://stockaholics.net/threads/what-it-means-to-buy-a-companys-stock.406/
Welcome. There are some great forums here to get you going. In order to know where to start, tell us a little about where you are going. Are you planning on being a long term investor? Are you looking to closely monitor stocks for quick gains or would you rather be able to do periodic checks?
It depends on if you are looking for a long-term or short-term investment and if you plan to continue to invest in it... If Long-term, I would recommend investing in stocks and bonds using the modern portfolio theory (google modern portfolio theory + asset allocation). The best and cheapest long-term strategy is a simple one composed of low cost ETFs (bundles of stocks & bonds) that you regularly (annually or when they drift 5-10% from original allocation) rebalance back to original allocation. This strategy is easy, inexpensive, and VERY effective long term. I recommend learning as much as you can and before you invest in anything! Do your research and know what to expect for risk and return and if you have no knowledge or are not comfortable yet, I would start with a robo advisor like wealthfront or betterment at first; wealthfront will manage your first $10,000 free (15,000 if you google wealthfront promotion). These are a good way to introduce you to investing and start growing your money while you learn more. In the end you will want multiple well diversified investment strategies, I recommend having a brokerage account that offers free (no trading fee) ETF trading (there are several)....Then set up an account with the "gone fishing" portfolio (Google it!) and then as you learn, open another that you actively manage (If you take it that far)! And Lastly the most important thing is to set up a Roth IRA and a 401k as early as possible and contribute to it as much as you can!