New to investing

Discussion in 'Investing' started by TL95, Dec 4, 2020.

  1. TL95

    TL95 New Member

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    Hi everyone. I am really new to this and I would like to hear your opinions on some stocks I’m looking to invest in. Pardon my ignorance as I am still learning.

    How do you feel about Histogen (HSTO)? I bought 10 shares, is it worth it?

    I have 1 Apple (AAPL) share, should I buy another one?

    How do you feel about Plug Power (PLUG)? I have 2 shares.

    How do you feel about ERX? I Have 1 share, should I buy more?

    And finally, how do you feel about FinTech (FTIV)? I have 2 shares but not sure if it was a good investment.

    Please let me know your thoughts, and I look forward to reading all your educational feedback.

    Thank you!
     
  2. WXYZ

    WXYZ Well-Known Member

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    SORRY.....I dont really follow those stocks other than Apple. With the small amount of money you are investing have you considered simply buying a SP500 Index Fund as your SOLE investment vehicle?
     
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  3. TL95

    TL95 New Member

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    Thank you for taking the time to respond. I am not sure what a SP500 Index Fund is. Could you elaborate?
     
  4. Stoch

    Stoch Well-Known Member

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    An index fund is a basket of stocks in one share. The SPY is equivalent to owning the 500 stocks in the S&P 500, the QQQ is a basket of the tech heavy NASDAQ 100 stocks, IWM is a basket of the Russell small caps. They are ways to easily diversify among numerous stocks with just one purchase.
     
    #4 Stoch, Dec 5, 2020
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2020
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  5. WXYZ

    WXYZ Well-Known Member

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    Here is some info. If you are new to investing and this does not make sense.....talk to someone you trust that has good investing knowledge and they can tell you about a SP500 Index Fund.

    What Is the S&P 500?

    https://www.acorns.com/money-basics/investing/what-is-sp500/

    and

    How to Invest in the S&P 500 Index

    https://www.acorns.com/money-basics/how-to-invest-in-the-sandp-500-index/

    The Index constains the LARGEST 500 AMERICAN companies. The GREATEST companies in the world.....all in one basket.....one investment.

    You buy shares in a SP500 Index Fund just like buying shares of stock. You buy them through your broker....Schwab, Vanguard, Fidelity, Robinhood, etc, etc.

    The Top 10 companies in the S&P 500 by index weight (as of Dec. 31, 2019) are:

    • Apple Inc.
    • Microsoft Corp.
    • Amazon.com Inc.
    • Facebook Inc. A
    • Berkshire Hathaway B
    • JP Morgan Chase & Co.
    • Alphabet Inc. A (Google)
    • Alphabet Inc. C (Google)
    • Johnson & Johnson
    • Visa Inc. A.

     
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  6. Akwin

    Akwin Member

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    Kind regards, I need to know what are the costs to buy, hold, and sell the investment?
     
  7. WXYZ

    WXYZ Well-Known Member

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    Very MINIMAL cost to buy, hold, or sell. Many American big brokers sell their own SP500 Index Fund shares for no commission....same to sell. No cost to hold. The only cost is the amount you want to invest at the current share price. Many brokers have very low minimum....perhaps $100.....to buy in initially. Talk to your broker or look it up on your brokers web site or app.
     
  8. JTuber

    JTuber Member

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    it looks like the author is a teenager getting his/her feet wet in the investment world, having little money to play with. That's awesome IMO. While you could buy index funds like WXYZ mentioned, index funds are more for the brainless buy-and-hold type of investment. Not to say that it is not a good investment but for someone starting out learning about owning stocks and actively managing them, I am not sure that is the way to go. You have time on your side so why not experiment with the little play money you have? I bet more likely than not you will make mistakes and lose some money but the journey will let you know more about yourself, like how well can you deal with losing money etc. Then hopefully with the experience you gain, it better prepares you for the future when you have tons more of money to invest, like 1000x what you have now. The companies in the SP500 index are a good place to select what you want to own. Decide what sector you know best, like technology, consumer goods etc. Then zero in the companies you feel are dominant in that space, like AMZN in e-commerce. Think about the short term future to see if anything would cause these companies to topple. If not then invest. Hopefully these few simple steps help you on the path to be a better investor in the future.

    Good luck.
     
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  9. TL95

    TL95 New Member

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    That’s exactly what I am doing. I have a few extra bucks this year and I just wanted to test the waters. I figured I would look back in the future and thank myself for attempting to learn. Thank you for the advice.
     
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  10. JTuber

    JTuber Member

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    In my early investment days I made quite a few mistakes. If I could pass an advice onto you, it would be the ability to differentiate between investing and gambling. Investing is to buy and hold reputable companies that will grow. Gambling is to chase after high flying companies in hope of making that big score. Stick to investing and leave the gambling to the daytrader.
     
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  11. BigPear

    BigPear Member

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    Serious question, is apple just too big now to ever have another 2%+ day?
     
  12. T0rm3nted

    T0rm3nted Moderator
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    Serious answer, no.
     
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  13. anotherdevilsadvocate

    anotherdevilsadvocate Well-Known Member

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    HSTO does not look good, it has no revenues. That might be understandable for a clinical stage biotech, but these guys are not developing any drugs.

    PLUG is good.

    ERX is a leveraged ETF, you will see a lot of volatility in that one.

    FTIV is a shell company/SPAC. Who are they looking to buy?

    AAPL is good, feel free to buy more. This outperforms the market, so keep that in mind if you thnk about buynig an index fund.
     
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  14. JTuber

    JTuber Member

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    Market cap doesn't mean anything as long as the company continues to innovate and dominate and people continue to demand its products and services.
     
  15. Akwin

    Akwin Member

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    Greetings, please give me the opportunity to ask if day trading similar to gambling? Are Options gambling? Is trading stock gambling?
     
  16. JTuber

    JTuber Member

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    Daytrading is to buy and sell stocks quickly and frequently on a daily basis. From the perspective of investment, yes it is gambling because daytrading usually involves volatile stocks and you hold stocks for such short time.

    In my mind gambling is taking on excessive risks in hope of getting outsized gains. If you buy a stock with the thinking of either winning big or going bust, then that is gambling. It doesn't matter what you buy, stocks options derivatives etc.
     
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  17. TL95

    TL95 New Member

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    I ended up selling all of my HSTO shares and my FTIV shares.


    Can you elaborate a little more on ERX?


    I came across a company called Top Ships Inc. (TOPS). What do you think about that stock?
     
  18. TomB16

    TomB16 Well-Known Member

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    Day trading = gambling
    Options = Can be used to reduce risk but almost everyone uses options for the purpose of gambling
    Stock trading = gambling
     
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  19. JTuber

    JTuber Member

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    What is your definition of "trading"? The act of buying and selling a quality stock alone is not gambling. There are other factors involved.
     
  20. T0rm3nted

    T0rm3nted Moderator
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    This needs some nuance injected, but can be correct. If you develop a sort of trading system that you adhere to strictly, it's profitable. I could easily type:

    Long-Term Investing = gambling

    And it would also be correct.
     

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