

Ask HN: Where should the absolute beginner investor start out? - solipsist

I have a few thousand dollars that I'm looking to invest. I know that it's not a lot, but its enough that I don't want it lying around in the bank.<p>I am a high school student with just about no financial experience/education. However, I would like to learn a little about investing - enough so that I can make some educated investments that might pay off in the long term.<p>Given that I'm a busy student, what would be the most efficient use of my time when it comes to making investments? I have heard from many people that a mutual fund might be the way to go, as opposed to buying individual stocks that supposedly takes more time and experience.<p>If I were to go with a mutual fund, would it be a bad idea to choose one with higher risks? At this stage in my life, I am willing to take more risks than I probably will want to in the future.<p>Thanks!<p>- <i>solipsist</i><p>P.S. Any good online stock brokers out there that may support accounts for minors?
======
pjscott
The usual advice from experts who aren't trying to sell you anything is to go
for a stock market index fund with low fees. For example, the Vanguard VTSMX
and VFINX are hard to beat. If you picked individual stocks, you would pay
more in transaction fees and probably have lower returns -- beating the market
is _hard._

