I can give you my two cents. As cintrix said, many choices
depend on many variables so you have to study, chose a course of action, and modify as events and your circumstance
change. First, I would tell you to resist jumping in because
you might miss something. You are entering a game like
a dice table in Las Vegas. Throw your money down on a tip
or hunch and you will get killed. The game has been going
on forever, choose your entry point carefully. Educated day
traders, options traders, shorters can make money in down
(bear) markets, and buyers who want to hold for a long time
want to buy at a market or stock bottom. You must be both
educated and nimble, IMO. Safety is only found in a bank
vault, however, so you have to choose risk level early on.
Brokerage houses vary in many ways too and you must
choose based on what kind of trading, frequency of trade,
amount of investment you intend to make. Compare and
call them, like banks you can switch. Scottrade has a matrix
to compare services offered, but may not be best broker
for your circumstances. When you open an account, some
houses offer free investment classes, materials, forums.
I am mostly in for moderate risk, long term, high dividend
portfolio, and play with 2-3 OTC pennies to gamble.
