Thanks, what would you do with this cash if you needed it for leverage on a LOC (other investments work too, but at lower % and if the market value drops so does my line of credit)?

I wont be doing any spec houses for a while so my only income will be from my rental properties (and MAYBE if I can ever devote myself to poker). My expenses are really low since I have paid off my car and wont have a house payment either (just taxes, insurance, utilities and maintenance of around $2K per month).

Buy T-Bills and park it if you don't want to risk it.

Country: USA
Income: Poker income of $50-$200k a year (varies)
Expenses: Around$ 2500 a month
Amount to invest: 20k (maybe more later)
Debts: $0
Risk Tolerance: as low as possible
Time frame:

Other Info: I am a recent college grad who is moving to Las Vegas. I have around 150k cash + assets (car valuables etc).I play poker all day for a living and I would like to put my money in something with less variance. I am very new to investing also, and want to take the most conservate "get my feet wet" approach possible.

As far as the future goes, I am reading several books recommended to me so I can attempt to beat the market investing in individual stocks. In the meantime, I would like to get myself invested in a low risk investment that would give me a few percent of gains a year. All recommendations welcome.

* Country you live in
Canadian, spending probably the next year in Thailand

* Income
Let's say about $50,000 US

* Risk Tolerance
I'm open to anything

* Timeframe for investment
I would like to get most of my savings invested over the next 12 months

* Debt
None.

* Any other information you might have that would help us
I am interested in currently investing about $40,000 of savings. I also have a lot of equity in a house, as well as other investments. I am very inexperienced in investing on the whole, but I need to turn this around.

12 month time frame? Get an interest rate account at your bank or shop around.

I mean I want to invest long-term, but I want to get my money into investments within 12 months. I just mean I want to get moving on this investment stuff

Ah. Have a read through this thread and think about a portfolio of vanguard indexes

Country: USA
Income: 100k
Amount to invest: 250k
Risk Tolerance: Medium, shading towards low
Time Frame: Not sure
Debt: 50k @ 6.85%, ~$750 minimum monthly payment
Age: 31 / just married
Mental State: Curious

I got married last month. My wife is selling her house, and we're planning to continue to rent my place for $1200/mo+utils. I assume this money will go towards another house eventually, but we'll be fine renting for at the very least 2-3 more years. I'd love to hear experts' thoughts on what we should do with the cash from the home sale. Any advice at all is welcome, but I do have two specific questions:

Should we pay down the 50k debt? Seems like a no-brainer since I don't think we'll be guaranteed any return greater than 6.85%, but if inflation hits strong then we'll be happier if we hadn't paid it down.

Should we hire a financial advisor?

One mantra people with money always have told me is to pay off all debt except for a house. In this case, it's even more important because you are right, you aren't getting better than that anywhere else.

Take the balance if there is any and put it somewhere safe, as you'll probably look for another house within 1-3 years.

Country: US
Income: 40-200k
expenses: 20k
Risk Tolerance: ?
Timeframe for investment: forever? i'd like to retire and live off the interest. though at retirement i'd want my expenses to be closer to 50k inflation adjusted + a big emergency fund
Debt: None
Age: 25

I have 50k to invest right now. I have money in a Morgan Stanley account that my parents set up for me like 20 years ago. I've been super passive about it and have no idea if it's any good. I'm not looking to do a business or real estate or anything at the moment, looking for something still pretty passive.

Country you live in: USA
Income: N/A - College Student but all expenses are paid for...
Risk Tolerance: Medium-High (~ 6.5-7)
Timeframe for investment: 5-7 years (or much longer, if advised)
Debt: 0

Any other information you might have that would help us:
Basically I don't need to touch this money for about 5 years, so I'm looking for whatever is likely to give me the highest return on my investment. I'm obviously not looking for a huge risk, but something with moderate risk for an expected good return.

I'm also okay with just setting this money aside in something and looking 20-30 years down the road and just having compounded interest be my best friend, but no-one really knows the changes the market will undergo in that period of time, right?

I've got about 15k-18k to invest in anything.

Rage: Better get saving. I'd start by opening a vanguard account and I'd put the money into one of the portfolios recommended here (50% Vanguard large cap, 25% mid cap, 25% international etc) and then I'd set up a saving strategy so you can add more money to it every year. This is not to be taken account, and will appreciate over time.

Chimp: You could probably look at a vanguard account too, stocks would have the chance of highest returns. You'll have to deal with market fluctuations, though, or the prospect of losing some.

I have a bit of money lying around from poker so i'm going to give this a try. Ty in advance for any responses, do appreciate it.

Country you live in - England

Income - $12k/year ish (poker so nothing rigid)

Risk Tolerance - Fairly high. I do see this as disposable income and i'm willing to take calculated risks with it.

Timeframe for investment - Short term, i am still in school.

Debt - None

I have $3kish which i am happy to take a chance with. If i lose this money i wouldn't be devastated, and if i turned it into a nice score i would be over the moon. Advice would be awesome, thanks.

Okay, I mostly grunched this thread, but I'm going back and rereading the first few pages. Should I be looking at the Vanguard all-in-one funds (i.e. their prebuilt retirement mutual fund) or should I be picking from all of their funds to come up with your 50/25/25% split?

Its really up to you. The most important part is you diversify, and if you feel the all-in-one does that, go with that.

Live in UK, England.
Risk tolerance low-medium. Could take high risk for small sum but not a fan of gambling with the money that I have.
Timeframe for investment now (19 years old) ~. Would like to see some partial return in the next 5-10 years so I can have at least some wealth while young.
Debt - student loans. payable in a few years time at a low rate, practically insignificant.

Money is in different accounts and investments but totals around £150,000 I'm fairly sure. Around 30k invested in ISA, 60k in shares which I still keep and use dividends as income. 20k in a flexible saver @2.73% and 9k in a fixed bond (3 years at 4.5%). 40k waiting in the bank to be used straight away.

My income isn't enough to pay my way fully so every now and then I have to dip into my savings. I'm a student and not very balla with money (take the peace of mind that I'm in a lucky situation rather than go crazy). Money was inherited but I don't think it has any outstanding tax.

I basically know very little about investment. I am in an unjustly fortunate position for my naivety and I accept that. The only thing I have considered at the moment is buying and renting a small house.

Thanks.

I am pretty much in your situation but in the states. I inherited an awkward, miner-heavy portfolio of around the same value. I guess it's time for us both to start reading a lot about investing

ShipittoAJ: First thing I'd do is make a budget and determine how much money you'll need until you have an income source. Do the numbers week by week and come up with a number that includes a buffer.

I'd then use that flexible saver account to hold the money and withdraw to your spending account as needed, however much it is. Move the ISA to the flexible saver or into shares, depending on what you need the next couple of years. For the shares, I'd look to move it from companies to an index fund. Not sure about the UK but it seems you have Vanguard over there who are the gold standard in the US. I'd move it to 50% international and 50% domestic equities, with a mix between large cap and mid cap. Keep the bonds in the same place. Work hard at uni, come up with an income source, save regularly and let your money grow.

Then when you want to purchase a house, you'll have more than enough money for a down payment. The key is to organise it so you're budgeting and not dipping into your savings without some kind of oversight. You also don't want to maximise the money in the market. Even if you like the shares you own, I'd seriously consider an index portfolio instead. Do you really want one of your companies to have a BP situation and screw you out of some fat dividends over the next few years? don't open yourself up to this risk.

* Country you live in: USA
* Income: Nothing worth noting
* Risk Tolerance: low to moderate
* Timeframe for investment: 10-15yrs+
* Debt: 0
* Any other information you might have that would help us: I inherited some money recently, and am looking to invest $20-30,000 of it. I'm 21, a full time student, and I work part time. I maybe have ~$150/month after all expenses, so I probably won't be able to contribute any money monthly to anything until I get a real job in 1-2 yrs.

Also interested in putting $5-10k of it in a higher risk, short term investment.

stupid question, how do you actually get a vanguard fund, do you contact vanguard? or can you get it on like etrade/scottrade?

Its pretty self-explanatory on http://www.vanguard.com/ isn't it?

ah, ya i prolly shoulda just googled vanguard lol. thanks.

This is for my mother who is 48 years old, her accounts lost roughly 1/3rd of their value in recent years so she's in cash only at the moment. She has about 23k in one account and 15k in another and currently contributes 4% of her income to her retirement and her employer matches that 4%.

Country: US
Income: 45k
expenses: 35k
Risk Tolerance: Big nit, the less risk the better
Timeframe for investment: She'd like to retire at 70-75
Debt: She and my dad still owe ~45k on the house, probably 10k total on their cars and ~15k on a camp trailer.

Hi all, I was hoping to get some input on my financial future.

Age: 24
Country: US
Income: Online MTT's 90-150k year
Expenses: less than 20k
Risk Tolereance: Moderate
Debt: None

Cash: 110k (most is in a money market earning 1.5%)
Investments: 40k - a pretty standard mix of vanguard etfs

about me:
* Cheap low-cost lifestyle
* Currently renting
* Looking to purchase a modest home in 2-3 years (150-200k range preferably in cash) but waiting to see the outcome of poker legislation
* Need to keep about 40k in cash for poker bankroll
* I have a college degree but have no desire to work for anyone besides myself
* Interested in owning a franchise, laundromat, or rental property in 5+ years when I get sick of playing poker full-time or I can no longer make about 60k a year.
* Very interested in passive streams of income



My current plan is to save and make as much money as possible so that I can purchase a house in cash (is this a bad idea? I like tangible assets and hate debt even if I could make slightly better returns by taking on a mortgage and putting the money in the market). I'd like to have enough money left over for a decent poker bankroll as well as for a potential down payment on a small business/franchise so I'm not SOL if online poker dries up or is put on lock-down by our lovely government.

Is this plan logical? Advice is greatly appreciated!

If you guys could help a young guy out , it is appreciated !

Country: Denmark from 1st of September, now Netherlands
Income: $15k - $30k a year
Capital to invest now: $10k
Risk Tolerance: Moderately high
Timeframe investment: 3-7 years
Debt: None
Age: 18

Since I will be studying in Denmark for 3 years coming September, my cost of living is zero due financial aid. This includes drinking, partying, travelling, tuition, rent.

As from now I have $10k sitting on a debit card account with like 1% interest rate.
I want to study at INSEAD or North America for my master after those 3 or 4 years and that's why I am thinking of investing my capital.

Current savings rate is 2.2% in Holland and I was thinking of joining up a trust fund of Robeco (similair to Vanguard I think http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robeco )

They have funds in which they eg. trade 50% in bonds, 30% in commodities and 20% in shares. Or just 100% shares

If you need more info let me know and thanks in advance