Welcome to StkyTreat

[peanuts]

Hey I have $200 that I was considering investing in a mutual fund. I researched most funds and majority of the minimum initial deposit are extremely high...

Sticky, forget the mutual fund. You'll never make any really good money with them. You're young now, so that $200 can seem like a solid amount of money today, but you'll be able to make that much money very quickly when you have a job. Take on extra risk when you are young, because you'll have longer to recoup any losses than say, a retiree, a 30 something married homeowner with 2 kids, a struggling college student, etc. Take advantage of this and invest in something that takes on a little more risk than a mutual fund. It's smart to think of mutual funds as a "safe" place for your money, but if want to really do well, take some chances. Try an ETF or stock in a big growth company like MSFT or JNJ that pay dividends. Re-invest your dividends, dude.

Good luck

[skiracer]

Ski
That was a nice ride for HSOA, was Friday's down trend due to profit taking? I hope next week will a good week.

I gave back a good portion of those gains on that pullback on Friday.
I'm still holding it and will let it go back to my entry at $5.40 and then exit the trade if it goes that way. But I think that this week will be a nice week for it. Thanks and great play last week with the POTW win.
I have never owned a fund and don't like them at all. I've always felt that I can lose my own money just as easily as a fund manager. My advice to you would be to get a part time job doing anything that it legal and try to save some money. I would open an account with an online brokerage and start small. Put whatever you can into the trading account and start trading small positions (5 to 10 shares) or whatever you can afford. But develop a discipline of how you are going to trade and get your feet wet. You've got alot of friends here that would guide you through anything that you've got questions with and there are plenty of good ideas being generated here everyday. It takes the actual risk of losing your hard earned money to do what it takes to preserve your capital. You will learn more from managing your own money than letting someone else do it for you. There are going to be plenty of people who will disagree and find me at fault with telling you to steer clear of the funds. Later on in life when you have plenty of money there will be time to do that kind of investing. My feelings are that you should get your feet wet doing your own thing right now. You seem to be decent at it and like I stated there are plenty of people here who will help if you need it.

[billyjoe]

Sticky,
Of great importance. Check to see that they've got the same managers they have had during the current run. If they've recently made a change I wouldn't touch them. Managers track record is more important than the funds track record.

---------billyjoe

[JohnHenry]

$200

Hey I have $200 that I was considering investing in a mutual fund. I researched most funds and majority of the minimum initial deposit are extremely high.

I found two funds Large-Cap Value (TCLCX) and Small-Cap Equity (TCSEX). Both with a minimum initial deposit of $50 to open, it’s within my price range.

TCLCX has a 9.91% YTD return and 19.59% since inception.
TCSEX has a 7.49% “ “ 20.82% “ “.

Both funds have three stars or more rating from Morningstar but the funds moves pennies each trading day, not exciting but steady. Any thoughts anyone?

[JohnHenry]

Ski
That was a nice ride for HSOA, was Friday's down trend due to profit taking? I hope next week will a good week.

[billyjoe]

Lye,
Another excellent free insecticide is pyrethrum which is in mum leaves. Just pinch some leaves of the ends of your mums to round up the plant (it's good for the plant too) and scatter the leaves throughout the garden. They smell nasty to some people and almost all insects.

-------------billyjoe

[Lyehopper]

Ski,
I'll bet Rob brought home some of the best leaf in his day although it's all just speculation on my part.

----------billyjoe

My parents both were raised on tobacco farms and my grandfather raised it till the mid 70's (he also raised hogs). I worked in tobacco a lot as a kid. I hated working in the nasty stuff.... but I always loved to smell it curing.

There is a very old log tobacco barn (I'd guess pre-civil war) on the farm next to mine (still has part of the wood burners in it). It hasn't had tobacco cured in it for probably 75-80 years and it still smell strongly of curing tobacco inside.

Did you know that tobacco is a natural insecticide? My daddy would go to the local tobacco warehouse and get a truckload of cull-leaf (scraps) and spread it on his garden and disc it in. He said it killed bugs but not earthworms..... Maybe tobacco has some practicle value afterall.lol

[jiesen]

Or maybe he'd have lived the same number of years, but enjoyed it less?

How do you know?...Maybe he would have lived to 104?

Maybe he would have lived to only 84 if he didn't smoke cigars?

[IIC]

Rob,
Of course, I was referring to cigar smoking. It's bad for you ,but my granda lived to 94 so it didn't hurt him much.

---------------billyjoe

How do you know?...Maybe he would have lived to 104?

[billyjoe]

I got started down the wrong path very early on in my questionable youth. Fortunately I had enough good sense to recognize that path for what it was before too many years had passed.

Rob,
Of course, I was referring to cigar smoking. It's bad for you ,but my granda lived to 94 so it didn't hurt him much.

---------------billyjoe

[Rob]

I'll bet Rob brought home some of the best leaf in his day although it's all just speculation on my part.

I got started down the wrong path very early on in my questionable youth. Fortunately I had enough good sense to recognize that path for what it was before too many years had passed.

[billyjoe]

Ski,
I'll bet Rob brought home some of the best leaf in his day although it's all just speculation on my part.

----------billyjoe

[skiracer]

I was kidding Ski

I do have a Cuban national friend whose family goes to Cuba a few times a year. He gets the real thing from his mom and dad and I usually get a couple of cigars from each trip. I don't use them and give them away to a few friends. There is a big difference in the Cuban an other tabaccos. Something about that Cuban tabacco but it doesn't do what I'm looking for so I don't use it.

[IIC]

That was many many years ago. Both grandparents are dead and the cigar factory is very long gone. But it was an art and the tabacco factory was a great place. Hundreds of women rolling cigars.

I was kidding Ski