The Internet is the usual means to look for investment ideas and advice nowadays. A lot of these sites offer financial planning and also a lot of other useful advice. Sometimes the problem is to separate the really good sites from mediocre ones. Anybody looking for investment ideas should have the time and the patience needed for a good search.
Generally, online investing tools come under 3 major categories:
- 1. Investment ideas and advice (chat and community forums)
- 2. Investor education (for the unsophisticated)
- 3. Investment planning (usually involves a financial advisor)
What follows here is a brief discussion on the means available today for personal finance initiatives.
A savvy investor will always try to balance 3 factors whenever possible to his own preferences:
- -Safety
- -Liquidity
- -Profitability
Some people would put safety first ahead of anything else. It should be a priority for people who are planning to retire or already retired since any losses would be hard to replace. A retired person most likely has no other recurrent income to replace the losses. Other people would prefer to prioritize profitability than safety.