Mutual fund or stocks. Whats better for students

[ravivarma700rv]

Mutual fund or stocks. Whats better for students

[disneysteve]

Once again, you're asking a very vague question with zero context (like your bond post last month). Let's assume this isn't spam. Tell us what your situation is and what you want to know. Of course, I'm 99.9% sure it is spam since you also started posts about being a CFA, buying gold, and something else today.

[Scallywag]

Once again, you're asking a very vague question with zero context (like your bond post last month). Let's assume this isn't spam. Tell us what your situation is and what you want to know. Of course, I'm 99.9% sure it is spam since you also started posts about being a CFA, buying gold, and something else today.

Steve, in all fairness, he did not say he is a CFA. He seems to be a student and could be over-enthusiastic as a young investor starting multiple threads in an eagerness to learn / know more. I own PHYS and I am no spammer!

Ravi, if you're a new investor and esp a student of limited means, i would suggest you stay away from individual stocks and invest in broad index funds such as VTI / VTSAX or VOO / VFIAX.

Individual stocks are incredibly risky even for seasoned / experienced / well off investors, so stay away from them. Mutual / index funds are baskets of shares that will diversify your exposure & in the meanwhile reducer your risks to some extent. Being invested in the market is always risky, but it is better to be invested than not at all.

Good luck!

[disneysteve]

I certainly wouldn’t recommend individual stocks, but I might not recommend mutual funds either. We need a lot more information. Age. Income. Current savings. Debt. What level of schooling? Near-term goals. How much money is involved. When you anticipate needing those funds. Etc.

[Scallywag]

I certainly wouldn’t recommend individual stocks, but I might not recommend mutual funds either. We need a lot more information. Age. Income. Current savings. Debt. What level of schooling? Near-term goals. How much money is involved. When you anticipate needing those funds. Etc.

That's right. But if he is a student then he likely is young and should be vested in stock funds, especially VTI / VTSAX.

If he has any debt, then paying down debts must be a top priority.

This is my assumption. I wouldn't recommend bonds for a young man esp given the current abysmally low yields.

[rennigade]

Spam post

[disneysteve]

That's right. But if he is a student then he likely is young and should be vested in stock funds, especially VTI / VTSAX.

If he has any debt, then paying down debts must be a top priority.

This is my assumption. I wouldn't recommend bonds for a young man esp given the current abysmally low yields.

But what if he's saving for a new car? Or a down payment on a house? Would you still tell him to put his money into VTI? I wouldn't.

Without more details, we simply can't give a meaningful answer to his extremely vague question.

[bjl584]

This is way to vague to answer.

When I was in college I wasn't worried too much about investing (whether that was right or wrong)
I was more concerned with saving whatever cash that I could