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Here's the thing, mtp. The answers to these questions are so complicated, there are people who make legitimate full time careers just helping other people do the right things with their money.
When I was younger, I got my feet wet in the market by opening an account with Charles Schwab, whom I chose because they were big and online and I figured they weren't going under anytime soon. I did as much research as I could stomach, chose a handful of no-fee mutual funds (the no-fee part is important,) a couple stocks that I was pretty sure were going to be solid, and bought in. I ended up making a small amount of money on everything except one stock, which lost big enough to cancel out all my other gains. The moral of the story is, if you want to really learn about the market and get involved, then start researching--but be prepared to lose some money, and maybe even a lot of it, as you learn. If you just want steady, higher-than-a-savings-account-growth, that you don't have to do much with... hire a financial advisor. They will save you money in the long run unless you're really prepared to do all their work yourself.
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