buying shares in the US

[wwhong]

just wondering does anyone has experience buying stock in US? how's the procedure?

if i buy stock here and then go back m'sia next time, am I still be able to claim the money from the stock bought here?

i know i should search this online but if anyone has experience doing this then definitely can help make my life easier.

thanks.

See http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/archives/2004/08/all_about_stock.html#more

However, for most people with an investment of less than $10,000, it would make most sense to invest in an index fund -- for example the Vanguard Total Market http://flagship5.vanguard.com/VGApp/hnw/FundsSnapshot?FundId=0085&FundIntExt=INT
instead of buying individual stocks.

You can own US stocks and mutual funds even if you're in Malaysia. But I think you need to have a US address to maintain your account.

Also, there are tax consequences of investing.

I would recommend understanding how the stock market works before investing -- the "i will teach you..." blog is a good start.
Then read "The Intelligent Investor" by Graham.

BTW, unless you plan to invest for the long-term (say 10 years) and can see your investment go down by 50% without panicking, it doesn't make too much sense investing in the market.

If you plan to return to Malaysia in less than 3 years and plan to withdraw all the money back to Malaysia, my advice would be to just keep it in a high yielding CD (search for good rates on internet banks at bankrate.com)

[Thirdshifter]

mutual funds and 401k with some low risk stocks is my retirement plan, but i'm waiting for the powerball to hit..Invest your money in powerball so the jackpot will be huge when i hit it. :D

[wwhong]

actually, i happened to come by this company called id-confirm inc(IDCO.OB). it's a biometrics security company and they just developed a new technology where the technology can be applied to a wide array of fields. check this out https://us.etrade.com/e/t/invest/quotesandresearch

i think this company really has potential to grow and is a good choice for long term investment. but actually i m just a newbie and no experience at all in identifying good stock with strong growth potential. just trying to learn here. appreciate if everyone can give me your opinion about this stock.

[Thirdshifter]

The greatest advice my dad gave me before i got into stock buying is "don't buy what you can't afford to lose"

It's pretty simple, do some background check and ask yourself would you want a biometric front door in your house.

mutual funds and 401k with some low risk stocks is my retirement plan, but i'm waiting for the powerball to hit..Invest your money in powerball so the jackpot will be huge when i hit it. :D

Lottery == negative expected return. In the stock market, the expected return is usually positive. Risk should give positive rewards, not negative rewards (as in the case of lottery).

actually, i happened to come by this company called id-confirm inc(IDCO.OB). it's a biometrics security company and they just developed a new technology where the technology can be applied to a wide array of fields. check this out https://us.etrade.com/e/t/invest/quotesandresearch

i think this company really has potential to grow and is a good choice for long term investment. but actually i m just a newbie and no experience at all in identifying good stock with strong growth potential. just trying to learn here. appreciate if everyone can give me your opinion about this stock.

A great company (like Google) doesn't necessarily imply a great stock (it's like $50 billion for the entire company). If you pay too high a price, even for a good stock, you'll not get good returns.

So, if you hear that company A is good, the market has heard of that too, hence pricing the stock accordingly.

That's why I advocate buying index funds -- i.e. don't attempt to outpredict the market. Cause, if you think you're smarter than the market, you're better off working in finance management firms earning millions managing the fortunes of the wealthy.