by George Tucker

Created on: June 17, 2009

Sogotrade, the discount stock broker, has made investing in the stock market inexpensive and easy for the average investor. This article will discuss setting up your Sogotrade.com account and some recommended investments for the beginner. Keep in mind that investing in the stock market is a risky endeavor and may result in the loss of all of the invested funds - although this is unlikely, especially if you do your due diligence and make conservative investments. However stock market investing is a risky endeavor and should be approached cautiously.

Ready to make the first of your Sogo investments? Read on! To set up your Sogotrade.com investment account In order to set up your Sogo investment account, you will need the following:

- Active email address

- Bank account information (routing number and account number)

- $500 initial deposit
The Sogotrade application is relatively straightforward and easy to complete. However, the approval turnaround ranges from 24-48 hours.
Advanced traders should note the following:

- Sogo does offer margin investing (margin stock investments are not recommended for beginners - this is a risky proposition)

- Sogo does not currently offer options stock market investing (learn more about options) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_(finance)

The $500 minimum deposit is a significant barrier to many beginning investors. Discount brokers like sharebuilder.com don't require a minimum deposit. Savvy investors can set up a mutual fund account with T. Rowe Price with a $0 initial deposit using the Automatic Asset Builder (an automated investment of at least $50 per month). Learn more about these alternatives at www.sharebuilder.com or www.troweprice.com

Making smart stock market investments with Sogo

Once you have an investment account with Sogotrade.com, you can begin to harness the power of the most profitable investment opportunity available to the public: the stock market. If you're a beginning stock market investor and you're not sure how to invest your money, consider these conservative investments:

Vanguard broad stock market ETFs (exchange-traded funds)
The discount mutual fund and ETF provider Vanguard offers three exchange-traded funds that may be of interest to the beginning investor. These are:

Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) This ETF tracks the performance of the entire US stock market. This is an easy way to capture the overall performance and profits of the stock market of the United States.

All-World Excluding

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