It's Your Money: The E*TRADE Step-by-Step Guide to Online Investing - Softcover

Once you've grasped the basics, you're on your way to opening your own Internet trading account. The beauty of managing and investing money online is that you can be your own "professional fund manager" (which gives you more power over your money--the author's primary goal here). Cotsakos explains how to research investment opportunities using the World Wide Web, and how to analyze and interpret what you've found in order to meet your own goals. He shows how to take advantage of such online perks as portfolio tracking and computer alerts for important changes in particular investments. And he introduces advanced topics for the braveheart investor--IPOs, day trading, and extended-hours trading. The Cotsakos approach is nevertheless a prudent one. The emphasis is on using the computer's analytical tools to create a well-conceived financial plan, rather than on simply learning how to ride the helter-skelter world of day trading, for example. As a primer for investing online, this book is a great resource. Be forewarned, however: Cotsakos does take every opportunity to mention his own financial-services company, E*Trade. There are others out there, so take a leaf out of his own book and do your research--online, of course--before you sign up. --Lesley Reed