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

If you're curious about investing but have been too afraid to try, or if you've wondered about the hype surrounding online trading but were unsure how to plug in, It's Your Money is for you. In it, Christos Cotsakos--the man who put online trading on the map--leads you step-by-step into the brave new world of Internet trading. The book begins literally at the beginning, with criteria for buying a computer and selecting an Internet service provider, moves on through investment basics, and finally offers sophisticated strategies for analyzing individual stocks. Ever wondered what the NASDAQ was but didn't want to show your ignorance? Or day trading? Read on. In a clear, conversational style, Cotsakos answers all the key questions, from what growth stocks are, to why bonds are really not boring, to the difference between front-end and rear-end loads (mutual funds, that is).

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