What is the very best way to invest a thousand dollars?

I would say a few different things:

Safe - Open an online savings account at ING, you get a very attractive rate - something on the order of 4.5%

Mildly Risky - Look at what Warren Buffet has his money in - He is basically the smartest investor in the history of this country, the guy knows what he is doing. He invests in companies like Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo, The Wall Street Journal, Johnson and Johnson, and Proctor & Gamble.

Risky - go to a roulette table and bet the whole thing on either red or black - if the table has a 0 and 00 - you are giving up 5.26% percent to the house - so 94.74 divided by two = 47.37% chance of doubling your money - good luck!

Will Rogers said the best way to double your money is to fold it once and put it back in your pocket. That seems like a wasted investment opportunity, but with the way the market has gone this week it could be right on target.
I shouldn't be allowed to give financial advice to anyone, let alone someone itching to part with a grand. All of my investments have gone sour a long time ago. My guns rusted. My Harley was stolen. The whiskey got all drunk up. The fancy writing fountain pens all need new nibs. The cameras wore out. Nobody wants the tools because everybody's getting lazy. My wonderful knife collection is no longer in fashion. And somebody knocked my spare pickup into a ditch and totaled it. All I can say is: Do NOT invest in any of these things, unless you want to buy some of mine. Who knows? You just might be making the investment of a lifetime. Easy terms. Cash only.

In Fun.
Best benefit we will use all the money to go on a two week party and we will have a lot of fun, I guarantee it.

You could put it in a savings account and forget about it and have it to where you can't touch it for a couple of years or longer , to gain interest - And if you do get any out they will penalize you -- Thats what I need to do myself , I'm glad I remembered that - lol

+ 5

Pay off your interest charging debt. You'r gauranteed a 8-21% gain.

Federal and State tax-free investments. And be sure to roll-over your interest back into the account. You probably won't get a high yield at first, but you won't have to pay any taxes on it, either.

With such a small investment I would go to vegas and gamble it

You can get over 5% on a fully FDIC insured online bank account if you want to play it safe and want access to it. If you're thinking long-term and you have $1,000 in earned income (that didn't have to be the source of this $1,000) so far this year, you can put the money into a Roth IRA. I'd suggest putting the money into the S&P 500 and leaving it long-term for your retirement.

A high-interest web-based money market account. Many have more than 5% APY.

With a money-market, you can use the money if you need to. If you don't think you will have to touch it, then get a CD at a higher rate.

the best to invest that safe, you can visit myfxfunds.com for more info

The roulette table.
Put it all on lucky # 7.

As of today, August 16th, 2008, I'd say pay off debt, then buy commodities like gold, silver, and then conservative 401K. But I'm just an average joe, so don't really do that because I said so.

I would invest it in people: in Indonesia, I could start up to ten small businesses with $1000. That is a great investment.

Lets pretend that you have $10,000 to invest, make it more interesting!

Typical Saving Account 3% (if you can find one that pays that much) It will double in 18 years giving you $20,000!

Basic CD account of 6%: It will double in only 12 years!

Mutual Funds (typically earn 12%) Doubles in only 6 years!

Guess where the BANKS, CREDIT UNIONS, MORTGAGE COMPANIES AND INSURANCE COMPANIES PUT YOUR MONEY THAT YOU INVEST WITH THEM?

What if you let your $10,000 sit for 36 years? At the Bank (3%) YOU earn $40,000. The CD (6%) YOU earn $80,000....the BANK HAS EARNED ****$640,000**** off of YOUR money because THEY invested it in the global market of Mutual Funds...

Do you think they are happy to give you your puny $40,000 to $80,000? I bet they are!

WHAT IF...You invested just $200.00 every month for 35 years...say age 30 to 65???

at 3% (that bank saving account) you earn: $148,680.00
Looks pretty good doesn't it?

at 6% (your CD) you earn: $286,370.00 after the same 30 years/$200.00 a month. Even better!

But at 12% interest earned in Mutual Funds...

You retire with: $1.3 MILLION Could you live off of that? Granted a million now and a million in 35 years may not be quite the same million over all...but I can live off of $1.3 Million a lot better and more comfortably than I can $148,680 or the supposed Social Security I've been paying into which WILL run out in exactly 30 more years...

And with $1.3 million, I doubt I'll care that Medicare will also be running out in just about 9 years.

Which plan do YOU like best?

Buy an ounce of gold. In the past 10 years it went from $290 in 1997 to $800 in December 2007, which would have created a profit of 167%. Since December it has gone up to $930, which up from $800. This is a profit of 16.25% in about 3 months! buy gold now!!!!!!

Depends on your situation. The answer will differ depending on age, current assets, current liabilities, tax bracket, personal wants and needs and goals. CAn you afford to lose the $1000? Or is it critical that you retain the principle ( the amount you start with)? Are your goals short term or longterm (i.e., want to buy a car next week or want to invest to build a retirement nest egg? You need to be more specific to get a good quality answer. TRy rephrasing the question and add more detail.

a condo in San Diego County

gamble

With a $1000 it is perfectly reasonable to invest it in penny stocks and make a reasonable return. Providing a) you are happy taking a risk b) you are willing to do some research c) you have good luck. Its also great fun.

If you want to have a low risk investment then put it in the bank and get the best interest rates you can. However if you have any outstanding debts of mortgage then pay it off these first.

Give it to me - I'll look after it for you ;0)

Investment returns now-a-days will only net you 3-4% for $1K of investment. What are you trying to do...long term high returns you need to put away $3-400 a month to get you closer to being a millionaire. $1K will get you a nice watch that might appreciate down the road.

Old Question...but I've been learning new(ish) information...lmao

Look at it this way...If our 20 year old son opens a ROTH account with about $500.00 NOW and between now and when he turns 30 (10 years) adds another $1000.00 to that original investment...he will have about a MILLION when he hits retirement age. I can't remember the exact figures...I think he would need to add about $9.00 or $10.00 PER MONTH to make the million.

Another idea is to put half in a ROTH and half in Mutual Funds or an Annuity that only can go up and will not go down...if you can find one for that price. I'm not sure you can..mine was for 20K invested originally and it's earned about 12% per year. (Averages at times for a few months...6 to 8 percent..but then has risen up to 18% for a lot longer ride!)

buy some goods at factory outlets in your city and resell them on ebay. right now the us dollar is so low then you can make alot of profits. you can buy some brandname clothings and shoes and accessories at the outlet.