smart: I know nothing about the stock market and to be honest, I'm hoping to find the next Dell or Microsoft and hit it big in a short period (2-6 years). It doesn't have to be tech stock and I've been told by some people that Chinese stocks are the way to go as the economy is booming there due to their modernization. Is this smart or should I just keep my money in traditional investments like 401Ks? Like most people, I just want to retire before I'm too old to enjoy it. I don't waste my money, but I know next to nothing about investing or making the most out of my money. Any advice is appreciated.Is it smart to invest in Chinese stocks right now?I used to work in the street, and now I'm working in a financial institution in Beijing as a financial analyst. here's my advice: advantage: 1.yes, you're right. Chinese Econ. is booming 2.Chinese RMB(Chinese currency) is appreciating against USD, you can figure it out through bloomberg website. In last 3 years, it appreciated 8%, roughly, which means today you exchange 1 USD to 7.5 RMB, eventhrough you don't invest these money into anything, by the end of the year, you 7.5 RMB will exchange more than a dollar. 3. the relationship between American and Chinese economy is getting closer than old days. Although there're a bunch of issues need to be settled, but the trend is predictable and steady. disadvantage: 1. communism economical system is totally different from us. Many things are decided by the authority rather than the federal reserve (the central bank) or the market itself. For example, if the Chinese goverment think Chinese market is arising too fast, they may directly increase its interest rate which will automatically hurt its stock market. In this case, return of Chinese stock market is unpredictable. To make a long story short, there're 2 risks so called "country risk" and "exchange rate risk" for the investor who wish to invest in foreign stock market. You may check the Moody for the rating result of Chinese country risk and give it an extra return rate for the risk,say, extra 3% return compare to invest domestically. There's an easy way to invest in Chinese Companies, which listed in NYSE or NASDAQ through ADR. You'll automaticall avoid the country risk for these stocks while sharing the tadvantage of the growth of Chinese economy.|||Well China is on the rise, so yeah it seems like a good idea. But there could be a downfall at any time.Is it smart to invest in Chinese stocks right now?I would not touch China with a ten foot pole. With the everday tension mounting between U.S. and China concerning the impending trade deficit, this would be a very stupid investment at the present. Wait for the China market to burst. Look for an explosive situation here very soon. Gold is looking very good now, or perhaps the old tin can in the back yard.|||If you know nothing about stocks, then you should not invest in them. Even if you do, it is rarely a good idea to invest in indicidual stocks. You say you are looking for the next dell or microsoft - do you really think that throwing a dart and picking a stock is going to accomplish that? Wouldn't it make more sense to gain specialised knowledge about specific companies and then decide if they are going to be the next microsoft or the next pets.com? Stick to professionally managed mutual funds! Invest consistently each paycheck. Put in AT LEAST up to the match. Much more than that if possible. Invest in quality stock funds with proven track records. Diversify between small cap, mid cap, and large cap. Put a pretty good chunk in international funds as well. Good Luck. And no, GOLD is not the way to go. Look at the historical returns. Gold has not kept up with the stock market and is pretty inflated right now. You don't "buy high".Is it smart to invest in Chinese stocks right now?If you can find out how many pple are on this stoc right now and nobody is on it (or very few pple) I think you should go for it. The 2008 chineese olympic winter games are coming right? pple are gonna go there so if it were me and i had the money I would invest in the hotels. But keep in mind... CHINESE MONEY IS WORTH LESS. if someone normaly well off went to live there, they would be really rich|||dude, there are scam stocks in the US, china, and any other country. the key is to make sure you do your research. the key to picking the next big stock is to pick a sector or product or something you think is going to be huge. the demand for products and services which support the growth in china can make you alot of money, but alot of chinese stocks are hard to get info on. if u cant find the info you need, dont buy it. some people say that trading stocks is like gambling and it can be, but if you do your homework its not even close to gambling. i have played a few chinese stocks, my current one is shengda tech. when the picture becomes cloudy or you cant find the info you need, get out. that applies to US stocks, european stocks, japanese stocks, etc.|||I am not crazy about Chinese stocks right now. That said, here are my favorites - they all trade in the US as ADRs: http://www.top10traders.com/ViewPortfoli鈥?/a>