• There are many opportunities for investment in the United Statesmoney money image by Valentin Mosichev from Fotolia.com
  
  With markets beginning to settle, many investors around the world are looking for ways to invest large and small amounts of money in the United States. Some individuals who have never invested before are also taking advantage of the low buy-in rates for many investments. Investors have many options for small-scale investing that require little effort and little capital. Many investors are slowly reentering the market using funds that have only recently been made available.
  
  

Discount Brokers

• Discount brokers, many of which are available online, are an effective way to invest smaller amounts of capital. Brokers such as Share Builder and Etrade are popular due to their low trade fees and reduced minimums. Traditional brokers typically require that an investor maintain or open an account with a very large amount of capital, reduced, or no minimum requirements, allows investors with smaller amounts of capital to open accounts and begin trading. Online brokers allow investors to research and place trades anywhere at any time. Trades are taken, placed the next available date and reported to the investor through the broker's website. Traders can buy or sell from a very large list of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and commodities. Discount brokers also offer subscription plans that allow the trader to make free trades or trades at reduced fee rates.
  
  

Direct Stock Purchase Plans

• Direct stock purchase plans are a very easy way to invest in U.S. companies. Many companies offer the option to trade their stock directly with their company. Locate these programs on company websites under the investors page. Trades can be made at very affordable rates. However, the selling expenses of these plans can be much higher than other types of trades. These investments are recommended for long-term investors due to the high selling expenses. It is important to read all agreements and information regarding fees, orders and holdings. Once the trade is made it is important to keep track of all paperwork that pertains to the trade. Many of these plans can be found on websites such as BNY Mellon.
  
  

Foreign Currency Exchange

• Foreign currency exchange programs are a great way to invest in the United States economy. Foreign currency exchange makes it possible to buy U.S. dollars against other currencies in one easy transaction. Traders make money when the U.S. dollar increases in value. It is possible to trade currency with online companies like Forex. These companies offer margin trading to make small investments count for a very large amount of capitol. When trading currencies online, it is important to choose a platform that has a low fee spread in order to maximize profits. When trading in the Forex market it is important to be mindful of potential scams. Some Forex trading plans and information is a scam to cheat you out of your money. The best rule of thumb is to only purchase software and follow information from trusted investment services, such as Money Magazine. Any program that sounds fishy probably is.