Investing online is a great way to both make money and save for retirement all from the comfort of your home. If you're a beginner investing online then you know it can be both scary and overwhelming trying to get started. Where should you get an investment account? What stocks should you buy? Fortunately investing isn't as complicated as many people think, here are a few tips for beginner investors looking to get started investing online.

First, never buy on emotion. Some people refer to the stock market as a big gamble, and as we know gambling can be exciting, but to be fair the stock market is way more complex than a random toss of the dice or flip of a card. The stocks you may invest in are based on actual companies that make actual money and have business plans. As an investor it is your responsibility to research these companies to determine their financial viability but if you don't do your research properly you don't know how good the company you are buying stock in is. If you're buying on emotion you are simply putting your hard earned money on a game of chance.

Second, always look to invest for the long term. We all have visions of buying a stock and striking it rich the next day, but while that may have been the case in the dot com era a few years ago, it isn't the case today. Investing should always be done with the long term benefits in mind, even if that means you lose a little in the short term. Stock prices move up and down every day, they have peaks and valleys over the year but all that movement is natural. If you panic and sell off because you think your stock is crashing then you will surely lose money. Invest based on the long term gains of a stock and only sell if there is a really good reason to do so.

Last, only invest in stocks or other investments that are appropriate for your risk level. If you are close to retirement don't invest in all risky stocks, because you could wind up losing your entire nest egg and be force to work in to your 90's. If you are a young investor who is looking to make a little ground then you can take some risks because you have a long time to earn it back if you hit a rough patch. Determining your risk level is extremely important, so take a few moments to look over your financial situation and determine what investments are right for you.