Getting dressed to invest

Ah, the first post of a new blog.

A few weeks ago, I got a call from my grandfather who lives just a few thousand miles away saying that he wants to give me $1000. He told me it's his congratulations gift to me for successfully being able to pursue studying business. I was pretty happy already to have been accepted to the rather competitive undergraduate business program, but getting one grand on top of that is honestly, even better.

But, the question loomed of what I was to do with my new-found funds. With the rush of finals and a summer trip and starting work since my grandfather's phone call, I sort of just put the money on the shelf; aka, the savings account. But tonight, as I was changing into my pajamas after a long day at my internship job in the City, it came to me: invest it.

But, I figure I've got to be smart about it. So, I'll keep half of it where it is, and use the other half to day trade (haha. I know plenty of readers will already catch me there... day trading? smart?). But alas, I have (perhaps naive) confidence that if I really dress the part, I might make some nice return in this venture. So, let's review the outfit:

1. $500 starting funds
2. Must plan before buying any stocks, bonds, currencies, etc.
3. Will blog about all that happens along the way to keep myself on track, and to share experiences with other young investors
4. The overall monetary goal (hopefully not too ambitious): turn the $500 into $1000
5. Keep the blog interesting too! I'll try to incorporate any advices, news, or thoughts about young people and investing along the way.

And, a little about me (although I figure other details will crop up as the blog rolls along): I'm a rising junior at the University of California, Berkeley, who was accepted to the rather competitive undergrad business program at the Walter A. Haas School of Business. I start classes this summer, so if I hear anything interesting there about investing strategies, etc. I'm sure I will share that here.

Also, I am rather resolute on trying not to commit too many of the most obvious mistakes of blogging (although clearly I've already violated the first one!), so I want to let all the readers know from the start to expect posting about once a week.

And finally, any feedback or suggestions, please leave a comment; I'll be sure to get it because I am, at least for now, deciding to hold all comments for moderation.

So, that's the plan -- let's get dressed to invest, y'all.