Reddit mentions of The Intelligent Investor CD: The Classic Text on Value Investing

Good on you for not buying that computer. Putting the $1,000 away is a much better decision; one that most teenagers wouldn't even have thought of. I've listed a few potential options below:

• High Risk: Buying specific stocks in a taxable brokerage account (think E-Trade or Charles Schwab) - I would highly reccomend against this, but follow the "rules" below if you really have to trade stocks:
  >1. No penny-stocks. Period. This is gambling.
  >2. No day-trading. Again, this is gambling/speculative investing.
  >3. Thoroughly research before making any investments. Considering your general inexperience with investing, I would stay with large-cap, established companies (e.g. Google, Apple, Microsoft).
  >4. Before even opening an account, read about investing. I reccomend Benjamin Graham's The Intelligent Investor
  
  
• Medium Risk: Vanguard Roth IRA with VTTSX - With this, you would be able to grow money tax-free while still retaining the ability to withdraw all contributions. The "catch" is that you'll need to have documented income from 2013/2014 for a Roth IRA.
  
  
  
• Low Risk: Ally High-Yield Savings/CD - This is similar to your checking account except with higher interest rates (currently 0.87% APY on their savings; 0.99%-1.6% on CDs).
  
  Keep in mind that you will need parental consent and signatures for opening up any accounts. I would pass any plans by them for sanity-checking; although it may not seem like it now, they probably have a lot more experience than you making financial decisions.
  

  
  

  Feel free to message me if you have any other questions.

Read the Intelligent Investor. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. http://www.amazon.com/The-Intelligent-Investor-Benjamin-Graham/dp/006079383X

I am just learning the very basics of stock trading. I started with Why Stocks Go Up and Down, and if I am done with it, I'll try Little Book of Value Investing. Maybe by then I will be able to comprehend The Intelligent Investor. The last one is considered a classic, but also too dense for novices.