sheilac101 asks,

Okay, I was thinking of putting away a good amount of money for my parents retirement...they are in their early 50s and don't have much of anything put away for retirement...and they have done so much for me that I want to give them something. I want to put away over 30k for them now and let it grow for 7-12 years....but where is the best place to put it? Would investing in just one solid stock do it, or should I be looking at different IRA's to put it in? Let me know, I will be reading up on it too to see if I can learn anything new....thanks again to all of you that answer my questions.

I think most folks on this board would agree that "investing in just one solid stock" is pretty risky. Beyond that, you'll get a variety of opinions. Some will tell you to just buy an S&P500 index fund or a Wilshire 5000 index fund. Others will advise you to cast your fortune to the four corners of the Earth and include international funds, gold, and real estate along with the S&P500 index fund.

Personally, I favor a diversifed portfolio of 15-20 individual stocks. If you're already retired, I'd add 5 to 10 years worth of living expenses in cash and FDIC-insured CDs to the stock portfolio.

intercst