Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Online Investment Club

An online investment club is a group of individuals who meet on a regular basis for the purpose of investing money. The invested sums can be as little as $10 a month. The first online investment club on record dates back to the 1800s in Western America. Various online communities devoted to this type of investing have recently emerged and have contributed to the personal online investing boom in the United States. One of the reasons that people come together in online investment clubs is to learn how to invest. While investment clubs are commonly organized with members contributing money and investing as a group in a single club portfolio, members of other self-directed online investment clubs simply meet and learn about investing but invest on their own. With the advent of computers and the internet investment clubs have also moved into cyberspace. Online Investment clubs are generally formed as general partnerships, but could also be formed as limited liability companies or limited liability partnerships (in states that allow them). While an investment club could incorporate, the double tax treatment on corporate distributions makes the corporate structure less desirable than a partnership. Typically, a general partnership does not generate any tax liability on its own; instead, any tax liability is passed through to members each year. In the United States Online Investment club partnerships must file Form 1065 and Schedule K-1s with the IRS each year, and with states that require partnership filings. In the United Kingdom investment clubs and their members are required to submit form 185(new) to HMRC each year. Investment club accounting software can facilitate the management of a club's books and the preparation of tax filings. Online Investment Clubs offer the structure and support that many people need to get started investing, and clubs make it possible to get into the market without a big initial investment. So that is Online Investment Club.

1 comment:

Music Wellbeing said...

Hi,

I think that online investment clubs are great!

I have been using the online platform, Wall Street Survivor for about a year and have found that I have learned so much just by having the hands-on experience.

The website for Wall Street Survivor is www.wallstreetsurvivor.com

Looking forward to reading more in the future.

All the best!

Alicia