How would you invest $1200 a month?

I am a single female with no dependants. . .25 year old attorney. The $1200 is about 30% of my net income. I want to be a millionaire by age 65 so please tell me how to invest this $1200 across CDs, stocks and mutual funds, savings, money market accounts, insurance, 401(k)s, IRAs, etc., taking into account I have 40 years until retirement.

Learn as much as you can about investing by taking the time to read numerous books on stock trading. Being an attorney you may not have time but every 3 percent difference per year in returns can much more than triple your endgame results after a number of years. THe last five years I've been getting over 15 percent returns by understanding and following different trends in the market for both individual stocks and mutual funds. Stay away from CD's except for just the cash needed for an emergency fund (3 to 6 months worth salary net is a good idea generally).
Recommended:

The For Dummies Books--Value Investing, investing online,technical analysis,investing...

Jim Cramer books

Morningstar-- Complete Investor

If its Raining In Brazil Buy Starbucks and any other cd's or books written by Dr Peter Navarro

Active Investing by Sander

Fire Your Stock Market Analyst by Domash

Getting Started in Options

Practical Speculation

Also start watching CNBC and Bloomberg if your interested in learning over time

Talk to someone who REALLY knows what they are doing.

Call a few Investment companies and talk to all of them, then decide.

That is a lot of money and you need really good advice.

Start by reading "Investing For Dummies." That will give you the basics on personal investing. Suze Orman's books are also good.

First fund your 401k to the max and keep the money in stock mutual funds. You should keep a mix of US and Int'l stock funds and maybe 10% in a bond fund.

The rest I'd put into Vanguard's S&P 500 Index fund and have them do automatic withdrawal if your income is steady.

Don't try to time the market cause over a 40 year period you'll come out far ahead by staying in stock mutual funds.

Slow and steady does win the race.

ps you'll have 7 figures long before you're 65 :)

if you put down 16000 at age of 25 and let it sit for the next 40 years in IRA gaining 11% interest, you will have 1 million by the time you retire at 65

Try http://www.goldenbullstocks.com

Well, the most important piece of info you left out is:
Do you own a home?

As young person you should be investing in Equities to begin with, that means No Load Equity mutual funds in your case, or stocks directly if you feel comfortable.

Your interim goal will be to save and invest until you can get a 25% down payment on a home, then purchase one. This serves both as an investment and a reduction in sunk costs of renting.

Historically housing and equity investing have vastly outperformed all other types.

At your rate of investment, $1200/month you'd only need a rate of return of 2.5% to get to $1,000,000 so you could do it with just Government Treasuries, but I'd assume you actually want more than just $1Million, because adjusted for inflation, 1 Million isn't that much.

Equity typically will yield 11-12% long term, at that rate, you'd be a millionaire by 45. And with a properly leveraged home investment, you should be looking at more like 40.

The dude above me is so optimistic with his projections, he must be an insurance salesman. The government recommendation is now that the future growth of the stock market be taken as 7%pa., which after inflation it will probably become 4.5%. The DJ index is down over the last 5 years!

But be that as it may, my advice is to buy a different blue chip share in a different sector of the market every 3 months, re-invest the dividends and sit back and wait.

And pray the US will stop squadering its wealth on constant wars. You are paying for them.

If it were me then I'd be doing 401K definately up to amount company matches at least then also mutual funds, savings bonds and cd's and roth IRA's too.
Stock market may be good to some extent too depending on risk your willing to be involved in but I'd suggest seeing a professional and compare between professional investment people too in order to get an idea between them as well. I know some charge more than they need to and their level of help may be less or more depending so be wary there also.

Real estate and a Roth IRA

index fund.

Better put your money in Belarusian bank. You will get a 13% rate of interest with NO RISK AT ALL because all deposits are state insured.
You will become a millionaire earlier. :-)

Put $10,000 and get back $18,424 in 5 years (compound interest). No fees.

For more details please email me at bestinvest@land.ru (with your Yahoo Answers nickname).

Good luck!

Hello,
I have invested in my friend's business and now I am getting guaranteed 40% annual interest. You may email me for more information (check my profile).
Don't invest in stocks. It's too risky.

I wish you success!