I want to be a individual investor. I know how to follow up stocks, but where do I go to start buying?

First open up a brokerage account with one of the discount brokers, fidelty, schwab, etrade, etc. After getting approved you can start trading. All of them offer online trading and most have some research and analytic products. But make sure you understand the risk and volatility before starting. Mutual funds might be a safer bet for a more inexpereinced investor, but you can get more concentrated returns by buying individual secutiries.

You need to look at mutual funds, especially good growth stock mutual funds with a 5 plus year track record. Stocks are too volatile.

Depends on how saavy you are. If you are good, you can open an online account with a discount brokerage. Beginners should stay with conservative stocks until you understand the market. Mutual funds are good, but I would recommend only no load funds with low admin. fees.

Please reconsider getting involved in buying individual stocks. I promise you in the end you will wish you had taken a different course. The odds that you meet the benchmarks of the indexes are remote. You will do much better to follow a buy and hold strategy using index funds for equities and low cost bonds from places like Vanguard than buying and selling your own bonds and stocks.

I would check out the fee schedules of various discount brokers.

I have found Scottrade to have the lowest rates, and there is always someone to talk to, which is not the case with etrade.

I would advise investing in exchange traded funds (ETF's) Here are some that are doing quite well now: IEV, FEZ, EWG, EZU.

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Avoid Canadian mining stocks, new gold mines and anything sold OTC, lest you be screwed.