1. Do NOT talk to a stock broker or investment dealer
They make their money selling you things, and charge fees, commissions and maintenance fees on your account.

2. Educate yourself and understand what you are doing and investing in. that means reading, reading reading.

3. Go to www.wsj.com , www.smartmoney.com . www.cnnmoney.com

4. Read about Mutual funds, read about ETF's and only invest in stocks if you read below.

5. If you don't understand how something works, or do not understand a company, or business - DO NOT INVEST IN IT

6. Only invest in what you like, are interested in and understand

7. Once you have some basic knowledge, use a discount online broker where you can do research, there are no or minimal fees ( unlike a stock broker ) and they do not charge for accounts

like TD Ameritrade or Vanguard or Fidelity.

Talk to a stock broker.

I would like to start investing in stocks and bonds, what do I do? where would I start? To start educate yourself by reading magazines about stocks and bonds. You can buy these on your own but get all your ducks in a row first. Check out companies you like and which stocks are low right now. Invest slowly. Try Td Ameritrade they'll get you in the right direction.

I would begin by investing in a mutual fund. Something like an index fund which tracks the performance of the market as a whole. This will allow you to learn about investing with lower risk.

Consider the Vanguard 500 S&P fund.

invest in gold or silver neither have been worth nothing and have always been worth something. try buying a steak with a stock certificate