The answer to that question depends on what one means by fast. Let's just compare it to your average 9 to 5 job. Then, by that yard stick the answer is yes. Comparing the question to the lottery, the answer becomes not quite that fast.

That does bring up an interesting point, however. What are your chances of winning the lottery?

Generally, they are about 1: 13 million. Not really good. What are your chances of making substantial money by investing on the internet? The answer to that question is "fairly" good.

Now, I can already hear some of you whining about "fairly" not being good enough. Well, have you ever heard that the riskier an investment is the higher the return? That's right. And I want to take this time to emphasize that no investment is 100% sure. Look at the people that play the stock market.

They make and lose money all the time. In 2002, I lost $32,000 on tech stocks and they weren't the dotcoms, either.

So, where am I going with all of this? First, to invest on the internet you need to have the proper mindset. You have to realize that you will lose some and win many more. The losses that you may incur can be offset by huge gains. That in itself should perk you up.

Playing to Win

Like anything else, investing on the internet takes some research. There are methods that will insure that most of what you invest will indeed earn interest and come back to you. That last clause is important, because you can put your money in places and at times where your money will not come back to you. Knowing who, what, where, and when are the main questions you need to ask when considering an investment.

Asking Who When you ask who what you are really asking is have I heard of this company before. Do they have a good or a bad reputation on paying. In other words, do the pay on time when an investment matures. Has anyone that you know recommended this company? Is there any information on the web about this company?

Also, just because an investment states that it is associated with a certain well-known bank or group of banks doesn't mean that it is. Pick up the phone and give them a call. I recently lost money to a group that claimed to be associated with Dredsner Bank in Switzerland. It wasn't so.

Asking What What is an important question as well. You want to know what is the term of the investment? What is the rate they are promising? Is it guaranteed or an average? What sort of funds do you have to supply to fund an account. By this I mean do they require you to use Stormpay, IntGold, E-Gold, E-Bullion or bank wire? This is important to know before you sign up because in some cases if you do not have a credit/debit card you may not be able to deposit funds any other way but bank wire.

The trouble with bankwires is that the investment company may require you to send a very substantial amount if you use the bankwire method. Many require $1,000 or more.

Asking Where Where the company is located (if you can find out) makes it more of a sure thing. That generally means they are being upfront with their investors. Another thing to know is if they are considered an offshore company. That can offer a significant tax advantage to you if you can leave your money deposited for a time before bringing some of it back into your home country. Notice, I said some. No use paying taxes on it all if not required.

Asking When This may be the most important question to ask of all. With investments on the internet, longevity may not be what you want to see. In fact, the early birds generally do well and the late comers or the ones that get greedy and stay late are the ones that are often burned. Therefore, belonging to a mailing list that alerts you to new opportunities may be one way you can thwart the short life of many online investments.

In closing, I can state that I have made good money investing on the internet and some lessons were hard won. Still, I like high yield investments because they bring in money the fastest. Learn your way around or find someone that can advise you and you can become wealthy. Just like riding a bike, it was hard at first, but now you know you can do it anytime you want. Learn the market and you will soon feel comfortable making fast gains and risking the least as you go.

About the author:

Jeff W. Griffin is an author and researcher for over 25 years. Retiring soon from being an airline pilot he has pursued the best opportunities on the internet including running his own businesses and investing there as well. Jeff can be contacted by visiting: http://www.ClassicInternetStrategies.com