What were you doing in 2001?I was a freshman with bangs, light wash denim and an aversion to beer (I preferred Smirnoff Ice). I had a desk top that was connected to the Ethernet by a long cord that went from under my desk, around the perimeter of my room, up the wall and into a jack under my roommate’s bed.

And I had no freaking clue what Google was.

A lot has changed since 2001 in my life (I got wireless and some dark wash jeans), and in the world. It is hard to realize how different everything is unless you have the ability to go back and look. And thanks to the boys at Google, you can. Those guys saved the entire Google index from ’01, which means you can travel back in time and Google like it’s 2001.

Isn’t that a Prince song?

Anyways, if you have a break between classes….or are completely bored during class, try Googling your name. Or the World Trade Center. Or Britney Spears.

It is sorta freaking me out.

(In the second installment of our Expert Series Understanding The Economic Situation, we continue with the Q and A with a VP of an Investment Banking Firm. He knows his stuff and he’s gonna break it down for us in ways we can finally understand. Pay attention; he offers great advice for us college ladies for saving, spending, and not getting depressed. In case you missed the first part, read it HERE]

Do these recent economic waves mean college students and recent grads should stay away from investing in the stock market right now?

No – they should DEF participate and now is the time to do it. Recent and current grads should look to NON-financial stocks. Everything is down right now and there are so many bargains. Look to other tech and retail stocks. Buy stock and just let it sit. Don’t start trading regularly like I did when I was in college. I didn’t really make anything off of it, and if I had held onto the Google stock that I bought at $15, I would NOT be answering this email right now – I would be on a beach drinking fruity drinks with umbrellas.

How does one actually start to make smart investments?

Smart investments are ones that are based off of information, not emotion. An emotional investment is, “OMG, everyone is selling off finance stocks – I should sell mine too!” An informed one is made by reading 10K reports, poking around the internet for info, maybe even emailing or calling an investor relations representative of a company (they HAVE to talk to you and actually like doing so). Then you say, “Oh, Lehman is f*cked but JP Morgan is still in a strong position.” Read More »