Has any one on here had any luck / success stories of trend spotting over the last few years?

Hindsight is always 20/20. There are many things I wish I had gotten in on when they first began. Like you all say, it is very risky. Who exactly would you trust to steer you in the right direction? I don't know any good fortune tellers or soothsayers.

consulting with industry professionals can be a good idea, but it can also be very expensive.

Cents, you're not losing out much, except that you get to enjoy a simplistic up-and-coming social network. Otherwise, it's way too crowded by now. As for spotting the trend, would you go the length to consult with professionals? I thought they would be able to help, unless they only work for something more realistic than that.

well mutual funds vary by risk and return. There are many that have low risk / low returns, and many that have high risk / high returns. Overall the majority are higher risk than savings accounts because a savings account is guaranteed and you have no risk of loss.

I'm starting to look into mutual funds myself. I'm looking for something to put extra money into that has a good rate of return. A savings account on steroids, basically.

Well said. I would add there are mutual funds and ETFs that are low cost and can help you diversify, but never blindly invest in them based on a recommendation from a broker or investment adviser.

Took a fly at international/global investments and precious metals and followed them myself. Came out all right but you may need to follow them closely as they seem to be volatile. Gave up on stock brokers and investment advisors as they were the only ones making money off of me and so I decided to pay close attention and go it myself and I have made money. It is not for the faint of heart as you could go crazy on a daily basis. Also mutual funds never made me any money. It pays to set your investment goals and then align your activities with them. Example safe versus risky.

I agree with Frank that it's probably better to look for more solid investments. One thing I do kick myself for avoiding was Facebook when it first went public.

Good question, but I would never recommend an average consumer and average investor to try and pick the trendy investments. Most of the time the growth projections are already factored into the price unless you invest very very early on, typically before it is even trendy or semi popular.

Anyone here got any tips on how to get ahead of the crowd and invest in something that seems likely to get popular? Not looking or get rich quick schemes, but to be honest I am not the most 'with it' person, for example, I only just realised who Justin Beiber is!! I can think of ways to educate myself on pop culture if I needed to, but what is worth reading or listening to to get ideas on potential popular investments?