I invest in equities and think it might be interesting to trade commodities as well. I am less interested in FOREX for currencies but would like to take a look at other commodities.

Answer
Hope this list on the website would be useful....http://www.summaryworld.com/commodity-broker-directory.php

What can I do with leftover British Currency?

I went to London last year and I have A LOT of currency leftover, I forget how much it totals but its all coins. Obviously, I cant use it back in the US but I was wondering if theres somewhere I can exchange it or sell it. If I can exchange at like a bank or something will I be charged a fee? Im trying to figure out if there is a fee, would it be worth exchanging the currency...??

Answer
Most currency exchange firms - and in the US, Post Offices are not among these, alas - will accept only foreign banknotes ("paper money"), not coins. You can always call around to see if there are any exceptions, but all those I've dealt with to date have accepted only banknotes, not coins.

One example is Travelex, whose "Terms and Conditions" state that "Travelex will not accept coins":

http://www.travelex.com/us/personal/SU_yourcurrency.asp?content=su

Here's one possible exception, an outfit in Virginia that claims on their website to accept foreign coins.

http://foreigncoinandcurrency.com/

Here's a handy guide to finding currency exchange firms near you in the US, so you can call around to see if any might accept coins:

http://www.forex-guide.net/currency-exchange-directory.html

Also, most retail bank branches don't accept or exchange foreign currency on a routine basis. Exceptions include some branches in big city financial districts, near airports or borders, and in university towns that have many traveling and/or foreign students, that may have an actual foreign exchange window or desk. At other branches that do this less frequently, you may need to make a special arrangement to have the bank exchange your foreign currency.

Whether at a bank or foreign exchange firm, if you do exchange currency, you may either be charged a fee, or the difference between the bank/firm's "buy" and "sell" price for the currency, or both. At one Bank of America branch I've dealt with in the San Francisco Bay Area, for instance, the 'spread' between the buy and sell prices is typically around 2-4%, depending on the currencies being exchanged.

One option is to sell these coins on eBay. This is done fairly frequently. Because buyers account for shipping costs when deciding how much to pay, this means that you'll receive only a fraction of the coins' value, but at least you'll get something back.

Another option: find a neighbor, friend, co-worker, or someone else who's travelling to the UK this summer. With the usual caveats about personal safety, you could also try Craigslist if you want to expand your scope.

Finally, Alice's suggestion is a good one: if you went on a tour, rather than arranging your London travel yourself, you might check with the tour organizer.