Hey ThinkandGrowRich,
although I'm new to everything, I want to share my experiences and knowledge I have aquired so far by reading through the forum (if anybody spots errors, I'd be thankful if you'd point them out to me):
ICO do offer a great deal - you can get a relatively low price before the herd buys in (price might then increase drastically), even more so do Pre-ICOs
However, it comes with a risk:
a) that price will rise during the crowdsale is not guaranteed
b) Some turn out to be scams and the team you chose to invest in might disappear and your money will be gone (that's why research is the most important thing - don't worry, there a many of quality research sites out there that can be consulted - although you should alway conduct your own)
Last but not least you have to watch out to what is called "flipping": Investors who look for short term but guaranteed profit will sell a great share of their tokens once the coin is listed at an exchange, resulting in a great dip in price - so whatch out.
I'm going to invest in my first ICO in february myself and threfore read everything of value that can advise me (again, if anybody can contribute in terms of things I should be mindful of, I'm happy to listen and learn), so good luck to us both.