Im a little bit confused as Im new to this my friend is making a fortune from ripple but not actually owning any as he is investing in it, is this better then having ripple sitting in a wallet?
Your friend was a lucky investor. As a new investor, you aren't ready to be a daily trader in this time. You need to spend much time to know what is the trend of market is going. You can buy and holding until learning how to trade and what is the best time for buying or selling.