I just threw this list together to help some newbies... if you want to add to the list, shoot me a support email. :).
Enjoy!

THINGS I LOOK FOR IN A HYIP

1. They have a 'rate us' page

2. Plans last for less than 10 days

3. 1%-5% daily

4. Either Recently Opened with a few (good) reviews, or quality, old, HYIPS, (stoic-capital for example)

5. Support Team
-They have to answer support emails, right?

Also... here's another list that I found:

These are the main elements that should be present in a hyip

1. Do a whois search and check with the site. Make sure that the data is not anonymous.
2. There should be a contact page (email, offline address, {phone contact}<--not a must)
3. Support tickets should be answered within 24 hours. (At most 48 hours)
4. They should be on a forum.(DTM, MMG, TG, etc.)
   
5. Never invest in e-com scripts or goldcoders. (Goldcoders unless it's a trusty one)
6. Invest only in custom scripts.
7. The admin should be active in the forum.
8. Payments should be done daily.
9. Look for more information in other forums. Look for comments from other members and get to know about the programme well.
10. Never invest in hourly programmes. They are the worst. Invest either in daily or weekly. ( Monthly is not recommended, because the time is too much so that there is a possibility to lose money)
11. If live chat is enabled in the forum it's much better.
12. Never trust the word guaranteed in hyips.

If these are also available, it's much more better, but not necessary.

1. The site protected by anti DDOS
2. The site should be encrypted (128bit ssl)
3. Accepting more payment methods

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it!

Don't forget to RSS and Have a great day!

Sincerely,
          Edward Brown
www.edwardbrowninvestment.tk
www.edwardsmoneyblog.tk