| Searching for a stock is the obvious first step to | | | | judgments. You've much more to do before you're |
| investing. You hear about stocks on television and | | | | ready to invest. |
| radio, and notice some mentioned in the paper, or | | | | Remember what you read in your local paper that |
| other people tell you about what they know (or think | | | | has to do with stocks is probably old news as far as |
| they know). Start keeping a list of all the stocks you | | | | stock news goes. Everything that happens in the |
| hear of. And you will hear more and more, and find | | | | stock market happens so quickly by the time it gets |
| more and more mentions everyday as you get more | | | | to your newspaper it's long past timely. That's why |
| into the subject of investing. | | | | you need to learn to investigate stocks and dig out |
| May as well make a list. Some of the stocks that | | | | information about the company(s) rather than |
| arrive on your list might be very good ones. Of | | | | depending on impulses and gossip. |
| course you will investigate all of them, and eliminate | | | | Incidentally, if a stock symbol has four or more |
| probably most. But, if you are just starting out it is | | | | letters the stock is traded on the NASDAQ or the |
| well worth the effort to check out everything you | | | | over the counter exchange; if the symbol is less than |
| can. | | | | four, it is traded on the New York Stock Exchange |
| Searching for stock can and does take time but it's | | | | or the American stock exchange. It helps to know |
| always worth it. You are dealing with your money. | | | | which exchange you want to look at if you're looking |
| You don't want to do this hastily or emotionally. The | | | | things up in the Wall Street Journal or other news |
| original research of searching for the stocks you | | | | paper. |
| want to invest in may well be the most important | | | | The most important thing right now is to not be in a |
| part of stock investing. | | | | hurry. Once you've decided to invest most people |
| Good investors control their investments; their | | | | are anxious to get started. But, you have a lot to |
| investments do not control them. | | | | learn if you've never done this. You don't want to be |
| There are resources online you should investigate: | | | | hasty. |
| MorningStar, the Wall Street Journal, Success | | | | Setting out to create a list of 25 stocks and keep |
| Magazine, yahoo.com/finance, Reuters.com/finance | | | | notes on all you learn about them, is just the |
| stocks, and many more. Search them out, decide | | | | beginning. As you learn about them you will be |
| what's best for you and study what they have to | | | | eliminating stocks off the list. |
| teach you. | | | | It is important to keep notes on how you do your |
| Get familiar with stock charts. If you have a broker | | | | research. As you get more experience you will find |
| already, ask them what charts they use; maybe they | | | | some of the things you thought were important to |
| have one online that you can learn from. If not is | | | | do when you started are not giving you information |
| free. Play with the charts until you are comfortable in | | | | you can use. Keeping notes on all you do will help you |
| reading one, and are quite sure about what it is telling | | | | to learn as you can evaluate your learning process as |
| you. | | | | well as evaluating the stock. |
| Don't get caught up in what you think you're learning | | | | And have fun. Even research can be exciting. And the |
| from studying charts or from reading the papers. This | | | | real gem, might be in the next paragraph, or on the |
| is just a familiarization period. You're learning to gather | | | | next page. So enjoy! |
| important stock information, not trying to make | | | | |