About how much time does it take to learn enought about the stock market to start investing???

Question

About how much time does it take to learn enought about the stock market to start investing???...Be Honest..thanks

Answer 1

It all depends on how much time you put in to learn it. Here's some of the stuff to consider to get you from here to there!

Your first dollars should be spent on getting educated on investing. You don't have to train to trade them professionally, but we are talking about your future here. So the more you learn, the more it'll help you! So let's start there.

You ask a very broad question, so be prepared for a pretty long answer. Just take it in chunks!


How to invest depends on what you already know. We'll assume that you're beginning.

A good primer is How to Make Money in Stocks by William O'Neil. You can get it cheap just about anywhere. It’s widely available new or used.

Another good one is one of Jim Cramer's books (he’s got a few).

But books will only get you so far. At some point, you'll also want to get at least a little training. There are some great education companies if you want to make the investment. Investools.com or optionetics.com are both very good companies as is tmitchell.com

For free, you can start by visiting thestreet.com and investopedia.com. That'll get you a pretty good primer so at least you'll understand what the markets are and what a stock is, etc.

If you get a chance, watch Mad Money on CNBC. Don't trade any of his picks until you track many of them over time. Just use the show to get you to understand some basics and get a feel for the market itself.

Next, subscribe to something like Investorsbusiness daily or something like that that can help you identify good stocks.

Once you understand stocks, go to 888options.com. It's a website that'll help you understand options (what they do, how they work, etc). You don't need to trade them, but the more you know, the more you'll see how options can really be the safest way to invest (once you're educated).

For discipline (which is crucial to successful trading), probably Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas or Mastering the Trade by John Carter

I know that’s a LOT to absorb. Just take it one step at a time for now. Start with a book or two to give you an idea of where to begin. Take your time, and let it seep in.

As you get up to speed, you should papertrade to practice (highly recommended). This should help reduce your losses in the beginning as you get used to buying/selling.

You can practice for free on almost any reputable broker site (optionsxpress, scottrade, thinkorswim, etc).

Start slow, then as you figure things out, you can buy more shares.

Congrats again on getting started. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I have an MBA and still don't buy individual stocks. The true amount of research it takes is just too long.
I do feel comfortable enough to buy mutual funds.

Specific amount of time, I don't know.

Let's put it this way, I wouldn't read two books and think I'm prepared. I'd suggest playing an online Stock Market Game with play money to get a feel for what it is like. Like this one:
http://vse.marketwatch.com/Game/Homepage.aspx

Personally, I think very few people (besides trained analyst) should buy stocks.
Mutual funds are much safer for Mr. Average Joe because they contain many stocks and reduce the risk. But their is still a lot to learn about those, also.

Even if you don't know much about the stock market, ask around for a trusted adviser and started investing as soon as possible. And look out for the fees.

Good Luck.

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Answer 3

I think it will take you quite a long time if you don't realize that it is different for everyone.

It depends on your ability to learn, what you've learned so far, how much schooling you've had (how well you've learned to learn), how much time you're willing to devote to it (full-time, part-time, weekends?), what kind of access you have to learning, and probably a hundred other factors.

For example, if you hire a personal trainer, your education will be accelerated.

You could learn enough to start investing in a few days, but you would make all kinds of blunders and probably lose money. Or you could simply open a brokerage account and let a broker/clerk do it for you.

So maybe your question should be phrased as "How long does it take to start making money consistently?" This question may depend on the market more than the investor; whether we are in a Bull or Bear market.

A professional trainer would advise you to paper trade or trade a simulator for at least six months to a year before investing with real money.

Answer 4

The best thing to do is figure out what product you really love, read up about the company that makes the product (hopefully it is a publicly traded company), and then buy the stock. Just buy a little bit. And then follow the stock price everyday.

I would suggest going to http://www.top10traders.com - this is a free site, where you can create your own portfolio of stocks with $100,000 in "play" money. You can also see what other traders at the site are buying and selling. Each day the site calculates a return on each person's portfolio - so you can see how your picks are performing compared to other people. Good Luck!

Answer 5

You never stop learning, Warren Buffet is a true student of the game and is known for spending hours still doing research on companies before investing. Try the "Investing for Dummies" series its straight forward and written fairly well.

Answer 6

Chimps throwing darts have as good a success rate as most brokers.

Pick established stocks and go for the long term, not short term investments.

Answer 7

It takes a life time but I am actually in the same situation. books on tape, savvy investing for dummies, the book. Investopedia.com a great site.

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