What is the best stock investment  book to read?
474389
Which is best, a painting by Monet, or one by Leonardo DaVinci?\n\nYou don't give much info on what you are trying to do. Will you use computers, do you chart by hand, will you use Technical Analysis or are you a Fundamental Investor? Long-term, short-term, Day Trading?\n\nThere is no one book that will get you started; no ten books. But you have to start somewhere. \n\nGood luck
317907
The best way to do anything yourself is to learn something about it first. You'd be surprised at the thousands of books available on this one subject at your local library.\n\nBut most people spend more time deciding the color of their new car, than they do on a mutual fund advisor, for example. \n\nAre you really wanting to do this yourself, or are you asking about someone who is an expert who can do it for you?\n\nIf you invest in the stock market right now, or just buy into all the ETF's you can afford, it's a crap shoot, like rolling the dice, and the odds are probably not in your favor, whether you have an expert fund manager or not, because mutual funds are always "in" the market.\n\nThey say "Buy and Hold" for the long term is better, but that depends on when you get in, and what your definiton of "long term" is. \n\nThe Dow is now approaching all-time highs last seen in Jan 2000, so if your long-term definition is more than seven years, then you won't mind waiting another seven years for a profit. There have been periods of over twenty years when the Dow went nowhere. This is not investing, but rather blind hope.\n\nFor most people, the name of the game is capital preservation. When the risks are high, like right now, you get out of the stock and bond markets and park your cash in a interest bearing money market fund or CD or Treasury Bill.\n\nThis is simply not a good entry point for investors. Be patient, wait a few months, and you'll be able to buy much more stock a lot cheaper, the risks will be lower (even though they will seem higher), and your chance of success greater.\n\nIf you wish to research the “Buy and Hold Strategy” further, or perhaps trade yourself, I recommend two book titles. One is called "Which Is Better, Buy-and-Hold or Market Timing?" The other is "Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Market Timer?" They will give you plenty to think about.
1017224
Hopefully you've done plenty of reading...you can become your own best broker so to speak in time by spending a good deal of time reading books, investment strategies, newletters, etc.  I would higly recommend books such as The New Buffetology, Trade Like Warren Buffett, Confessions of a Street Addict by James Cramer, and Investment All-Stars to familiarize yourself with some of the lingo and rub shoulders with the best.  Always stay diversified and be content starting small, safe, and thinking more long term.  Holding over the long term requires patience, but will yield surprising results.
14750
Get to the library and read up on finance, economics, and investing, there are many basic, cursory books on such subjects.  Also, you can research just about anything you can think of over the Internet.
204945
It is not wise to invest all your portfolio in just one stock.\n\nI can advise you.
644728
Best selling book and great advice ...\n\n"Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow"
517192
Buy a diversified series of mutual funds. Individual stocks are just way too risky in most cases, especially for novice investors, even if they look like a sure thing.  How are Enron and Worldcom doing right now?\n\nMake sure you hit all the assets classes, like Large cap stocks, small/mid cap stocks, international stocks, emerging markets stocks, government debt, corporate debt, hi-yield debt, foreign debt, emerging markets debt, real estate, commodities, and precious metals. That's 12 categories right there, so let's say you get started with with $1200, you're talking about $100 each. \n\nThen sit back and rebalance each year, back to your original percentages. This is called asset allocation. The thinking being, what's BEEN hot is more than likely not going to STAY hot. All markets, after all, are cyclical.  This is why people who invest their 401(k) by just putting in whatever's had the most recent best numbers never get anywhere--they're investig in something that DID will and IS probably NOT doing well.\n\nThis sort of portfolio should average 8-12% per year, so just split the difference and say 10%. Will it do 10% EVERY year? Of course not. I'd be surprised if it ever did EXACTLY 10%. That's an annual average. With that average, your money should double roughly every 7 years. \nSo, in 7 years you should have about $2,000\nin 14 years you should have about $4,000\nin 21 years you should have about $8,000\nin 28 years you should have about $16,000\nin 35 years you should have about $32,000\nin 42 years you should have about $64,000\nin 49 years you should have about $128,000\nin 56 years you should have about $256,000\nin 63 years you should have about $512,000\nin 70 years you should have about $1,024,000!\n\nOf course, if you keep adding money in, say $100 a month, you'll become a millionaire MUCH sooner. The key is discipline, and sticking in when markets are up OR down. Don't try to time the market--you'll NEVER get it right.\n\nHere's a handy formula:\n\n$100/month x 12% retutn x 20 years = $100,000.  \n\nSo if you invest $300 a month, you can expect to have $300,000 or so in 20 years, depending on what return you get.  And remember, even if you stop there, that money itself will double again in 7-10 years, depending.  Then double again.  Then double again.  You get the idea.\n\nIn short, you can make a HELL of a lot of money, with a small output on your part, if you do it right, and are patient.\n\nOh, and if you qualify, and do this all in a Roth IRA? Then every penny will be 100% TAX-FREE. That's a deal that's too good to pass up. That's why I tell all my under-30 clients--if you make under $90,000, and therefore qualify to do a Roth, you'd be a fool not to. Just having the power of youth (and therefore time) on your side is such an advantage, to squander it would be such a waste!\n\nHope this helps!\n--J.\n\nP.S. The previous answerer's advice about contacting Edward Jones is gold.  I would go to their website at www.edwardjones.com, enter your zip code, and find the closest office to you.  Chances are there's one within 10 miles.  They have 10,000 office in the US, UK, and Canada.  And they will take care of you right if you decide you don't want to go it alone.
363157
read a book.  it changed my mind about wanting to play the stock market.
897124
If you want to invest in the stock market I would suggest first seeing what the best traders are buying and selling.  Check out http://www.top10traders.com - this is a free site that lets you create a portfolio of stocks with $100,000 in "play" money.  Each day the site ranks the best performing portfolios, so you can see how your picks perform compared to other investors.  You can also read posts on investing from the best traders, as well as share your own investing ideas.\n\nHere are this month's best traders:\n\nhttp://www.top10traders.com/Top10Standings.aspx \n\nMy stock recommendation would be PWI, a stock I own personally.  This is a Canadian Royalty Trust that pays a great dividend.  The stock has sold off recently, so I think the price is good.\n\nGood luck!
282266
You might want to try out Stephen Cooper's teaching on how to trade stocks and options. It is good !
509647
READ! You would be surprised at the volumes of information at your local library. And if they don't carry a particular book, you can get it through the Interlibrary Loan Service.\n\nBeginner’s Books on Investing\n\n"Which Is Better, Buy-and-Hold or Market Timing?" \n\n"Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Market Timer\n\nThe Beginner's Bible in Technical Analysis is:\nEdwards & McGee"Tech. Anal. Of Stock Trends"\n\nDroke, ClifTechnical Analysis Simplified\n\nKahn, Michael N.Tech. Anal. Plain & Simple\n\nKamich, Bruce M.How Technical Analysis Works\n\nLefevre, EdwinReminiscences of a Stock Operator\n\nLofton, ToddGetting Started in Futures\n\nLowenstein, RogerBuffet (Warren)-The Making of a Capitalist\n\nO'Neil, William J.How to Make Money in Stocks\n\nOz, TonyHow to Make Money From Wall Street\n\nRotella, Robert P.Elements of Successful Trading, The\n\nSchwager, JackStock Market Wizards\n\nSchwager, Jack D.New Market Wizards\n\nSperandeo, VictorTrader Vic-Methods of a Wall Street Master\n\n\nCheck out this news story: Six strategies for a new bear\n\nhttp://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?dist=newsfinder&siteid=mktw&guid=%7B6E08848C%2DD6D3%2D4652%2D9CD3%2DE518AEEAE3FE%7D&column=Paul%20B.%20Farrell
175229
Go to Amazon.com and find beginner's stock market books that have the highest customer ratings that based on their description, will teach you what you want to learn.\n\nThen find the book or books at your local library.  If they don't have the books you want, many libraries can borrow them for you from other libraries that do have them.  They will get them for you and loan them to you.\n\nWhen you return the books, they'll return the books to the libraries they got them from.\n\nGood luck!
1129357
If you want to use investment newsletters, I would recommend buying the one that tracks them all: The Hulbert Financial Digest (now a product of MarketWatch.com). Then you can start tracking newsletters on a risk adjusted basis and choose for yourself.
1031633
There is a website (www.madmoneymachine.com) that has created some mock portfolios based on Mr. Cramer's recommendations.  Look under "Portfolio Challenge" and you'll find some in there.  There's also an accompanying podcast where he regularly talks about Jim's picks.  Recently the site has turned its attention to Index Funds and their merits, but there is still lots of Cramer talk.  Good site.
1126078
1) Go to your local library and borrow a basic "investing" book.\n2) For practice, go to www.finance.yahoo.com/\n3)  Enter common symbols such as GM (General Motors), GE (General Electric)\n4) Examine various numbers, as defined in your book\n5)  Also use <HELP> on that page.  Good Luck
146997
Okay, this is gonna sound lame, but watch Madmoney on MSNBC. It's on at night, or in the evening rather, i'm pretty sure on weekdays. He gives amazing advice for the average guy on what stocks are good to invest in and whatnot. I've made a lot of money listening to him. It's worth a shot.
120722
It depends on whose money it is. Some people would say the best place is call options on the NASDAQ, other would say mutual funds, others would say bonds, others would say real estate, others would say GICs.\n\nIt depends on your goals and your understanding of investments. Don't blindly trust other people for advice like this. Learn to judge for yourself.