5 Great Ways to Learn Stock Trading as a New Investor
New investors taking their first steps towards learning the basics of stock trading should have access to multiple sources of quality education. Just like riding a bike, trial and error coupled with the ability to keep pressing forth will eventually lead to success.
One great advantage of stock trading lies in the fact that the game itself lasts a lifetime. Investors have years to develop and hone their skills. Strategies used twenty years ago are still utilized today. The game is always in full force.
So for new investors wanting to take their first steps, I offer 10 great answers to the simple question, “How do I get started?”
1. Open a stock broker account
Find a good online stock broker and open an account. Become familiarized with the layout and to take advantage of the free trading tools and research offered to clients only. Some brokers offer virtual trading which is beneficial because you can trade with play money (see #9 below). A great tool for comparing online brokers can be found at StockBrokers.com.
2. Read books
Books provide a wealth of information and are inexpensive compared to the costs of classes, seminars, and educational DVDs sold across the web. Here on the site we have a full list of 20 great stock trading books for investors to consider. My personal all-time favorite is How to Make Money in Stocks by William O’Neil, founder of CANSLIM Tradingwhich is pictured below.
3. Read articles
Articles are a fantastic resource for education. Our free Stock Education page here on StockTrader.com lists over 100 unique investment articles broken down into categories. Recommended websites for investment education are investopedia.com and of courseGoogle search.
4. Find a mentor
A mentor could be a family member, a friend, a past or current professor, co-worker, or any individual that has a fundamental understanding of the stock market. A good mentor is willing to answer questions, provide help, recommend useful resources, and keep spirits up when the market gets tough. All successful investors of the past and present have had mentors during their early days.
Forums can be another source for question and answer. Two recommendations includeElite Trader and Trade2Win. Just be careful of who you listen to. The vast majority of participants are not professional traders, let alone profitable traders. Heed advice from forums with a heavy dose of salt and do not, under any circumstance, follow trade recommendations.
5. Study the greats
Learning about the greatest investors of years past will provide perspective, inspiration, and appreciation for the game which is the stock market. Greats include Warren Buffett,Jesse Livermore, George Soros, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch, John Templeton and Paul Tudor Jones, among others. One of my favorite book series is the Market Wizards by Jack Schwager.
We’re going to break down stock trading training for beginners so it doesn’t seem scary. One of the first things you need to do when you start out is to pick a good broker. A stock broker is going to be where you do all your business. Picking one that has large commissions and fees can be detrimental to a beginner.
ReplyDeleteAn important second step is going to be learning how to read a stock chart. The stock chart holds all of the clues to which direction the stock is going to move. Watch our ThinkOrSwim video on charts setup.
Another great resource for learning to read a chart is stockcharts.com. They have a chart school for any questions that you might have. Charts can look like Greek when you’re starting out. The more you look at a chart, the more you’ll understand it and be able to predict trends.
We’re going to break down stock trading training for beginners so it doesn’t seem scary. One of the first things you need to do when you start out is to pick a good broker. A stock broker is going to be where you do all your business. Picking one that has large commissions and fees can be detrimental to a beginner.
ReplyDeleteAn important second step is going to be learning how to read a stock chart. The stock chart holds all of the clues to which direction the stock is going to move. Watch our ThinkOrSwim video on charts setup.
Another great resource for learning to read a chart is stockcharts.com. They have a chart school for any questions that you might have. Charts can look like Greek when you’re starting out. The more you look at a chart, the more you’ll understand it and be able to predict trends.