Any advice for an upcoming stock market investor?

Read website
http://www.stock-investment-made-easy.co...

diversify don't spend all of your money in one sector etf, mutual fund stock whatever stay away from penny stock garbage and escpecially FOREX.

Go for it.

Don't invest in a stock you "read" about on the message boards.

Buy on Rumor, sell on the news. Once the news is out, you are too late.

Mutual funds are safer than individual stocks.

Think long term. 3 yrs + on stocks and mutual funds.

Do some research on specific stocks you are thinking of investing in. Look at graphs with trends of patterns. Decide when to buy and when to sell.

Look for great companies that have a high chance of growth.

Here's a few websites that have up to the minute information on stocks.

Dow Jones:

http://www.moneymarket.com

Google Finance:

http://finance.google.com/finance?tab=we

Also, read books from great investors such as Warren Buffet.

Educate yourself. No financial advisor will be as interested as you are in making sure your money is wisely invested.

Unless you have a lot of knowledge, and time to manage a portfolio daily, use mutual funds (index funds are best because of their low cost of ownership). These will diversify your holdings and reduce your risk.

If you are young, stay 100% in equities for now - and in a bear market, move to no more than 15% in bonds.

If you are close to retirement, stay at least 30% in bonds to help smooth out the rough patches when the market is turning down.

I also agree with an earlier post - for beginners, FOREX is too complex and too risky. For anyone, Penny stocks are just gambling, not investing. In either case, you'd have more fun just taking the money to Vegas and blowing it at the tables.

There's a phrase you will hear a lot- "Do your due dilligence." It means do a lot of homework before you make a decision. Check fundamentals, analyses, recommendations, future growth, insider action, etc. Find out all you can before you make your own decision. Don't fall in love with a stock. Invest regularly and within your budget. Give it all time. The best resource I have found is http://www.3stocksonfire.com/index.php?r... where you get the analysis of several people and where they put their money where thier mouth is. I also look at motley fool, yahoo and edmunds as well as morningstar. Good luck!

Here is a free trading course very worth while for beginners

send a blank e-mail to

fullcourse@sendfree.com

for the links
or

"Buy low, sell high."

If you have a margin account, you can also
Sell high, buy low.

before you buy any stocks please read the following books.

"security analysis"
"intelligent investor" by Benjamin Graham

these books will help you out allot.

happy investing, buy low!

Tip: Don't hold stocks...and be a sitting duck!

Now you have absorbed that..the market at present is becoming difficult becasue it is volatile.

How would you like to lose money..like 20% of your money?
Not likely! This is the prediction that it could fall by that much.

What goes up must come down..people like to take profits
and so they sell...and youy must learn to sell as well.

Many people HOLD...get used to the idea of the market
as a short term opportunity...not long term.

Buying is not where you make money...it's the selling
that's important.

In order for you to make some money you have to educate yourself.

You are going up against ther BEST in the world when you put your money in the market..and they will take your money..if you let them!

Start your research..do courses and read books on your
business.

This is how you will have a fighting chance. Get help, access
price info, use the scanning tool and get a trading system and
trading education... all in the one place.