So you’ve decided to invest in the market. Congratulations! In his 2005 book ’The Future for Investors,’ Jeremy Siegel showed that, in the long run, has handily outperformed investing in bonds, Treasury bills, gold or cash. In the short term, one or another asset may outperform shares, but stocks have historically been the winning path.
If you’re reading this, you probably know that its important to invest early to let compound interest work its magic. But you’re apprehensive or fearful, how do you even get started?
Many of us want to know how to start, but its easy to get overwhelmed.

We often think we need to be experts to invest but being active in the market doesn’t require a special certification. Our eyes glaze over when we hear people talk about investing, as we believe it’s possible for only a select few.

investing in stocks simply requires a little basic knowledge. That knowledge, in turn, can help mitigate fear so you can begiin. Thankfully there are plenty of available resources to help you grow in that basic knowledge, and most of it’s free.
Now that you know the importance of acquiring a certain knowledge level with investing, where do you actually start? There are two main ways to begin investing in the stock market:
Investing through an employer-sponsored
Opening an account with an online broker
But there are so many ways. mutual funds, index funds, ETFs, domestic, foreign - how can you decide what is right for you? This article will address issues that you, as a new (or not-so-new) investor, might want to consider so that you can rest more easily while letting your money grow.

stock is the aggregation of buyers and sellers (a loose network of economic transactions, not a physical facility or discrete entity) of stocks (also called shares), which represent ownership claims on businesses

When it comes to investing in stocks, there are a few things you need to get right before deploying your hard-earned money to the markets.

You need to start with understanding the basics. This involves differentiating between investing and saving, say experts.

It’s important to make sure you are living within your means, said CFA and independent ETF strategist and advisor, Nerina Visser. “You can’t invest if you are not doing it with spare capacity. You need to ensure you don’t spend more than you earn.”

Visser highlighted that the risk taken should match the time horizon of the goal.

so to investing in stocks you must Saving involves building up the capacity to spend on big ticket items which falls outside one’s month-to-month responsibilities, explained Visser. It is done at a low risk over a short period. Examples include saving for your child’s school fees the following year.

Investment involves building up an asset base that you don’t intend to use within the near term. Investments are long-term focused and not concerned with the volatility of markets in the short-term.

Investing in stocks
Stocks are an equity investment that repStocks are an equity investment that represents part ownership in a corporation and entitles you to part of that corporatn's earnings and assets.
Common stock gives shareholders voting rights but no guarantee of dividend payments. Preferred stocks provides no voting rights but usually guarantees a dividend payment.
In the past, shareholders received a paper stock certificate -- called a security -- verifying the number of shares they owned.share ownership is usually recorded electronically, and the shares are held in street name by your broker firm.
In fact, it's best to treat all of your investment pursuits as a business. Heck, that's what Benjamin Grahalm (Warren Buffett's stock market mentor) recommended.
Before you buy your first stock, you should master the basics of stock investing. This won't make you a great investor overnight, but only when you understand the fundamentals of investing can you learn how to invest in stocks with confidence.
presents part ownership in a corporation and entitles you to part of that corporation's earnings and assets.
Common stock gives shareholders voting rights but no guarantee of dividend payments. Preferred stocks provides no voting rights but usually guarantees a dividend payment.
In the past, shareholders received a paper stock certificate -- called a security -- verifying the number of shares they owned. share ownership is usually recorded electronically, and the shares are held in street name by your firm.
Investing in stocks can be tricky business. In fact, it's best to treat all of your investment pursuits as a business. Heck, that's what Benjamin Graham (Warren Buffett's stock market mentor) recommended.
Before you buy your first stock, you should master the basics of stock investing. This won't make you a great investor overnight, but only when you understand the fundamentals of investing can you learn how to invest in stocks with confidence.