tracydThe first thing to ask yourself isWhat do I know about the...

tracyd

The first thing to ask yourself is

What do I know about the Market?

ie Fundamental and Technical analysis, Bull or bear periods and their influnce on Share-prices, Sector analysis, Long term/short term or Day Trading techniques/analysis, stop loss,short selling etc,the list goes on and on. I've just touched on a few.

Then the next question is, do I have the time and patience to learn all of the above and then if things go belly up, lose my initial investment or part of depending on my investment style/approach?.

If you want to become an investor it takes at least 1-2-3 years to learn and that entails paper trading(one+ year?) for an extended period depending on how quickly you gain expertise and confidence to put your hard earned into play.imo

The other thing to consider is your age.If you are young?
Some have suggested Blue Chips and thats alright with dividend reinvest stocks ie put say 2500 in two blue chips(TLS is a good start,thats one?) and leave it there with the dividend reinvest.

At the same time you can learn as much as you can with the Markets and then down the track if you have accumulated another 5g's you can invest either s/term-l/term or even try your luck at day trading, again it comes down to you and your learning curve and the most important ingredients, time and patience!imo

If you have read a lot of posts on HC or other Chat sites,then Can you name one poster that you believe to "know the Market". No-one can put their hand up and say I do.imo

Like anything you only get out of something, what you put into it.

When you understand "time and patience" especially for s/term trading, then you'll be half way there.imo

One thing to advise you of is, the Market can become very time consuming and draw you away from the "important things in life". Allow for a balance in that.imo

Good Luck
Md