Thread: Helpful reading for someone interested in the stock market?

Any books, PDF's, websites etc. you think are worthwhile reads for a beginner are greatly appreciated.

I should also mention I am looking into online trading (Scottrade, Etrade etc.).

-Connor

Is this a professional (career) interest or are you just interested in investing?

Originally Posted by JC Hunter

Is this a professional (career) interest or are you just interested in investing?

The latter. I am a full time college student, so that eliminates day trading imo.

Who knows what the future holds.

Just buy companies you like, hold for a while and then sell.

Jim Cramer has come out with a few books and they are packed with information. Here's his site one CNBC: Mad Money and also his stock picks for the day: Jim Cramer’s Mad Money.

One good website/forum for stocks is Investorshub.com where you can find a lot of info on what stocks are being talked about, share volumes, percentage gains, news, and more at real time. My dad used it when he was trading and it seemed to work well for him. I've used it a couple times but I trade forex for the most part. Also you might PM Kunal@bullsonwallstreet, they are a sponsor on here so you should be able to find them. And the best thing you can do is keep reading and learning because practice and knowledge is the most important thing you can have to be good at it and make money. It takes time but can definitely pay off. Good luck!

Amazon.com: The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A Book of Practical Counsel (Revised Edition) (9780060555665): Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig, Warren E. Buffett: Books

One of the best books ever written, even to this day. Make sure you read the updated text with Jason Zweig's annotations; Benjamin Graham alone is a lot to take on if you're just starting out. He was Warren Buffett's mentor, and gives a more-than-thorough explanation on how to value/pick stocks.

http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Earn-Beg...9833456&sr=1-4

Peter Lynch is one of the most famous money managers of all time. He shows that anyone can pick stocks successfully, given enough time and effort and, strangely enough, common sense.

Amazon.com: The Intelligent Asset Allocator: How to Build Your Portfolio to Maximize Returns and Minimize Risk (0639785323259): William Bernstein: Books

This is a wonderful book, albeit overly-technical at some points. It is not necessarily exactly what you're looking for, but I still highly recommend it. If you can get through this without falling asleep or pulling your hair out, you can do anything.

http://www.amazon.com/Bogleheads-Gui...7&sr=1-1-spell

This is a bit different from the other three. If you are interested in buying and holding for retirement rather than toying with the stock market, read this. The Boglehead (named after Jack Bogle, the founder of Vanguard) approach is a basic idea: purchase low-cost index funds, dollar cost average, and stay the course.

Out of the books I recommended, I would choose Graham's first and foremost. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Forfend

Just buy companies you like, hold for a while and then sell.

No offense, but I would not follow this advice. You may get lucky the first time, but this is not a strategic plan, and your bank account will suffer as a result. If you don't know at least the basics of investing or the stock market, it can be a dangerous game.

Thanks for the responses so far. I'm going to check out the mentioned website and books.

I am very interested in Graham's book, I am just worried it's going to be over my head.

I am a pre-med student, and I have very little background knowledge when it comes to business, investing and the like. Should I bite the bullet?

Originally Posted by Shermanator

I am very interested in Graham's book, I am just worried it's going to be over my head.

I am a pre-med student, and I have very little background knowledge when it comes to business, investing and the like. Should I bite the bullet?

It probably will be over your head; that is why I recommended the annotated version. Jason Zweig is a fairly well-known financial writer, and reading solely his summary of every chapter will help even the most inexperienced investor to understand and adapt Graham's principles. Once you become better acquainted with the market you'll breeze through Graham's work.