Who here dabbled in the stock market? I thought it might be fun to start a sub thread in BS where we can share our stock tips, long shots, why you think a company will do well, etc. etc.

 

there's already a section for that. it's the BS section. this aint forums.stockmarket.com!

 

Me. Be prepared to lose all your money or make some on mere luck. I strongly suggest reading a few books before betting thousands of dollars without reason or a pre-planned strategy.

 

actually a good way to start without losing any money is to use google's igoogle portfolio. you can put in "fake" investments and track them to see how they perform.

it's a fast way to learn how bad you are until you're good enough to know why.

 

I suggest you buy: "One up on Wall Street" by Peter Lynch; fun to read and it has really, really good suggestions.

I really enjoyed it.

 

The problem is that you'll have a much easier time "selling" your stock after it drops 10% in a day in a simulation than you will if you are facing the loss of real money.

 

As for books I recommend

Trading for Dummies
A Beginner's Guide to Day Trading - very good book on analysis and trading in general

 

anyone who knows anything won't tell you. and i'll tell you that you won't make anything with the time you're willing to invest, it's like a full time job....unless you're wealthy

 

It is a fools game. No one will ever end up on top. Yes, I play the market and have had periods where I have made crazy money. I have also had many times where I have lost my shirt. After 20 years of playing the market I believe betting ETFs are the way to go. Individual stocks can be a lot of fun but can kick your *** too...

FWIW, I am pretty firm in my belief that doing a double the dow or s&p fund is a pretty good bet for the long term (20+ years). Not as sexy as buying MSFT, etc but it is a lot safer.