My background and thoughts on stock trading

I have just started to do self-learning on stock trading recently. Like everyone else, I wish to earn extra bucks from whichever possible means as long as I do not break any law. At this point, I choose stock trading as my platform because it is something can be self-learned and once it is learned, the knowledge is applicable to a wide range of areas.

Wanting to learn stock trading is not something that strikes me out of sudden. My eldest sister has had encouraged me to learn stock trading few years ago, when I was still a university student. However, I wasn't serious back then because it was too much of effort to do the work. I was pretty lay back back then (although I am very lay back) and didn't take my sister's advice seriously. After some years, I have gradually picked up the momentum to learn this skill and now I have made this as my long-term commitment which I want to be excel in. This self-learning commitment is also another reason why I have started this blog, to record my learning path to become a better self.

Now, back to the main topic of this post. Before we start trading, there are things that we will need to do before making any decision - stock selection a.k.a homework. It is always nice to have someone come to you and tell you what to buy, when to buy, buy at which price, wait for how long, and then sell at which price. This would be the ideal situation. However, not everybody has that kind of connection or person in the social circle. The hard truth is one must make the effort to do the homework before coming to a decision. If you solely depend on the "tips" of somebody, you are not an investor, you are just a gambler. By making your own decision, you will get more satisfaction in the activity regardless of the outcome. Of course, nobody likes failure. If you fail, do a analysis and learn from the experience; if you succeed, it will be sweetest experience that you will want to share with everybody.

The following are some materials, sites, blogs and videos that I have come across to do the self-learning. The list will be expanded or reduced from time to time.

1. Investopedia - This website provides a lot of technical terms explanation and tutorials for newbie like me. If you are completely new to any kind of investment, this website is a good start.
2. MSN Money - I use this site to get information about certain stock. The company financial status, chart, etc. There are lots websites can give you the similar information, such as Yahoo Finance, Google Finance, etc . I am just familiar with MSN Money at the moment.
3. YouTube channel - Some netizens are being very generous in sharing their knowledge and newbie like me should take some time to watch the materials that they have prepared. Of course, do not forget to subscribe to their channel and give them a like to show your support. By doing so, they are motivated to create more informative videos to leechers like me. Please click on the following link to visit one my of subscribed channels that have benefited me greatly.
4. i3 Investor - It is a investing forum where lots netizens gather everyday to comment on the stock of their choice. I choose this forum as one of my learning platform because from here I get to know what are the public opinions of a certain stock. However, we should understand that those are their personal opinions and we should not follow the comments blindly. We must learn to do our own analysis and decision based on our best judgement.
5. Google - Do I need to say much? When you have any question, Google it, or any search engine that you like.

The bottom line

Investment of any kind is an interesting topic to discuss and it is a life-long learning process. It is never too early or too late for anyone to learn it. In my opinion, even pro traders should be learning and improving themselves on a daily basis. Lastly, knowing what you do before doing any kind of investment is crucial in order to protect your hard-earned money. Otherwise, you are merely a gambler.