- Look at good educational information and not websites designed to sell you products. A good example is the Motley Fool (see Resources). www.fool.com.
- Use public resources such as information from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to find out if there are any pending problems (see Resources). Also use the Internet to get annual and quarterly reports. These can be found on the SEC website, and often on the company's website as well.
- A beginning investor can also share opinions and get advice from more experienced investors. There are many stock investing forums a beginner can explore for free to exchange investment ideas and opinions (see Resources).
- Open an online account from any one of many firms and start trading today. Commission rates are also very competitive, so it is now very inexpensive to trade online. Some top firms with competitive commission rates are E-Trade and Ameritrade (see Resources).
- Be aware of the pitfalls of free advice. Many unethical brokers roam the investment boards to promote penny stock scams or to push stocks that may not be suitable for your goals.
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