by Mick Marshall

Created on: February 06, 2007   Last Updated: October 23, 2009

These days, Investing in shares is easy and accessible. From your own PC at home, you can actively trade all kinds of equities and commodities, as often as you want to. I have been doing so for some years now. I trade from England, on the London stock Market, but in theory, I could trade on any of the world markets, and the same ideas should apply to all markets.

The internet now provides freedom to access a world which, in the past, was only open to the chosen elite. A world of financial wheeler dealing, that offers the promise of great wealth and excitement. But beware! For there are also dangers; dangers of financial risk and extreme nervous anxiety. Don't let this put you off. Its great fun! And with the right preparation, the pitfalls can be minimized and profit achieved.
If you have never traded before you need to get yourself a few things, before delving into the markets. You need to do some fundamental thinking and make some decisions.
My advice would be; don't trade anything until you have considered these points.

Here's what you need, in order of importance.

A PHILOSOPHY Know what is important to you, and how this activity will benefit your life. This is absolutely vital if you are going to trade, whether in profit or loss, and enjoy the experience

An INVESTMENT PLAN. To provide some structure to your investment decisions. Deciding what to buy, when to sell, etc.

Some MONEY that's pretty obvious, right?

Many people will not agree with the order of importance that I have placed these in.

Why is Money last? Isn't making money the whole point?'
Well yes, accumulating wealth is the point, but, you probably don't need as much as you think to get started, and without a plan, it won't last very long.

Why is Philosophy first?'
For me, happiness comes before wealth. I don't want to be spending my life worrying about the choices I have made, the shares I have bought or the losses I might be running into. I want to experience the intellectual challenge of the research, the excitement of a rising price, and the painless acceptance that sometimes I am wrong.

Maybe it's different for you. (It doesn't matter; these are still the important considerations, no matter what order you put them in.)

I intend to look at these one at a time, but each one is a substantial subject in its own right. For this reason, I intend to produce a series of articles to follow in the near future.
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