Reddit reviews Rule #1: The Simple Strategy for Successful Investing in Only 15 Minutes a Week!

The best written works I've seen on how to invest are the Phil Town books.

Rule #1: The Simple Strategy for Successful Investing in Only 15 Minutes a Week!

Payback Time: Making Big Money Is the Best Revenge!

His first book covers more swing trading. His second book covers a longer buy and hold style strategy which I currently use. Both books have excellent information on evaluating a company, figuring out a baseline value for the stock, and explaining how to trade the stock within a margin of safety.

I am not sure if the second book makes less sense of you don't read the first, but the second book does include everything you should need to evaluate a company from a "mainstreet" business perspective as well as the financials from a wall street numbers perspective.

Edit: Here is an example of me doing this for Google stock back in the day: http://www.investorgeeks.com/articles/2010/05/21/payback-time-analysis-for-goog/

I simply cut and pasted on a previous reply I did but here are the basic principals that have built wealth for me. I'm no guru by any means but what I have done has worked for me. As for you, as in life, your mileage may vary but here it is:


HONEST ANSWER:

1. FUCK TRYING TO BE LIKE THE JONESES. You know your neighbor who has the new rims and big stereo system? Always latest fashions and eating out all the time? Well that idiot is probably living paycheck to paycheck just to keep appearances up.
   
   
2. Stay away from revolving debt. <---I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Credit cards will own you.
   
   
3. Live FAR below your means. If you aren't saving at least 50% of what you take home then you're doing it wrong.
   
   
4. Take the time to learn to invest. This one is going to take time. Rule#1 Investing by Phil Town is a decent start. Motley fool website is another (the free stuff at least, I would be hesitant to purchase any content from them until you know what you are doing). STAY AWAY from get rich quick schemes. Spread your risk by investing in batches of stocks for example ETFs in key sectors such as energy. If you insist on investing in individual companies see if they offer DRIPs (dividend reinvestment plans) that are no to low fee. IBM is an excellent drip example currently (slow but CONSISTENT gains over time). That said you should NOT be investing a single penny until all of your revolving debt is paid off. What is the point of earning 15% if you owe the same amount at 15% on a credit card?
   
   5)You should NOT invest any real money until you are CONSISTENTLY beating the S&P 500 on PAPER (make believe investments).
   
   
5. Make SURE you ALWAYS have adequate health insurance. ONE SINGLE catastrophic event with inadequate health insurance can literally wipe out ALL of your hard earned gains. <---DON'T BE A DIPSHIT AND SKIP THIS, I don't care if you're working at McDonald's, MAKE SURE you have this step budgeted into your expenses!
   
   
6. If you can manage it without killing yourself, work overtime or second job until you save that first $100k and are consistently outperforming the S&P 500.
   
   
7. The sooner you start the bigger the dividends over time due to compounding of interest.
   
   Retired in my 30s.
   

Seconded. Rule #1 has some good suggestions as to how to come up with valuation, plus technical indicators on whether to buy now or wait.

Rule #1?