Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The Stock Market

The Stock Market

If there is one thing I know nothing about it’s the stock market. I understand the basics of how it works, but I don’t really know much beyond that. I do understand that people can buy shares of a company and if that company makes money then so do they. I also understand that the economy greatly affects the market, and when the economy is bad, people can lose a lot of money.

The stock market is often a feature on the news each night because so many people have an interest. Even if you don’t own stock, your company probably has publicly traded shares. The people who buy these shares have a stake in whether your company succeeds and makes money. Oh, the pressure, right? I also know that entire towns can depend on a company’s performance on the market. There have been towns that have died when stocks have plummeted, leaving workers without jobs.

Though I don’t personally have any stock in the market, the company that handles our retirement fund does. This is has caused me to keep a closer eye on news about the stock market, but I have no idea what I even want to hear. I guess if the stock market is doing good then I have nothing to worry about. I do know that we are involved in low risk investments, and that is the best choice for us right now. In the future, we may change that. The more money you have to play around with the better. That way perhaps you could invest some in low risk ventures, and put a little in the high risk category to see if you can make a quick profit.

If you want to get in on the stock market, you simple have to have some money to buy stock. This can be easy or it can be extremely complicated. If your knowledge of the stock market is as limited as mine is, you should probably find someone to help you with your investments. Though this is risky, you can find someone who knows when to buy and when to sell, and you can leave that up to them. If you know more about it, and you have the time, you can manage your own stocks, but I would strongly suggest you know what you are doing before you attempt that. I have heard too many bad stories about people losing a lot of money just because they didn’t entirely understand the game.