Before You Begin

The Simplest Way to Start

If you have never invested before, this page is the whole assignment. The rest of the guide explains why each line exists.

1. Build an emergency fund first. Three to six months of expenses, in cash. Money you might need soon does not belong in the market.
2. Never invest borrowed money. No margin, no loans, no leverage of any kind.
3. Start with a broad index fund. One fund that owns hundreds or thousands of companies at once, available at most brokers. This is your core.
4. Invest the same amount every month, automatically, through good news and bad.
5. Do not start with options, leveraged ETFs, or speculative crypto. They have permanent-loss modes you cannot yet see.
6. Keep any single stock small until you can read a weekly trend and explain what would support it if it fell seventy percent.
7. Judge yourself over years, not weeks. Your first bear market is tuition, not failure, as long as your sizing lets you survive it.