Start from the beginning.

Investing involves buying assets for potential long-term income or appreciation. Stocks represent ownership, while bonds are loans. Both can lose value.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

Public share markets have roots in Amsterdam in the early 1600s; the New York Stock Exchange traces its beginnings to the 1792 Buttonwood Agreement.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

A share represents partial ownership of a business. Share prices change with expectations, risk, news and supply and demand.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

Investing generally focuses on longer horizons. Trading involves shorter-term buying and selling, with more execution, cost and behavioral risks.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

Compare fees, regulatory status, account protection, order types and margin terms. FINRA BrokerCheck and Investor.gov help verify credentials.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

Use annual reports to review revenue, margins, debt, cash flow, competitors, valuation and major risk factors. Start with SEC EDGAR.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

Candlesticks show open, high, low and closing prices over a period. Charts describe previous prices, not certain future outcomes.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

Stocks may carry legal ownership rights in corporations. Cryptoassets vary substantially in custody, governance, utility and risks.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

Diversification and position sizing reduce concentration but cannot guarantee losses are avoided. Leverage can magnify losses.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

Study Warren Buffett's focus on business value, Jack Bogle's low-cost indexing philosophy and Ray Dalio's macroeconomic frameworks.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

AI can help organize research and explain filings, but may invent facts or miss changes. Always verify claims against original sources.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.

Separate facts, predictions and opinion. Verify announcement dates, earnings figures, interest rates and sources before drawing conclusions.

Exercise: Write down one question you would need answered and one risk you would investigate further.

This lesson is general education; research should always be verified using primary sources.