There is always a limit: Every player on the stock market must not play beyond his means. The bottom line is that if you play beyond your financial capacity, and something goes wrong, you will end up with a loss of face and your family will feel the aftershocks. It’s better to control risk appetites and adventurism while playing the stock market – after all, it is a market, not a jungle that needs to be explored.

There is no room for emotions: Never ever get emotionally attached to any stock. Stocks are an asset class and you must look at them as such. If you don’t, and you keep holding a stock no matter what, then you will lose out on many opportunities to make money.

Book profits, stop losses: Profit is like a burglar – if you don’t catch it, it will run away. Loss is like an insurance salesman – if you don’t shake it off, it will stick to you. Therefore, you must always book profits and cut losses in the stock market – all the big guns have done it and they’re human beings, just like you. So, why shouldn’t you? Get the point?

No one can time the market: You have to be God to predict the market movements, which you aren’t. So, be happy when you get in, be happy when you get out, don’t regret, don’t fret and SMILE no matter what you do, provided you do it right.

It pays to know: It will pay you well if you understand the stock you are buying into. What are its finances? Is it making profits or losses? Is the market price right? Is the management clean or are they sons of Enron? Does the industry have a bright future? Look, you will make a load of money if you know what you are doing in the stock market. So, get savvy with figures and with the economic and global trends. Analyze all the factors affecting a stock and then act.

Well, these are some basics you have to understand before you enter the stock market. Obviously, you will make mistakes, but that’s normal – every stock market player does. Just take care to play the market by the book and that will ensure that you will ride on the booms and weather the busts.

Buying a stock means that you own a part of a company. A stock is the smallest share that is possible. A stock is issued by companies who raise capital to sell a portion of their company. Those who hold stock also hold the right to voice opinions about how a company runs and share the profits (if any). Even though stock owners have some rights, they do not face responsibility if the company faces a lawsuit or defaults. The worst that can happen to an investor is that their stock will have no value and they will lose their investment. When a company sells stock, they want to raise capital. They might need extra cash or need to purchase new property. A stock issue has a limit to the number of shares. When they are issued, the stocks are assigned a par value. However, the market will soon adjust par value due to the success of the company and its projected value to grow.

An investor should have a broker help make transactions for him because stocks must be sold and bought on a stock exchange. A broker’s job is to take orders from a client and buy or sell certain stocks. The investor may give the broker orders to trade when a stock hits a particular price or what the market can take. When a broker gets a specific instruction, they try to fulfill it by finding an appropriate buyer or seller. The broker works with another broker who represents another buyer or seller. Each broker will get a commission for the sale. Stocks can be more beneficial than other savings investments. They represent owning a portion of a company and the right to help make company decisions. A share equals one vote. In most cases, shareholders are asked to voice their opinions on important decisions. A stockholder also will get money from profits that the company acquires. Profits are give as dividends that could be doled out once or twice a year as the company sees fit. Stocks have the potential to gain more money than the average investment, like bank certificates of deposit and bonds. However, they also carry a greater risk. Investors should be educating themselves about the stock market and find the right type of strategy to use to make the greatest profit. Many will find that they will make more profit in stocks than other type of investment.