guys like emitrader said before getting a 8-5 job will give you nothing but a peace of mind for a little while until you pay your bills and thats it. you work and you pay your bills... get into investments which is the path to financial freedom... social security is not gonna last when we retire so take the action now of changing your future... talking about stocks--- i think what one has to really keep in mind is why would a stock fluctuate?? my answer to that is look out for earnings release, news, dividend it it pays any, merger can be good or bad( talking about merger look at sallie mae went up 33% in three days and above all dont let your emotions take control cause if it does than you are more likely to be losing a lot of money in the stock market, have a plan like knowing when to get in and when to get out and how much gain and loss are you ready to take, study the chart well to find good buy and sell points...look at the beta, realtive strength for the last three months and also return on equity.. always look for earnings per share that has been going up 20 % every quarter within the last 3 years, look for the least debt/equity ratio, watch out for RSI(relative strength Indicator), MACD and Stochastic, this will help you to find the best buying point for a stock. start your knowledge yourself go to some these websites www.cnbc.com www.stockcharts.com www.vectorvest.com my favorite above all www.investors.com good luck and hope everyone makes a lot of money ....