Want to Make some extra MONEY beyond your employment income ? Then you must make some INVESTMENTS. This is what your SAVINGS are for. I've written a Guide-Book which gives direct, actionable advice, on how to invest in stocks - and real-estate - and trade these assets wisely, and with real expectation of profit. The book is the result of 30 years of investing research, which has allowed me to go from a kid moving from Vancouver to Toronto, with little more than $200 in my pocket, an old English car that barely ran, and my Fender Stratocaster - which I had to sell to cover my first and last month's rent on my first tiny Toronto Apartment - to an old fellow with property and investment income, and a comfortable life. I now have a fine farm in Ontario, Canada, a collection of cars and trucks, and a nice summer property up north. Most of this came from investment effort, even though I made some mistakes along the way. The key fact here, is that although I had my own little consulting practice, I was severely limited by only being one person, able only to bill tightfisted clients for my time, and the custom software development I did. Often, at year's end - I would have almost nothing left, after taxes and expenses and rent/mortage and food/living costs were paid. If you do NOT invest wisely, and carefully, you will almost certainly enter your "Golden Years" with little to show for a lifetime of effort. The Stock Investing Part of the Guide covers: 1) Definitions: The distinction between traditional investment and speculation is defined, as are a number of other ideas and concepts that are relevant to the discussions to follow. 2) Commitment: Honesty and personal integrity in the business of speculation is critical, as is a real passion for the truth. Deception and fraud are costs, and we show how 'Living in Truth' is a valuable strategy and how it can help us make money. 3) How the Markets really work: We will avoid Economics 101-style demand and supply schedules, and instead I will suggest a simple, process diagram, which provides a model of how prices are determined in a public marketplace. This simple approach allows us to understand that price movements are much less random, or "irrational", than you might expect, and non-randomness is what we are seeking if we want to make money by placing bets on future outcomes. 4) Risk Control: This is the most important thing to know. A brief discussion about Risk Management strategies, and why this is more important than any other single factor in determining if, and by how much, you will be successful. A proprietary idea, called the Trade Value Metric, is explained, which can help in the risk management of speculative positions. 5) Discipline: The importance of doing business in such a way that you do "good trades" instead of "bad trades" is discussed, and some simple tools to assist in maintaining good speculative discipline are provided. The science behind the reasons why such good discipline is critical to speculative success is explained and illustrated. (One simple idea is presented here that is very valuable, and if followed, will vastly increase your chances of being successful as a speculator.) The value of the information provided here is high. Trust me on this. Even very successful speculators can fall into error, and destroy themselves and/or their clients. Specific examples will be discussed. 6) Diversification: Is it an important and valuable approach or just a clever trap? As a speculator, you must think differently about diversification than most traditional portfolio theory suggests. 7) Analysis: An overview of the Art of Investment Analysis is provided. Suggestions are given about what to look for when reading company reports and financial statements - factors which are attractive, and factors which should raise concern. I will also suggest what to look for in the reports produced by analysts, and how you can use the information that the "sell-side" produces to help make you money. 8) Comments on Economics: Some of the traditional economic tools and concepts can be very valuable when applied to speculative situations. Some suggestions are made as to what these are, and how you can use these ideas to identify attractive situations. 9) Strategy and Tactics: A review is made of particular ideas and approaches that are available to an active speculator. To make money, you will want to have a special way of looking at the market, and be indifferent to market direction. Various speculative strategies will be examined here, and some of the practical considerations discussed. 10) Costs: Cost factors are always a concern in any business, and good speculators must focus on cost control like any other business person. The "Magic Minimizations" are discussed; specifically there are a particular class of costs that must be aggressively managed if any serious money is to be made speculating. Failure to focus on these can turn really great speculative results into merely average results, which then impacts the viability of speculation as a business model. ------------------------ My little book (it is actually, not really that little), will offer some of the honest, true and actionable life-lessons that I learned, that helped me become a successfull investor. You do NOT learn this in school. You learn it by doing. And it REALLY helps to read the experiences of others - both successful, and the unsuccessful. For now, I still count myself in the "Successful" category. If you buy my book - I promise you an honest accounting that will reward you, as it will offer real actionable advice you can use, to avoid pitfalls, and improve your chances of success at this challenging game.