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ok a couple questions

1) for a total beginner to the market (ie. i don't even really know what short means) where should they start? the only thing i have remotely close to stock trading is the book 'Liar's Poker'

2) what is the min. "bankroll" one needs to make trading worthwhile. can you build a "bankroll" starting with say 1k, or is that very impractical?

3) in doing research and analysis, how much graph reading is required? i'm not a big fan of graphs. i like numbers and all that, i just don't like graphs

thanks

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1. Starting reading up on the subject. William O'Neal's "How to Make Money in Stocks" is a pretty good beginner's book.

2. I believe 5K is a good starting bankroll. In the beginning, you don't want to invest too much, even if you have the money, as you will go through learning period which requires paying "tuition."

3. As far a graph reading, I find charts invaluable, as I use ratio to market as a major determining factor for the stocks I buy. In other words, I look for stocks that are rising at a rate greater than that of the market as a whole.

Most importantly, don't listen to anyone who tells you it's easy to make money in the stock market. It's not. It takes a long time and requires lots of hard work, patience and discipline. Remember, what you are trying to do is take money from the best money makers in the world.

Good luck