Where did you learn about stocks? I turn 37 on Sunday and want to start learning and investing. I know I’m a bit late to the game, been struggling but I am finally in a place that to start.?

Once you absorb more info and start your first investment, then you'll get the hang of it :) I started learning by joining relevant telegram groups like https://web.telegram.org/#/im?p=@sgHuat or attending free online webinars hosted by traders or platforms https://secure.fundsupermart.com/fsm/fsm-invest..., https://www.sgxacademy.com/retail-investors/?do... to learn more about their investing techniques and experiences :)

Choose an investing platform that you are comfortable with. I use FSMOne :) Website and app are very user-friendly and stable, rates are good, and you can buy US/HK stocks too. They also have monthly Regular Savings Plan/ Dollar Cost Averaging RSP/ DCA for STI and many other overseas ETFs which can help you save a lot of admin fees incurred from each buy transaction https://secure.fundsupermart.com/fsm/regular-sa....

Hi,

I first started through financial books. But as a person that finds reading boring, i use audio book instead. You can try the app call "Libby".
It is a mobile application app which you can borrow ebook or audio book from the national library. When I first started, I download both the audiobook as well as the ebook and listen to it while travelling to from place to place. When in doubt, I will open the ebook to refer to the text or table diagram for more clarification. It is totally free but similarily to how a library works, you can only borrow it for 2 weeks and afterwhich you will need to renew it.

Better late than never. I started late too. I find wealth management platforms (aka robo-advisors) most useful for beginners to investing. You can then read up more about stocks along the way.

A framework for your consideration:

• How much cash do I have to invest? I'm confident you already have a sum of savings that you'd like to grow. It's helpful to identify near-future goals like a holiday, another kid, etc., and divide your capital accordingly. Try to avoid investing money that you need very soon cause that kinda defeats the purpose of investing if you're just gonna take it back out.

• What's my timeline for investment? A sum of money you set aside for your parents' retirement in 5 years is more urgent than cash for your own retirement. The investment horizon for different goals will vary.

• How much knowledge do I have about stocks? I.e., how much do I know about understanding business, analysising them and determining if they are profitable and sustainable in the long-term? If you don't know much, and don't have time, consider advised investments like Syfe, Endowus etc. Also consider buying markets instead of buying individual stocks, as this reduces the overall risk of your portfolio.

• How much risk and volatility can I tolerate? Risk is not volatility. Risk is the probability of losing the money you put in an investment. Volatility is how quickly the price of your investment can change. Putting your money in stock markets is volatile because over the short term, stocks swing up and down. Putting your money under your mattress is risky because thanks to inflation, in one million years' time, that money will be worth next to nothing. (One million years is exaggerating, but we do see the effects of inflation in our lifetime. Think of the time when a bowl of fishball noodles was 50 cents.)

If you can answer these questions first, you'll have a much better idea of what you actually need (according to your personality and circumstances). You'll then be in a much better place to go learning. No point reading about trading if your aim is to invest in stocks. No point reading about stocks if your aim is to invest in markets. You get the idea.

Stocks are a common investing vehicle, but they're really not for beginners. People study for years to become financial analysts. Train for years to become surgeons. Practise for decades to be professional athletes. If you won't let someone cut up your stomach without proper training prior, I'm sure you'd also think twice about putting your money into stocks without years of training and experience. I'm not against retail investors buying stocks, but it is a long road, and I recommend putting your money to work first through advised investments (robo-advisors) while you learn more. The time you take to learn is also opportunity cost. You don't want your money to be idling there doing nothing.

It's okay to be noob today. But it's not okay to let yourself continue being noob tomorrow. Good luck!

Hi there,
Welcome on board! And yes, never too late to start!
I got interested in trying out investing after my friends talked about it. For me, I attended value investing course and get to know some fundamentals and learn along the way.
Be ready to pay some school fees from wrong decisions made along the way and don’t get discouraged.
Remember to diversify your investment and stay focused on your eventual goal.
All the best!