What are some resources to educate yourself on investing?

Hi Janine,

My wife and I have enjoyed living the 60/40 principle and learned so much from you and many of the resources from your book "Money, It's Not Just For Rich People." Thank you for helping us to help ourselves become financially independent. I am writing to ask if you could recommend some resources that we can use to educate ourselves on investing (books, magazines, etc.)? Being so unfamiliar with any other types of investments besides 401K and CDs, we would appreciate information on a variety of investment topics.

Thank you,

MJ, Washington D.C.

MJ-

Great to hear from you. As for resources on investing the best thing to do is jump into the pool with both feet. This is how Brad and I did it.

We subscribed to “Money” magazine and read it cover to cover for two years. That is their cycle on investment topics and it was an excellent way to learn investing from a variety of people. While we were waiting on the magazine to come in we asked Vanguard and Fidelity to send us their new investor’s packets. We called their 1-800 numbers and told them that we were ignoramuses and please help us. That was back in 1992 before many of these companies had stuff on the internet. Today, you may be referred to their web sites where you will be able to download most everything we received in the mail.

Lastly, you may want to start reading different blogs on the topic of money. Also, join in the discussion. The point is this: ASK QUESTIONS! If you don't know what something means, ask. Then research. Look up unknown words on Google by typing "define: rollover 401k" and see what pops up. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org) is as an excellent source for definitions and solid information.

When it comes to how to invest your money...you must talk, gather data, read magazines and web sites. No one will have a higher interest in what your money is doing than you. So, don't rely on books. By the time most books are published the advice and strategies are moving in a new direction. Use on-line dictionaries to help you understand terms that are unfamiliar to you. If you can't find what you’re looking for DON'T GIVE UP! Call your accountant or attorney and they can help describe the terms. Always offer to pay for their time on the phone.

I hope this gives you some guidance. Just remember you didn't learn to read the English language in a day. It took you steady effort for a period of time. Investing is the same. When it comes to money, you must have data. To get appropriate data you must have a lot of sources. To get sources, you have to research. You see where I'm going with this? Have fun learning about the Money Game, because that is what investing is…a game!