Lots of people have heard stories of people making serious money investing in the stock market. Yet they believe stories like that only happen to people who are already rich or financially smart. They think the stock market is too complex for them to understand, so they don’t tend to view it as an option for building wealth.

In reality, anyone at all can invest in the stock market. You don’t need to be rich to start. It’s possible to begin with small amounts of capital. You also don’t need to be a stock market expert to get started.

All you need is the desire to invest for your financial future and the willingness to learn some basic investing principles.

An Average Joe’s Guide to Investing in the Stock Market

Here is a quick guide to successfully investing in the stock market for the average investor.

Educate Yourself

Once you start learning the basics of how the stock market works, you’ll soon find it’s not as daunting as it first appeared. The more you learn about buying and selling stocks through your share trading platform, the more comfortable you’ll become with the process.

However, it all begins with education. There are plenty of tutorials and educational tools available. There are also lots of sites that allow you to learn about new price information or apps that let you monitor market movements in real-time.

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You wouldn’t want to be without your car, but when you work out exactly much it is costing you each year, it can be a scary number and goes some way to explaining why your bank balance is so slim.

There are loads of expenses attached to car ownership. They can range from the cost of gas to repairs and maintenance, plus insurance and other payments you have to find in order to keep your car on the road.

Strategies to Keep Your Car From Making You Poor

Here are some tips on how to keep a lid on car ownership costs, including why staying loyal to your car pays off, a look at the price you pay for a poorly tuned car, plus some maintenance tips that help to save more of your cash.

Get your money’s worth

It is always tempting to consider the idea of changing your car after a few years for a newer model but the cost of upgrading and the amount you get for your trade-in are likely to be costing you heavily.

The cost of new cars tends to go up each year, so when you factor in that your car will inevitably depreciate in value over time, you are going to end up paying more for a new model and will get less for your old car.

This double-whammy can be a real blow to your finances.

The way to beat this money trap is to buy a decent car in the first place and then commit to keeping it for at least five years or more. This strategy will ensure you get the best value from your investment (as depreciation is not so steep after the first few years) and the potential savings can add up to thousands of dollars.

Keeping your car for longer will save you money in the long run.

Getting a good tune out of your car

The facts and figures are there for all to see, a poorly tuned car is going to cost at least 25% more in extra gasoline charges each year and your repair bills can also be higher when it breaks down.

Skimping on regular maintenance is a false economy, so how do you keep your car nicely tuned without spending fortunes?

A good solution would be to carry out some of the basic maintenance and repair tasks yourself. You can download Toyota service repair manuals (or whatever make and model you have) and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to change the oil and filter, check fluid levels, and a host of other essential maintenance tasks that are well within your capabilities.

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