Learning How to Build Wealth Through Investing

If one of your 2023 goals is to learn how to build wealth through investing, this post is for you. It's my list of the resources that I turn to regularly to help me demystify investing. These books and websites explain terms and concepts, and help me research where to put our money.

Investopedia

This site has everything: a glossary of terms, recent news, a stock simulator, paid courses, and daily newsletters. I use Investopedia to learn the basics about all manner of financial instruments. Need to know what a Zero-Coupon Bond¹ is? Investopedia's got you. Want to play financial advisor? You can do that too. It's a tremendously useful website.

MarketWatch

MarketWatch has some of the most detailed securities information that you can find without having to register for an account or buy a subscription. When I want to do some quick checking, this is where I go.

EDGAR

In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) regulates publicly-traded securities that are bought and sold on exchanges. Corporations have to report insider sales of shares (e.g. when the CEO buys or sells), file quarterly reports (10-Q), annual reports (10-K), and report any other significant events that could affect shareholders (8-K). Want to know when Q-Elon sells more Tesla shares? Use EDGAR to find his Form 4 filings.

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing

John C. Bogle founded The Vanguard Group and created the first index fund to track the S&P 500. This book outlines Bogle's investment philosophy, which boils down to: You can't beat the market long term, so buy the whole market through a low-cost index or total market fund. It's not especially well-written, but I find it helpful for staying on track and avoiding my riskier investing tendencies.

Investing 101

This book by Kathy Kristof got me past my mental hurdles with regard to investing. Kristof approaches investing as a savings mechanism not as a gambling mechanism, which is the approach so many of us take. Kristof's advice is dated in parts — few brokerages charge fees for online trades anymore, and Yahoo! Finance is not the only game in town — but it's super useful for understanding how to craft a strategy and build a portfolio.

Motley Fool Money Podcast

This show is all about stocks and investing strategies. It's helped me evolve my approach to investing, and also provided a few tips.