playin' the stocks game
snorkel: Play on paper first. Pick a stock, pretend you bought N shares  at X dollars today. Then see what happens. When you "sell" be sure to subtract transaction fees and short term capital gains tax from the profit. So play on paper for a month or two and see if you really are a market clairvoyant.Anyone can profit in a rising market and claim they have a "system" for doing it. If 500 people go over Niagra Falls in barrells, about 200 survive. Then those 200 go over again, and 80 survive. Then those 80 go over again, then the last 30  survivors write books about how to survive going over Niagra Falls in a barrell. Take their advice with a grain of salt.