The Motley Fool will always occupy a special place in my heart.  When I was a teenager, I managed to save a few thousand dollars over the course of a couple of years.  This was the first time that I had any trading capital that I could control without parental supervision. (My first trade having been a wild ride in Pepsico through the 1987 market crash…)

Other than a few odd conversations with relatives who would claim to be making money holding various stocks, I had no source of financial education.  I’m not sure how I found the Fool, but I’m immensely glad that I did.   

The Fool is a great place for absoulte beginners to learn the basics of investing.  They publish an online guide called Our 13 Steps to Investing.

If you know nothing about trading and investing, please go there and read the first 9 steps.  Yeah, that’s right, the first 9.  The last 4 steps are marketing fluff designed to get you to subscribe to newsletters. 

It’s easy for an experienced investor to dismiss the Motley Fool, because the information presented there is rather basic and light, but for newbies, it’s a gentle and fun introduction to self-directed investing.   Maybe someday you’ll be a snobby graduate of the Motley Fool like me. ;-)

 On another, related note, I worked at the Motley Fool as a database programming intern for 2 years while I was in college.  I managed to land the internship mostly because of my enthusiasm about the company.  I really didn’t have the necessary skills at the time of the interview, but I had the drive to contribute to the company, and a man by the name of Kevin Book gave me a chance.  For those of you who watch CBNC, you might see Kevin from time to time.  He’s moved on to Friedman Billings Ramsey, and now he gives talking head analysis to CNBC.  Go Kevin!