A wise investor will always conduct some type of analysis before making an investment — acting on hot tips or blindly following the crowd rarely pays off. A great to start is to look around and observe the spending habits of their families, friends and even themselves—what are they buying? Are they buying more than they use to buy? What products do you always use and trust, and which ones you do not use anymore?

Students should start watching business channels on TV, and start reading a few of the popular stock market websites. Here is a list of popular sources for financial news: