| Stock Market Investing - Start Your Own | | | | Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), J.P. Morgan (JPM), |
| Fantasy League | | | | Coca Cola (KO), McDonalds (MCD), 3M (MMM), |
| | | | Altria (the company formerly known as Phillip |
| Not only can investing be financially | | | | Morris, MO), Merck (MRK), Microsoft (MSFT), |
| rewarding, it can also be lots of fun. | | | | Pfizer (PFE), Proctor & Gamble (PG), A T & T |
| Unfortunately, a lot of people sacrifice what | | | | (T), United Technologies (UTX), Verizon (VZ), |
| could be both very lucrative and enjoyable | | | | Wal-Mart (WMT), and Exxon Mobil (XOM). |
| because they're afraid. Many people are | | | | |
| reluctant to ask questions about investing, | | | | Since the DJIA companies serve as a microcosm |
| so they act as if they're not interested. | | | | for the broader stock market, you can learn |
| | | | all about investing by following the news and |
| But deep down inside, almost every American | | | | price movements of these 30 stocks. A fun and |
| wishes he or she were more knowledgeable | | | | unique way to do this is to start a fantasy |
| about stock market investing, reaping the | | | | stock market league. |
| market's financial rewards and having a good | | | | |
| time all along. | | | | Create A Fantasy Stock Market Investing |
| | | | League |
| Knowledge of investing is something that most | | | | |
| people would like to pass on to their | | | | So you want to learn more about investing, |
| children. In fact, investing is a great | | | | but you lack the funds (or perhaps the guts) |
| activity for fathers and sons, and mothers | | | | to risk real money? Start a fantasy stock |
| and daughters. | | | | investing league. |
| | | | |
| But in order to pass on this wealth of | | | | A fantasy stock market investing league is |
| knowledge and share in the joys of stock | | | | just like a fantasy football or baseball |
| market investing with your loved ones, you | | | | league, except you need fewer people to get |
| have to learn a few basic stocks. The good | | | | started. Just invite five other friends over |
| news is that you don't have to learn about | | | | and randomly determine the order of the |
| thousands of companies in order to understand | | | | "draft" by drawing names out of a hat. |
| the market . For starters, you have to focus | | | | |
| on just 30. | | | | The person whose name is drawn first gets |
| | | | first pick of the 30 DJIA stocks. The person |
| Understand These 30 Companies And You Will | | | | whose name is drawn second gets second pick, |
| Understand Stock Market Investing | | | | and so on. No stock can be picked by two |
| | | | people, and the draft order should reverse |
| You've probably heard a TV newscaster say, | | | | each round so that the person who picks last |
| "The market was down 75 points today," or, | | | | in round one, picks first in round two, etc. |
| "It was a good day for investing; the market | | | | |
| was up by 100.3." | | | | With six players in your fantasy league, each |
| | | | player will have a fantasy portfolio of five |
| When financial pundits refer to "the market" | | | | stocks. Record the starting prices of each |
| being either up or down, they're normally | | | | stock, and then five weeks later, reconvene |
| talking about the Dow Jones Industrial | | | | to see who has made the most money. |
| Average (DJIA), also known as "The Dow." This | | | | |
| is the most important of all of the stock | | | | You'll get the most out of the game if you |
| market investing indices. | | | | can create a simple web site for your fantasy |
| | | | stock market investing league where people |
| Dow Jones is the publisher of The Wall Street | | | | can post daily updates on a message board or |
| Journal, Baron's, and SmartMoney magazine. | | | | forum. |
| Around 100 years ago, Charles Dow started the | | | | |
| company with a little financial newsletter in | | | | Some fantasy investing leagues have more |
| which he created the DJIA in order to | | | | complex rules where players can trade stocks |
| summarize market investing on a daily basis. | | | | or invest additional fantasy money each week. |
| | | | Make it as simple or as complex as you would |
| Now, even as there are tens of thousands of | | | | like. |
| publicly traded companies, the DJIA is still | | | | |
| the gold standard of stock market investing, | | | | Stock Market Investing Can Be The Greatest |
| even though it consists of only 30 stocks. | | | | Hobby In The World |
| | | | |
| Those 30 stocks are from all sorts of | | | | Once you understand investing, it will be a |
| different industries, with the goal being for | | | | lifelong source of pleasure. Unlike football |
| them to represent the market as a whole. | | | | or baseball, stock market investing season is |
| Everything changes, even these 30. | | | | all year long. Believe it or not, you might |
| | | | turn on CNBC one day and laugh at the |
| The 30 stocks in the DJIA are Alcoa (AA), AIG | | | | commentary - investing has a language and |
| Insurance (AIG), American Express (AXP), | | | | style of humor all its own. |
| Boeing (BA), Citigroup (C), Caterpillar | | | | |
| (CAT), Du Pont (DD), Walt Disney (DIS), | | | | So stop standing on the sidelines and get |
| General Electric (GE), General Motors (GM), | | | | involved! Make a commitment with your spouse |
| Home Depot (HD), Honeywell (HON), Hewlett | | | | or a friend to learn about the stock market |
| Packard (HPQ), IBM (IBM), Intel (INTC), | | | | together, and get started today! |