If youve got less than probably $10-20k and dont have a lot of experience investing, then IMO, about the only place to start is with a good index fund like Vanguard 500. Most people are speculators and not investors (read The Intelligent Investor or Security Analysis for a definition). Also bear in mind that only about 15% of professional money managers beat the market in any given year, and less than 5% beat it over 10 years or more.
The books I mentioned are great places to start (and possibly the only books you would ever need on investing). Peter Lynch also has some books that would be worthwhile. He is the most successful fund manager in history and follows similar guidelines as Buffett (who got his "education" from Ben Graham).
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