Stock Market Fundamentals

Forget the ticker symbols and price charts for a moment. A stock is a legal claim on a living business. Understand that, and everything else follows.

Click "buy" and a share appears in your account in seconds. Behind that click is a hundred-year-old system of exchanges, market makers, and clearinghouses.

Choosing a broker, account types, and the first decisions every new investor faces before placing a single trade.

Revenue, gross profit, operating income, net income — what each number actually tells you and which ones investors watch most.

Assets, liabilities, equity — the snapshot of what a company owns, what it owes, and what is left for shareholders.

Why free cash flow matters more than earnings, and how to tell a profitable business from a cash-burning one.

How a company actually makes money — subscription, marketplace, advertising, hardware, licensing — and why the model shapes everything.

What does it mean for a stock to be "expensive" or "cheap"? Three core multiples and how to use them without fooling yourself.

Yield, payout ratio, dividend growth — and why total return (not just dividends) is the only number that matters.

Why spreading risk works, how much diversification is enough, and building a portfolio that can survive a crash.

The behavioral traps that destroy returns — panic selling, FOMO, overconfidence — and how to recognize them before they cost you.

A concrete action plan from Day 1 through Year 5. No platitudes — just what to do, in what order, with what goals.