There is something about the stock market that is intimidating to beginners. It’s not that learning how to purchase stock is that hard but it has to do with all the terminology involved.

For instance, when you put money in a bank CD, all you really need to know is what interest rate you are getting and when the date the CD matures. It helps to know that you will be penalized if you withdraw early but all in all, it is simple stuff that is easily learned.

Stocks, on the other hand, are a lot more complicated and the number of terms you need to become familiar with are scary, especially to someone who is just starting out. This undoubtedly means that many people who might otherwise like to get started buying stocks never have the nerve to jump in and give it a try.

The Internet has made it easier for beginners to learn and buy because they can do it now without ever having contact with another person. Of course that is not necessarily all good but it does mean that if you are shy and embarrassed about your lack of stock market knowledge, you no longer need to be. Before the Internet you had to personally open an account in a broker’s office and along with that your beginner status might be revealed. But now with online trading, anyone can open an account and trade to their heart’s content without ever meeting a real person.

Learning how to trade stocks isn’t that hard but it does take time to really understand the terminology and figure out what everything means. Investing for retirement should involve stocks and that means it is to everyone’s advantage to understand all that they can. But there are very few places that teach market basics and usually it is up to the individual to learn on their own. I believe more schools and colleges should have courses in the stock market so that everyone is exposed to it and better able to make the decision of whether it is right for their investing strategy.