Investors can learn the tools of Foolishness from a variety of sources. Two of my favorite introductions to the principles of sound investing are One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch and The Motley Fool Investment Guide by David and Tom Gardner. But when it comes to smart investing, experience itself may be your best teacher.
It would be nice if lacing up your Air Jordans and picking up a ball were all it took to master the game of basketball. Unfortunately for us, it takes practice to learn the game, and even more practice to play well. Investing isn't much different.
Without question, the School of Hard Stocks has been one of my most influential investing instructors. From JDS Uniphase
Yahoo!
JDS Uniphase and Ariba
Consider ranking your favorite small-cap stocks from our Motley Fool Hidden Gems selections, setting a price for each, and then waiting patiently for some of your wishes to come true. If you do so, you may be lucky enough to skip over the some of the more painful chapters in the School of Hard Stocks' textbooks -- the ones I trudged through several times.
This Thursday, Motley Fool Hidden Gems will release its invaluable six-month review. Sign up for a free 30-day trial today to get your copy.
eBay and Electronic Arts are Motley Fool Stock Advisor picks.
Fool contributor Jeremy MacNealy does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned.