The Motley Fool crew is no ship of fools. We're putting Mom first, and so should you. Check out all of the Fool's Mother's Day articles.  

I know, I know ... it's not nice to make a fool out of your mom, especially on Mother's Day. But if Mom's approaching (or in) retirement and nervous about money -- or is just trying to decide whether to buy Dow Jones (NYSE:DJ) before News Corp. (NYSE:NWS) does -- making a capital-F Fool out of her could be just what she needs. Heck, it might even be a better present than the baseball glove you gave her when you were 7. And it's easy to do -- read on and see!

Step 1: Fool's School
Even if Mom has been managing the family's finances for decades, Fool's School is still the best place for new Fools to start. In fact, send her right to the first of our famous 13 Steps to Investing Foolishly. As she proceeds through the Steps, she'll learn what Foolishness is all about, where we're coming from, and how we approach questions ranging from personal-finance basics to the nuances of stock picking.

While some of what's presented might be old-hat, encourage her to read all the way through. The Steps will help her get the Foolish lingo down, fill in any gaps in her knowledge, and maybe help her realize that she knew more than she thought. Besides, they're a fun read, and covering all 13 won't take more than an hour or so. After she makes her way through the steps, encourage her to check out the Getting Started sections. Whether Mom's looking for investment basics or something more esoteric like a primer on ETFs, we've got it covered.

Step 2: Behold the blue bar!
See that blue bar up there near the top of the page? If you look over on the right, you'll see links to things like Investing, Retirement, and Personal Finance. Each one of those sections is jam-packed with educational content, delving into a wide range of more advanced topics in the inimitable Foolish style. Encourage Mom to spend at least a few minutes in each section to acquaint herself with what's available. (Of course, she should feel free to spend hours and hours reading every word, if she's interested -- she'll have fun and probably learn a whole lot along the way.)

One important note: The links in those three sections are just the tip of the iceberg of Foolish content on those subjects. Several of the Fool's writers (including yours truly) devote most of their efforts to writing about investment basics, retirement, and personal finance. Together, we publish dozens of new articles in those areas every month. If you and Mom don't find the information you need in those sections, or if you just want a different perspective on the basics, the Fool's search function -- recently upgraded, and now powered by the mighty Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) -- is your key to turning up a treasure trove of additional content.

Step 3: Enter the fray!
Actually, it's not a fray at all -- it's the huge and wonderful world of the Foolish discussion boards. There you'll find friendly, informed conversations on thousands of topics, ranging from investing strategy to personal-finance basics to nearly any stock you can name. Got a question? Got an opinion? Want to bounce an idea off of someone? The discussion boards are the place to do it, in an upbeat and helpful atmosphere, with lots of experts on hand in a moderated environment.

Of course, we do charge for access to the boards, though we invite Mom to help herself to a 30-day free trial. But c'mon, it's Mother's Day ... you're not going to make Mom pay her own way, are you? A Fool subscription makes a lovely gift. And speaking of subscriptions that make lovely gifts ...

Step 4: Advanced content
Some of the Fool's very best content isn't visible to casual visitors. Our investing newsletters provide detailed, actionable content from world-class experts. Some, like Motley Fool Hidden Gems and Inside Value, provide specific stock recommendations, while others, like Rule Your Retirement and Motley Fool Green Light, provide up-to-the-minute strategic advice on a variety of personal-finance topics. What's more, a subscription to any of them includes access to special sections of the discussion boards, where Mom can discuss the newsletter articles and recommendations directly with the experts behind them. Take a minute to check them out yourself -- all of the newsletters offer a free 30-day trial, and you might find one that's just the thing for Mom (or Dad!)


We haven't even touched on some of the Fool's additional features, like the amazing CAPS stock-rating community and the dozens of company-specific news articles we publish every business day. Suffice it to say that there's lots and lots here for Mom to explore, and maybe you'll find some new favorite links of your own. Welcome to Fooldom, Mom!

Fool contributor John Rosevear is pleased to note that his mom, who's no fool, is already a Fool. (Hi, Mom!) He does not own any of the stocks mentioned in this article. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.