My first step towards wealth

Last weekend, I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad. The book is about the financial skills that the rich pass on to their children, while everyone else struggles all their lives. After reading the book, I decided to open an E*Trade account and start investing.

You might be thinking that I just made a big mistake. I'm a college student with a $10 an hour internship. I have nothing to invest with, and I'm about to be hit with a lot of post-graduation costs. The economy is in the failing and the stock market is in the gutter.

But actually, this is the perfect time for me to start investing. If you've been paying attention to the news, the stock market has been rising these past two weeks. America's favorite indicator, the Dow Jones Industrial, made a net gain of almost 20% over the past two weeks. If we've seen the bottom and are starting to climb up, this is the perfect time to invest. And even though I'm on a tight budget, I'm fortunate enough to have parents that can pay my rent while I'm in school. I'll graduate with no debt. My income is low, but my expenses are even lower. I'm used to living on a tight budget, so instead of buying luxuries once I find a job, I'm going to put some of my money into stocks. But right now, I'm investing $200.

The best thing that could happen is that my $200 grows with the economy, and I start building a strong financial base. The worst thing that could happen is I lose the $200. But as long as I learn why I lost the money, it will be a valuable lesson.