I made $12,000 in the stock market!

Unfortunately, the $12,000 was fake money. It was all part of an investing exercise a few of the newer employees at Stockwatch took part in, where we could use a total of $100,000 to invest in no more than 10 companies at a time. I never used that entire amount, investing about $70,000 maximum, to get $12,000 in proceeds.

Not bad for a beginner, I'd say. Before starting at Stockwatch the stock market was as strange and arcane to me as driving a car would be to a dog.

I'd definitely recommend anyone interested in dabbling in the stock market to start by spending from three to six months setting up a personal portfolio of companies for an investing simulation before actually putting down any money. It's a good way to learn about investing quickly.