Where Do I Begin?
Written by Nicholas • Reviewed by Reginald
⏱️ Read Time: 5-6 minutes
TL;DR
I’m Nicholas (19), learning to invest from scratch and sharing the learning process in plain English — no jargon.
Meet the crew: Timothy (illustrator) and Reginald (mentor who challenges us instead of giving direct answers).
Start with Reginald’s roadmap and beginner resources below to build your foundation.
"How do I even start investing?"
"Which company should I choose?"
"How long do I need to keep my money in?"
If these questions sound familiar—swirling with a mix of curiosity and confusion — you're not alone. That's exactly how I felt when I first approached the world of investing — and it's a feeling many of us beginners share.
Hi, I'm Nicholas, a 19-year-old fascinated by what makes successful companies tick.
I wanted to understand how to analyze businesses, spot real opportunities and maybe even pick stocks that could grow significantly over time...
...but I quickly realized I can't be the only one starting from scratch.
Welcome to Young Investor Journey
That's why I created this blog. Young Investor Journey is where I'll be sharing my own learning process, step-by-step — a process driven by my own research with occasional insights from an experienced mentor to keep me on track. I believe that by documenting my journey, we can help each other figure things out.
Together, we'll:
Break down complex investing concepts into plain English
Cut through the confusing jargon the finance world loves
Discover resources to find reliable information
Learn methods to analyze companies to identifying potential for long term growth
(think: planting our money and watching it grow 🌱)
This isn't about pretending I have all the answers — far from it! Think of Young Investor Journey as a real-time learning lab. I'm here to experiment, share what works (and what doesn't) and be honest about the inevitable bumps along the way.
Meet the Crew
I'm not navigating this alone! To help me make sense of it all and bring this blog to life, I've teamed up with:
Timothy: Our talented Illustrator.
He'll turn complex ideas and my walls of text into fun and relatable visuals, helping us all stay engaged as we navigate this journey together.
Reginald: Our wise (and perhaps slightly eccentric) mentor.
As a seasoned investor, Reginald will pop in occasionally with insights, frameworks and challenges to keep us thinking critically...
...but he won't be giving us the answers directly. The discovery is part of our journey.
Reginald’s Roadmap
Reginald’s rule is simple: Investigate before you invest.
Here’s the 4-step framework he gave us to ensure we’re investing, not guessing. I used this exact method for our McDonald’s Case Study.
The Napkin Test (Know What You Own)
Pick a company you already interact with — the phone in your hand, the shoes on your feet or the burger you just ate.
The Check: Can you draw the business model on a napkin for a 10-year-old? If you can't sketch it, you don't know enough to invest in it.
Stop sign: If you need jargon, you’re not ready to move on yet.
Follow the Money (Business Model)
Don't just look at the product — look at the cash register.
The Check: How do they actually make money? Is it selling the burger? Or renting the land the restaurant sits on? You might be surprised.
Quick prompt: Who pays them and for what? Why do customers keep coming back?
Check the Defenses (Moat and Competition)
Great companies are like castles. They have strong walls to keep competitors out.
The Check: Who is trying to steal their customers? Why can't they? We use tools like SWOT Analysis and Porter's 5 Forces here — don't worry, we'll walk through them in our case studies.
Reality check: What’s the one thing that could break this business?
The Health Check (Financials)
Only now do we look at the numbers.
The Check: Is the company actually profitable? Does it generate real cash? Is debt under control? We want a healthy report card before trusting it with our money.
Important: Price comes last. A great business can still be a bad investment if you overpay.
Resources for the Job
As we embark on this journey, here are a few reliable resources I've found especially helpful for understanding the basics:
Investopedia Financial Dictionary is a great place to look up any confusing financial terms or jargon.
Stock Investing 101 by Young Investors Society is excellent as a reliable, easy-to-understand guide for beginners.
Investor Relations (IR) website and Annual Report (Form10-K for US companies) as primary sources of company information.
Ready to Plant the Seeds?
So, are you ready to start sowing the seeds of your investment knowledge?
Subscribe to our newsletter and join us on this journey! Let's learn, grow and (hopefully) watch our investments flourish — together.
Let’s get growing together 🌱
— Nicholas
Quick FAQs
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Not really. Start small and consistent and build the habit first.
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If you’re learning how businesses work, start with a few stocks you can understand and explain. ETFs are the training wheels — they help you stay diversified while you learn.
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Pick a business you already interact with and can explain in plain English — then verify your understanding using official sources (annual report/investor relations).
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Long enough for your thesis to play out. Think in years, not weeks — your timeline depends on your goal.
Continue the Journey
Read this next: First Investment? My McDonald’s Musings
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About Young Investor Journey
I’m Nicholas — a young investor learning out loud. With guidance from my mentor, Reginald, and illustrations by Timothy, we break down complex investing ideas into plain English — no fluff, no jargon, just clarity.
How We Think
We help you build a framework you can apply to any company. Our framework is simple: understand the business model first, confirm with official reports, then sanity-check with trusted sources. The goal is to teach you how to think — not what to buy.
Education Only: We are here to share what we learn, not to give financial advice. Always do your own research and consider your personal goals and risk tolerance before investing.