Lifestyle

4 Stock Market Tips That Experts Want Newbies To Know Before Investing

The stock market can be quite intimidating for some folks. Here, learn experts' stock market tips for beginners to invest for the first time.

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Photo: Getty Images/wera Rodsawang
Published May 5, 2022

Written by 

Natalie Arroyo Camacho

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Financial wellness is central to general wellness, so finding ways to boost your relationship with money is important. The stock market is one such place where you can do that—but, if you’re new to that scene, knowing where to start can be overwhelming and intimidating. While you can certainly take a learn-as-you-go approach, two stock market experts say the the better strategy for beginners is to familiarize yourself with tips for investing in the stock market before deploying any of your hard-earned money.

Experts in This Article

Linda García

writer, educator, stock market expert, and the owner of In Luz We Trust, a financial wellness and investing community

Paco De Leon

personal finance expert and author of Finance for the People

That’s because knowing the stock market’s pitfalls can make it easier to avoid them. “If you try to get into investing without knowing anything, there’s big potential for mistakes,” says Linda García, stock-market expert and founder of financial-literacy platform In Luz We Trust.

Specifically, she says knowing and understand the correctly terminology of “stock market language” and being mindful not to make emotional decisions with your investments are important prerequisites. For instance, if you’re new to stock-market investing, you might sell all your shares the moment that you see they’re not yielding returns—which means that any long-term potential for earnings may be inadvertently thwarted. That’s a no-no.

While knowing beginner tips for investing in the stock market are good to know because they reduce risk of losing money due to a lack of knowledge, it’s crucial to understand that the market is not ever risk-free. But, armed with the right tips, you can be well on your way toward stronger financial wellness.

Keep reading to learn the four things that financial experts say folks should be aware of before putting any money in the stock market.

4 tips for beginners who are curious about investing in the stock market

1. Know that the stock market isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme

While the stock market is a tool that can make you money, the process doesn’t happen overnight—or anywhere close to overnight, for that matter. “Investing in the stock market requires a lot of patience, because it takes a lot of time to fully understand the market, but also to see your money grow,” says García.

“The thing that’s really going to allow your money to grow is time.” —Paco De Leon, finance expert

It’s important to internalize this reality, because if you’re looking for an immediate influx of money, the stock market isn’t the best place to find it. “The thing that’s really going to allow your money to grow is time,” says Paco De Leon, finance expert and author of Finance for the People. Your best strategy for building stock-market wealth, then, is to start investing as soon as possible (maybe after you finish reading this list?) in order to have the most time for your investments to yield returns.

2. Be aware (and wary) of meme stock culture

An equally great and dangerous aspect of the internet is how accessible it makes information to everyone, and the stock market is certainly included in that reality. A prime example of how this applies to the stock market is meme stocks, or companies that folks invest in just to drive up the value of the stock, but without any actual proof (like quarterly reports from the institution) that those companies are profitable, García says.

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It’s crucial to be aware that these exist so that you don’t put funds where they won’t actually make you more money. When you’re a stock market newbie and all you’re seeing is the hype around certain stocks, you may not realize that these aren’t exactly savvy investments.

3. Determine how much money you have and are willing to risk

Different folks have different financial situations, which factors in to how much they’re comfortable investing. The stock market comes complete with highs and lows, so some days you’ll see your money grow, and other days you’ll see it shrink. For that reason, De Leon says it’s crucial for stock market beginners to designate a dollar amount that feels comfortable for them to risk (i.e., an amount they’re essentially comfortable losing), is feasible on a regular basis, and isn’t currently allocated to be used for other purposes. Investment monies should come from funds that you aren’t counting on for anything else, says De Leon.

For example, if you have $2,000 stashed away in a savings account that’s specifically for emergencies, don’t tap into it as a stock market fund—that’s money you may need—in full and immediately—down the line. Again, the exact dollar amount a person invests will vary, so the best guiding rule is to be honest with yourself about what you can and can’t spend. (For the record, De Leon suggests putting in even $25 a month is better than not investing any funds at all.)

4. Understand what it means to diversify your investments

Imagine you’re at the grocery store and need to buy your food for the week. If your cart holds eggs, milk, produce, bread, and cleaning supplies, you’ve got a diverse cart. If, however, you find yourself at the cash register with 20 loaves of bread, you don’t have a diverse cart—even if they’re all different brands of bread.

The stock market works similarly. It’s broken up into 11 different sectors, including information technology, health care, and communication services. A “diverse” portfolio (the stock market’s version of a grocery cart) should include stocks from at least a few different sectors, say De Leon and García.

How might a stock market beginner ensure that their portfolio is diverse? According to DeLeon, the best action plan is to purchase ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, which are like pooled investments that allow you to purchase fractions of companies that are in a given fund. To stick with the grocery example, De Leon says that an ETF is basically the equivalent of pooling your money with the people in the parking lot so all of you can get one of each of the items in the store.

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Armed with those tips, do you feel empowered to invest? To help you implement the stock-market investing tips for beginners, you might also consider downloading investment apps to start you on your journey.

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LifestyleRelationships

10 Comforting Books on Loss and Grief

Memoirs, novels, and picture books that offer words of wisdom, encouragement, and solidarity amid challenging times.

Books on grief are seen floating against a backdrop of clouds.
W+G Creative
Published Feb 18, 2025

Written by 

Hannah Yasharoff

Grief can be overwhelming, complicated, and ongoing. It's not a one-size-fits-all experience, and feelings may differ from day to day. But whether you're processing the death of a loved one or the loss of a relationship, pet, or home, sometimes the right words can help ease the pain. Ahead, we’ve compiled memoirs, novels, and picture books that offer words of wisdom, encouragement, and solidarity amid challenging times. 

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1. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Released posthumously nearly a year after the author’s death at age 37, this memoir chronicles Paul Kalanithi's life as a writer and neurosurgeon before getting diagnosed with stage IV metastatic lung cancer. As he grappled with his own mortality, Kalanithi explored complicated truths and feelings about what it means to live your life knowing your days are numbered. 

2. On Grief: Love, Loss, Memory by Jennifer Senior 
Grief doesn't always look the same. Bobby McIlvaine's death on 9/11 at the age of 26 left each of his family members reeling and attempting to recover in different ways. More than 20 years later, journalist—and family friend—Jennifer Senior took home a Pulitzer Prize for a feature story in The Atlantic, later published as a book, that chronicled how one person's death leaves lasting and vastly differing grief among those who loved them. 

3. Wisdom of the Path by Yasmine Cheyenne 
Regardless of what you're grieving, picking yourself up and beginning the healing process can feel daunting. Cheyenne, a writer and mental health advocate, offers a step-by-step guide on learning from your pain, being kind to yourself amid hardships, and forging a new path to the life you want. Self-healing is an ongoing journey, and learning to hold your own hand will take you much further, she argues. 

4. Be Not Afraid of Love by Mimi Zhu
Writer Mimi Zhu shares a series of essays prompted by their experiences with intimate partner abuse—the devastation and grief of losing part of yourself in an abusive relationship and then the search for healing, community, and joy in the aftermath. The major takeaway: Despite all the pain others may have caused you, you can't let it keep you from continuing to love people. 

5. The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary-Frances O'Connor 
Our brains are wired to form attachments with other people, but when we lose loved ones, our minds suddenly need to be rewired to adjust to a life without them. Neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD, shares decades of research to help the average person understand what grief does to their brain physically and psychologically, and how to use that knowledge to ease the grieving process. 

6. The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin 
The books you seek for guidance amid grieving don't have to be nonfiction. Garvin's novel offers valuable life lessons through the lens of three very different strangers grieving in their own ways. They happen to meet on a local honeybee farm and form an unlikely friendship by finding ways to heal their grief together. 

7. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Michelle Zauner, lead singer of indie pop band Japanese Breakfast, lost her mother in 2014 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. That diagnosis forced Zauner to grapple with the ways her mother shaped her identity, from a childhood as one of only a few Asian American kids in an Oregon town to an adult who felt distant from her mother's Korean heritage. Set against the backdrop of Korean grocery store H Mart, Zauner reflects on how her mother's terminal diagnosis prompted her to reconnect with her family's culture. 

8. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi 
Award-winning writer Yaa Gyasi returns with a novel starring Ph.D. candidate Gifty, who is studying depression and addiction from a neuroscience perspective—she's desperate for a scientific reason behind all the pain her family has experienced, from her brother's heroin overdose to her mother's severe depression. The bestselling novel explores the complicated and differing ways we seek comfort in the face of loss and why there's a case for turning to both facts and faith in times of grief. 

9. Home: A Story of Resilience and Healing by Carrie Barnes
The 2017 Tubbs Fire in northern California was the inspiration behind this children's picture book, which finds itself as a timely story again amid the devastation in Los Angeles following the January 2025 fires. Barnes wrote the story to help her own child navigate big feelings after their family lost their home, offering a blueprint for other parents to do the same.  

10. Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die by Jon Katz 
Pets are family members, and losing them is often similarly devastating. Author Katz shares a combination of personal anecdotes from himself and others to help pet owners mourn, honor, and celebrate the furry friends who brought so much joy and love into their lives. 

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Food

Food Trends Come and Go, But Kombucha Is Forever—Here’s Why, According to an RD

Here's what an RD has to say about the kombucha trend, why it's held such staying power, and what to look for when you're stocking up.

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Photo: W+G Creative
Published Feb 3, 2025

In Partnership With 

GT's Living Foods

Written by 

Well+Good Editors

There was the low-fat craze of the 1990s and 2000s. The ‘10s rolled in with celery juice, Impossible burgers, and truffle oil on everything—followed by whipped coffee, feta pasta, and the gazillion other viral #foodtok moments of the current decade. Try to keep up with the latest food trends, and you’re in for a quite a ride.

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There’s nothing wrong with opting into the (literal) flavor of the month—but when it comes to nutrition, it’s worth paying special attention to the foods and drinks that have lasted longer than a season. For registered dietitian Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LD, kombucha is high on that list of long-standing staples.

According to Google Trends, the kombucha trend entered the wellness mainstream around 2017—but Manaker notes that its history stretches back thousands of years, originating as a traditional fermented drink in East Asia. “What has given kombucha such remarkable staying power, compared to other fleeting food and beverage trends, lies in its unique combination of health benefits, historical significance, and overall appeal,” she says.

Back to the ’90s for a minute: That sacred, historical significance of kombucha is what inspired a California teenager named GT Dave to eschew the food trends of the day in favor of a—at the time—less popular way of supporting his and his family’s health. In 1995, Dave was gifted an heirloom Himalayan SCOBY (or symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, the living culture used to ferment kombucha). He was intrigued by the healing effects he’d seen firsthand when his mother was sick, so he began crafting his own homemade kombucha. His at-home hobby turned into SYNERGY, The Real Kombucha, and a suite of other probiotic-rich, living foods.

This year, GT’s Living Foods celebrates 30 years of crafting kombucha the real way: traditionally fermented with heirloom cultures for billions of living probiotics. While other health trends have come and gone, it’s clear Dave was ahead of the curve all those years ago.

Here’s what Manaker has to say about why the kombucha trend is so much more than just a passing fad, the health benefits of the drink, and why it’s worthy of a forever spot in your daily wellness routine.

The health benefits of kombucha

The secret to foods that outlast all the fads? They strike the balance of nutritious, tasty, and generally low-effort. Done, done, and done: According to Manaker, the health benefits of kombucha are wide-ranging—and its delicious, tangy taste is the cherry (or guava, or pomelo, or strawberry) on top.

First and foremost, studies suggest that drinking kombucha may help boost your gut health, which has a major effect on your overall well-being. “Kombucha is a source of probiotics, which are beneficial microorganisms that support gut health by balancing the gut microbiome,” Manaker says. “A healthy gut microbiome is linked to improved digestion, immune health, and nutrient absorption.”

Some kombucha contains polyphenols and bioactive compounds, which Manaker says may help manage inflammation in the body, as well as antioxidants, which help combat oxidative stress by neutralizing harmful free radicals. “Data highlights that the consumption of antioxidant-rich beverages like kombucha can support overall cellular health and potentially reduce the risk of chronic diseases,” she says.

To reap its full benefits, Manaker recommends sipping kombucha daily. “Consistent consumption helps colonize the gut with the beneficial probiotics found in this fermented beverage, supporting a balanced and healthy microbiome over time,” she says—with the caveat that not all kombucha is created equal. Choose one that contains live probiotics and diverse strains (like SYNERGY, The Real Kombucha), she says, because these ingredients contribute more actively to gut health.

Why the kombucha trend has such staying power

From Manaker’s POV, the “kombucha trend” has withstood decades (correction, centuries) of changing food-and-beverage tides because it’s equal parts nutritious and delicious. “A growing awareness of gut health and its importance to overall well-being has kept kombucha in the spotlight,” she says. “Its natural probiotics and enzymes support a balanced microbiome, which in turn promotes digestion, immunity, and even potentially mental health.”

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And beyond its health benefits? “Kombucha’s distinct, tangy, and slightly effervescent flavor profile has helped it gain a loyal following as a delicious and refreshing alternative to sugary sodas or artificial drinks,” Manaker says.

What to look for in a quality kombucha

“When choosing a kombucha brand, it’s essential to prioritize quality, ingredients, and sourcing,” Manaker says. She looks for options that are raw, organic, unpasteurized (to help preserve the live probiotics and enzymes, she says), and grown by the traditional fermentation process. “Transparency about the ingredients and brewing process is another key factor,” she adds. “Opt for brands that list exactly what they use without hidden sugars or synthetic flavorings.”

GT’s SYNERGY checks every one of her kombucha boxes. She loves the small-batch brewing and weeks-long fermentation process, which separates GT’s from most other kombuchas on the market *and* boosts its nutritional value. “It’s clear [GT’s Living Foods] never cuts corners—each bottle is raw, unpasteurized, and free from artificial flavors, which only enhances the natural and refreshing experience. And since it is made with real tea, it naturally contains antioxidants to support my brain health.”

Manaker’s go-to for a little well-being boost is Pomelo Pink Lemonade, but you can’t go wrong with any of SYNERGY’s 23 fizzy flavors. Try them all and find your favorite—and then make kombucha a forever thing in your life.

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