Book excerpt: Everything a novice investor needs to know about getting started in stocks While dozens of books purport to be for the beginning investor, most "beginner" books assume a level of knowledge that true novices just don't have. Understanding Stocks is targeted to the beginning investor, providing a concise yet comprehensive overview of the stock market without subjecting readers to terms and ideas they can't understand and frankly, will probably never use. Written in an engaging and direct style, Understanding Stocks uses short, easy-toread chapters to provide a solid working knowledge of the stock market. Topics include: What is a stock? How to place a trade Evaluating a stock Knowing when to sell