Investment can be one of the best financial decisions you can make — or one of the worst. While the basic principle of trading stocks is not difficult to understand, you’ll need to spend some time developing your instincts so that you know when to take the critical steps, like selling shares of Apple or buying into a startup.

Today, let’s look at some of the equations you can use to develop accurate instincts, especially when considering your stocks and their value to you.

If you want to learn how to invest in stocks, you need to get ready for a significant amount of study. And you want to put in a lot of hours before you start risking real money. There is no glory is losing a ton of cash as you figure it out on the job. Teach yourself the basics before you start and you will be that much more prepared to keep your money from running out.

Investing can be seen as a dry boring way to exist in the world. Endless Wall Street talk and the droning on of adults about their portfolios can seem impossibly dull to the average young adult. But learning about it is a way to increase your engagement with the world and your facility for making money. And it can be pretty exciting if you find a way to manage the risk effectively.