What do i need to learn before i can invest in the stock market?

1. Define your goal... know where you are and where you want to be
2. Educate yourself... no one else knows your situation better than you
3. Get the right attitude... don't thrown common sense out the window
4. Make saving a habit
5. Invest within a broad context... think of your health and other needs
6. Asset Allocation, Diversification, and Time are your friends
7. Remain aware of your investments... but don't overdo it
8. Some recommendations... FINALLY!

1.
First decide on the lifestyle you want and what you need to live that lifestyle. Take an inventory of what you have now. Your investment goal is to get from where to are now to where you want to be. If you just try to "make as much as I can" you'll take unrewarded risk and not know when you can start enjoying the fruits of your labor.

2.
The next step is education. Don't worry about losing out on some great investment opportunity. You need to understand the language of investing so you know what kind of investments there are. A good mix of book learning and practical experience will serve you well to avoid a "shark attack". You can always get a fee-only financial advisor if you don't have the inclination or don't want to spend your time learning about finance but in the end, you know your financial situation and tolerance to take risk better than anyone else.

3.
When making investment decisions (as opposed to speculating, that is, "playing the stock market") always keep "common sense" foremost in your mind. Know what you are investing in and why. Fear and greed drive market excesses both up and down and it will be a lot easier to sleep at night if you can keep yourself from getting caught up in the madness of crowds. Ask yourself "what is the best use of my money now" regardless of whether you gained or lost money in the past. The market does not have a memory. Human nature leads us to take profits too early and hold onto losers too long but that is precisely the wrong thing to do while investing. Knowing when to sell is just as important as knowing what to buy. Try to learn from your mistakes.

4.
One of the most obvious paths to accumulating assets is often overlooked... put more money in. Of course, you eventually want your money to do most of the work (the magic of compounding) but it never hurts to add new money! If you automatically take money from your paycheck you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much it grows to over time. Some types of accounts help you accumulate money faster than others. For example, if your employer offers a savings plan and matches some part of your contribution, do that first... free money is free money! Use accounts that offer tax advantages (for example, 401(k) and IRA plans can let your money grow tax free). However, don't put one tax advantaged account in another tax advantaged account since that will lower your returns. It rarely makes sense to buy investments with high fees (like load funds) or high surrender charges (like annuities).

5.
Don't forget to consider all of your needs. Do you need money to tide you over if you lose your job (is your money market rainy day fund about six months of living expenses?) or to take care of others should you lose your health or your life (insurance). It doesn't do you any good to reach your financial goals if you can't enjoy it!

6.
You can expect to make different amounts of money on different types of investments. For example, over long time periods, stocks generally grow in value more than bonds do, even though they go up and down more than bonds. However, if you need to withdraw your money just when your stocks have tanked you won't be a happy camper. To reach a good balance between risk and reward you should keep some of your money in cash ("money markets and CDs), some in stocks, some in bonds, and some in hard assets like real estate (fine art and precious metals can be useful to augment your core investments but I don't recommend them). This is called asset allocation and is one of the most important financial decisions you can make. The other key guideline to follow is not putting all your eggs in one basket. Sure, you could win the lottery by placing big bets, but it hurts a lot more when you lose that bet. The best way to get ahead is to not fall behind which is why diversification is so important.
Also consider your investment time horizon since you don't want to risk outliving your money. Keeping all your money in "safe" investments can be the riskier choice if it doesn't grow faster than inflation since what you are really after is the ability to buy things.

7.
Keep an eye on your money. Monitoring performance is necessary to help you make the best decisions. Watching "too close" though can lead to very bad decisions. "Doing nothing" is often the best decision and watching the ups and downs of the market can lead to excessive trading. You are probably more likely to win the lottery than of making a living as a day trader. Remaining vigilant also helps you detect and avoid scams.

8. Analysis of your specific situation as explained above is really the best way to "invest smart" . If push comes to shove and I had to recommend specific investments to maximize the chance of reaching your financial goals, I'd allocate 60% of the money you intend to invest at any one time (remember, this is only a part of your overall net worth) into stocks, 30% into bonds, and 10% into cash equivalents. Diversify by putting 20% of your stock allocation into foreign stocks and 10% into REITs. To avoid unnecessary risk and fees, use ETFs and no load mutual funds, rather than buying individual stocks. You won't do much better than the market this way but you won't do much worse either... and considering that nearly all professional money managers do worse on average over time than the market, that is saying something.

For example, if you have $10,000 to invest initially, try this:
$4,200 for VTI (domestic stock ETF), $1,200 for DODFX (foreign stock mutual fund), $600 ICF (real estate ETF), $3000 for LSBRX (bond mutual fund), $1000 for money market or certificates of deposit.

And most important, stay healthy and have fun!