If you're an avid investor…or even if you're not…at one time or another you've probably considered investing in individual stocks. I've been doing it for 40 years, and over that time have made well over a million dollars investing in the stocks of individual companies.

But stock picking isn't for everyone, and it comes with risks. Even the best stock pickers periodically lose money. The trick is to learn a few rules that will increase your odds.

And that's what we're going to talk about today.

Stacy Johnson and financial journalist Miranda Marquit are joined by producer and novice investor Aaron Freeman. This week's guest is a friend of the show, Kevin Matthews, a former investment advisor and the author of Starting Point: How To Create Wealth That Lasts.

Remember, even though we sometimes talk about specific investments on this show, don't take them as recommendations because they're not. Before investing in anything, do your own research, and make your own decisions.

You can download this episode wherever you get your podcasts:

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• Listen on Spotify

Don't forget to check out our podcast page for more episodes designed to help you make the most of your money.

Don't Miss

We're talking about investing this week, so you don't want to miss out on an opportunity to learn more about investing in alternative assets.

• You can easily diversify and build a portfolio of private assets like real estate, private credit, and venture capital in less than 5 minutes, with as little as $10, by opening an account with this next-generation portfolio manager.

More on investing in stocks

One of the best ways to build wealth is through stock investing. There are many different ways to invest in stocks, and we can help you figure out how to make the most of your investing dollars. Here are some resources from Money Talks News to help you learn about stock investing, including ideas for where to put your money:

• Saving Is Not Enough: Why You Need to Invest
• 9 Tips for Sane and Successful Stock Investing
• People Who Work Hard May Be Bad Investors, Study Shows
• I Asked AI for Stocks That Could Outperform for the Rest of the Year. Here's What It Said.
• 7 of the Best Dividend Stocks to Help Fund Your Retirement
• Stocks Are Tanking: What You Need to Know Now
• The Market is Low: Time to Buy Stocks?
• How to Invest When Both Stocks and Bonds Are Falling
• How to Find the Best Dividend Stocks, Step by Step
• How to Pick Winning Stocks, Step by Step

Learn more about investing

Stock investing isn't the only way to make money as an investor. We've got a lot of great articles about other ways to invest—and about investing in general. Get more bang for your buck after learning about the resources.

• 9 Safe and Smart Investments for Retirees
• Why You Shouldn't Look at Your Investments During a Bull Market
• Top Alternative Investments for Diversifying Your Portfolio
• Your Guide to Alternative Investments
• Investing in Gold and Gold IRAs: 5 Things You Need to Know
• Investing In Commercial Real Estate with CrowdStreet
• How to Choose Between Active and Passive Investing
• How to Know When the Bear Market Is Over — and Why You Shouldn't Wait to Invest
• What Is Socially Responsible Investing?
• 7 Things You Should Know Before Investing in I Bonds
• 7 of the Best Ways to Invest That Don't Involve Stocks

Meet this week's guest, Kevin Matthews, II

Kevin L. Matthews II is a Plutus Award winner and number one bestselling author. He has helped hundreds of individuals plan for their retirement in addition to managing more than $140 million in assets during his advisory career. By 2017, he was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Financial Advisors by Investopedia.

Kevin launched BuildingBread in 2010 to inspire millennials to set, simplify and achieve any financial goal. Kevin regularly speaks to young adults across the country and has been featured in several media publications and productions including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Black Enterprise, CNBC, and many others.

Kevin holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Hampton University, a certificate in financial planning from Northwestern University and a certificate in disruptive strategy from Harvard Business School. In 2020, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business with a Master's in Technology Commercialization (MSTC).

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About the hosts

Stacy Johnson founded Money Talks News in 1991. He's a CPA, and has also earned licenses in stocks, commodities, options principal, mutual funds, life insurance, securities supervisor and real estate.

Miranda Marquit, MBA, is a financial expert, writer and speaker. She's been covering personal finance and investing topics for almost 20 years. When not writing and podcasting, she enjoys travel, reading and the outdoors.