Think of something as simple as an accident, it doesn't even have to be your fault, and you get hospitalized for a couple of months. Do you think while you're laid there in your hospital bed it's just possible that making the payment for your credit card bill might get forgotten? And what happens when you forget your monthly credit payments? Many new investors wrongly assume that all their money will go directly into buying the investment they have chosen and forget that there are different prices for buying and selling stocks. This can be quite a surprise to some but they should remember that even mutual funds have annual charges. However if they consider all these things they will soon have their answer to the question of what is the first step to investing. By around the 16th and 17th centuries Amsterdam had begun to become the main stock market in Europe. It was there that the very first company to issue stocks and bonds was formed. This was the Dutch East India Company who issued the first share ever to be sold on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. The Dutch as leaders in this new field soon began to develop some of the financial instruments that we are all still familiar with today. Now what happens is that because the money they are lending you is outstanding for a longer amount of time they can charge you more interest. See what I meant when I said they don't care about you? Of course from your point of view you are probably going to be benefiting by having lower repayments, less worry and you'll get your credit history back on track. While markets fluctuate and at times quite wildly they do tend to rise over time but that won't help you if you need to get your hands on your cash the day after tomorrow and the market's in freefall. As with anything else it's vital to understand the rules of the game and how they apply to the position you are planning to take. That means that if there is only a very limited number of shares in a particular company available the demand for them will be far greater than if the market place is awash with them. So you can see that just like an auction where there are a lot of people who want what is on offer the price will increase to reflect that demand.