They have a lot of practice! So what do you say to them? You tell them how you came to be in arrears with you finance and don't be embarrassed. They'd sooner help someone who's honest enough to admit a mistake than think you're hiding something. If you're behind on your bills because of being put on short time at work; tell them. Your choice is limited only by your imagination and of course the depth of your pockets! Whichever way you decide to invest there are some "rules" which carry across regardless. One of the fundamentals is to know what you are doing. Without this you are not investing but gambling. Let's take an example of the silver markets about 30 years ago. Understanding The Stock Market 101 If you are looking to get started with investing in stocks and shares you really need to get to grips with understanding the stock market. While you don't need to become an expert or have an in depth knowledge you certainly need at the very least a basic understanding. Starting on the Thursday October 24th, 1929 crash of stock market confidence became even worse on the following Monday and Tuesday. Starting with those three days of trading the market fell for a full month and began the Great Depression which took a little over 25 years for the United States to recover from. Are they non-profit or a profit making company? As with any other major decision you should do some checks to make certain you are doing the right thing. Ask about them at your church. Consult the Better Business Bureau and speak to your state consumer affairs representatives. One final point to keep in mind when you start to make your enquiries. There are very few industries that have as much complicated terminology and jargon as the financial markets and if you are going to make the grade you really will benefit from having a stock market dictionary at hand to refer to. It's not just the jargon and terminology either there are all the various abbreviations that are sprinkled around like confetti to think of as well.