The following checklist outlines how you can build a successful investment plan that meets your individual needs and goals:

#1 Determine where you stand. Gain a good understanding of what your financial commitments are now and in the future. Make certain that you have an emergency fund and a savings plan.

#2 Clearly state your financial goals. How much do you need? When do you need it? How much risk can you tolerate? If you lost the principal of an investment, could you mentally recover and invest again?

#3 Determine the appropriate allocation of your personal assets for your age (young adult, middle-aged, retiree, and so on). Develop a regular investing program and stick to it regardless of market volatility.

#4 Select the investments that meet your financial goals and risk-tolerance level. How much time do you have (in years) to invest? Should you be an active trader and invest often during the day or a passive investor with a buy-and-hold policy?

#5 Analyze your investment candidates. Before you call your online broker, make certain that you can tell a child in two minutes or less why you want to own a particular investment. Determine how long you plan to hold the security and decide at what price you will sell (and take your profits or cut your losses).

#6 Select an online broker that suits your needs. Avoid mutual fund loads (a sales charge added to the purchase or sale of a mutual fund) and high fees. Use automatic investment plans, dividend reinvestment programs, investment clubs, and other programs to reduce brokerage commissions.

#7 Monitor your portfolio and reevaluate your goals on a regular basis. Rank the performance of your investments and make the appropriate changes. You can expect that changes in general market conditions, new products that are introduced, and new technology will change how established businesses operate. Use this information to gain an understanding of when to hold and when to fold.

Just remember. Every successful investor starts with a financial plan. The plan includes clearly stating your financial objectives, saving a certain amount of money each month, developing investment asset allocation strategies, and so on.

Monitoring your portfolio in a volatile market is very important. You can select the best investments, but if you don't have a way to track your gains and losses, you can lose time and money.

Good record keeping is invaluable for calculating your taxes, preparing for retirement, estate planning, and taking advantage of opportunities to increase your personal wealth.

Sources on the Internet can assist you in keeping careful records of every stock, mutual fund, bond, and money market security that you own. Setup time can be as little as ten minutes. You can update and monitor your portfolio once a week or once a month.

Your investments can be in one portfolio (for example, your retirement fund) or many (say, your retirement fund, an emergency fund, and your children's college fund). You can also track investments that you wish you owned or that you're considering for investment.