how to invest

Victoria O'Hara parlayed a relative's gift of one share of stock into a sizable portfolio by investing in a few shares at a time, on a postal worker's salary. Here are her top lessons for any novice investors hoping to emulate her success.

Victoria O'Hara didn't learn anything about how to manage money growing up. But thanks to help from a relative, she got a financial education, began investing slowly, and parlayed small stock buys into a healthy portfolio. Here's her story:

Three Baltimore-area public school employees are splitting a $105 million Mega Millions lottery ticket. But how should they invest their money? Actually, the same way you should invest yours.

Meir Statman, one of the nation's leading experts in behavioral finance (the study of why people do irrational things with their money), has written a new book that shows investors how their mistakes are usually caused by their own deep-seated emotions.

What if you could increase your investment returns more than 200% by simply understanding the role of luck versus skill in investing? Several recent studies have shown how, and if ever there was information the securities industry didn't want you to have, this is it.

If you're tired of watching your stocks go up and down without making any firm gains, consider a contrarian investment strategy. It's riskier, but the payoff can be big. Contrarian fund manager Don Hodges offers three stock picks for 2011.

Ken and Daria Dolan, America's first family of personal finance, answer your questions every Friday. Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question. Dear Ken and Daria, I have a small amount of money to invest, but I am new to investing and would like to know how to get started. I don't mind...