History suggests that stocks are the best investment you can make when you're in it for the long haul. No matter the investment vehicle, be it bonds, cash, diamonds, silver, gold, in the long run stocks give the best returns. I read in a lot of places that stocks returns are higher than real estate returns but I don't personally agree. Real estate returns are calculated on the basis of the property's appreciation, but if you want to calculate your personal return on a real estate investment, you have to account for the fact that only part of your investment was financed with your own money... But I digress...

What happens if you compare stocks to cash over the long term? A good example of a cash investment is money invested in three-month Treasuries or a first-rate money market fund. A cash investment is NOT the emergency savings fund that is recommended you keep on hand for a rainy day. Over the past 60 years, cash has turned out to be a loser. After accounting for inflation, cash has returned an average 0.5% per year since 1926, compared to 6.9% for the S&P 500.

As for other investment vehicles like precious metals, diamonds, oil, collectibles, there are times when they indeed return much higher yields than run-of-the-mill stocks. As a rule, stashing your cash in such vehicles is considered smart in times of high inflation, where stocks and bonds tend to underperform, but not in the long run. Returns on those assets vary wildly from year to year, and what is hot this year can be the biggest loser next year.

It's undeniable that investing in the stock market requires a strong stomach; not only to stay in the market when stock values are going south, but to keep investing in those troubled times. But 80 years of financial data have shown us that the market has always rebounded from downturns, reaching higher levels each time. If the past is indicative of the future (and most analysts seem to think so), if you're considering investing, stocks may be your best friends. Just make sure you don't panic when there's a crash. How you allocate your portfolio among broad categories is probably more important than what specific stocks or bonds you buy.

Rocket Investing: Stock Market Research Advice

The stock market is not a black hole. People come out of it successful, business savvy and rich! Here are 5 things you must remember to conquer the investing black hole:

1. Be resourceful. The key to investing is knowledge: know anything and everything about the company and the factors affecting its performance. There are 2 excellent resources for your stock market investment:

• The newspaper. Get the most-updated information on the country or the region's economy. These largely influence the health of the stock market. Aside from the economy, news on politics, society and weather can affect your stock market investment.
  
• The Internet. From Stock Market 101 to How-to-Be-the-next-Warren-Buffet (Forbes Magazine's 2nd richest man in the world), everything is in the Internet. Thank God for search engines: type a word and a host of information await! Make sure to visit the website of the company you intend to invest in, to get the official information on their corporate set-up, financial health, and historical stock performance.

2. Be analytical. Information on the Internet can be overwhelming, but not all are accurate. Carefully scrutinize everything. The devil is in the detail ... or the lack of it. If you do not find credible information to support one claim, then move on to the next site. One quick tip: use your bookmarks when researching. Skim first through each link on the list and bookmark the ones that are useful, for later reading. Once you have 3 or 4 bookmarked, start your detailed stock market research.

3. Be strategic. You have the data, you know which ones to use, now decide ... is this the right time to invest on this company? Use your data to calculate your next move. The goal is always to end up at the earning more than what you invested. At this point, reading expert advice, or better yet, paying for one, will definitely help.

4. Be patient. Hand-in-hand with being strategic is being patient. If you do not need the money immediately, it is best to let it hold for a longer time. Stock market investment gains average 10-12% over a 10-year period. Net, if you hold on to your stock for or about that long, chances are, you will realize such level of gains.

5. Be on your toes. At the extreme end of patience is complacency. A good investor is never one. Watch out for IPO's that have a bullish outlook. Use digital tools (like SMS stock alerts or Blackberry breaking news) to get news as they happen. Do all the necessary moves before the bell rings!

Follow those 5 advices on stock market research and zoom your way to a profitable future!