Today's open economy and globalised business environment is both a challenge and an opportunity. It is a challenge because we are living in a truly global community. Any small change or problem in some corner of the world is bound to have its repercussions all over the world and hence none of us are insulated in such a global scenario. It is also an opportunity because in a globalised environment, there are many options of investment for those who are smart, informed and knowledgeable. Of the various options that are available for investments, stocks and shares are considered to be one of the best.

However, there are two schools of thoughts on this. While one group has a view that investing in stocks is a sure shot way of creating wealth, there are other conservative and traditional people who think that investing in shares and scripts is akin to gambling and they feel that very few people have made it big by investing through this route.

The fact of the matter is that investing in stocks and shares has its own advantages and disadvantages. First and foremost, investing in good scripts that have stood the test of time is bound to give a decent and attractive return on investments. However, as an investor, we should learn to be patient and any investments in blue chip stocks should be looked at from a long term perspective. The downside of investing in stocks could be the possibility of taking a beating if something goes drastically wrong in the global market or in a particular company. For example, those who had invested in Lehman scripts would never have imagined in their wildest of dreams that their investments would be wiped out overnight. Hence, this is a risk which must be factored in before investing in shares and scripts. Further, it is very important to keep in touch with the share market on a daily basis and monitor movement of the index very carefully. It is a learning process that takes time and effort.