conversation: User (CirUmeUela): "I've looked around this sub and found that not many of you are fans of Cramer's show Mad Money. I'm new to the stock market and I'm still trying to understand it all. It's like learning a foreign language with all the lingo involved. \n\nMy father-in-law is a huge fan of Cramer, practically worships the guy. He keeps telling me I need to watch/listen to Cramer for good stock picks. I just think that would be a waste of my time for two  reasons.\n\n1) As I said, it's all Greek to me right now. Telling someone to watch Cramer to learn stocks is like telling someone to learn Spanish only by watching Mexican Novellas. Gotta start with the basics first.\n\n2) Many of you seem to think the guy is a hack and I'm inclined to believe that.\n\nNow, I also read a few chapters of his Mad Money book before stopping. He does seem to have a lot of success. He is a millionaire after all, right? He has a TV show because he's so good at it, surely that's why, right? \n\nCan someone explain to me why exactly it is or isn't a good idea to listen to Cramer? Basically he talks about current stock trends and says what he thinks are good buys right now and what are bad buys. So once I'm more experienced, maybe I could learn stuff from him, or can I?\n\nAlso what about listening to other big name investors like Warren Buffet? Should I listen to/ watch them? Or should I simply stick to doing all my own research as I slowly learn about the stock market?"
  Self: "Cramer can be entertaining. You can learn a lot of vocabulary and concepts from him. It's good to hear his  interviews with CEO.\n\nHowever, he seems more like a trader than a buy and hold guy. For someone new to investing, buying individual stocks is AMAZINGLY risky. US, he seems to inspire passion, where you are better served investing with cold hard facts. \n\nWatch him, enjoy yourself, and learn some things. But, random internet stranger says invest in index funds or target retirement funds for now. Perhaps if you feel like you are understanding the markets and economy, invest a small portion  in a sector (fund) you think will outperform. "
  