Investment markets took a sharp rise upwards on Thursday of this week in reaction to supportive moves from the European Central Bank, under president Mario Draghi, with the implementation of an unlimited buying programme of EU zone sovereign debt. Yesterday’s US unemployment report, although trending lower with payrolls rising only slightly - may affect the prior day’s rally although day-end market values not ascertainable as the article went to press.For many small investors, however, taking first steps back into the US / global investing environment hinges on more than one or two successful trading days. Trading volume on the New York Stock Exchange, for instance, on average for the last few years has been down compared to heightened interest of the mid 2000’s, lending some credence to this reluctance.In the United States, the Leading Economic Index trended positive in July thereby slowly adding confidence to the prospect of an economy on the mend. The US November presidential elections may provide another jolt of economic confidence as well as eliminating some uncertainty in longer term corporate and individual financial planning.Understanding investments has never been an easy curriculum to master. Yes, it is a learning curve, really just like school. Think about it. As an investor, you are challenged to negotiate your way through a barrage of investment advisors / brokers pushing various products, while mouthing astute comments such as “top down or bottom up analysis”, “good value for your lifestyle”, “taking money off the table”, “alternative strategies and shorts”, and my favourite, “know your risk tolerance”. Small investors know the risk of investing only too well, and they will keep avoiding it until capital markets become more comfortable places to invest carefully saved cash.If you are a do-it-yourself investor, the sheer plethora of information confusion are those piles of highly coloured asset pie charts, trading symbols, thousands of financial articles with opposing positions, real-time internet security position alerts, and rapid-fire computer-generated trades to arrive at a king-size investing headache. This information onslaught requires a constant mind filter to sift through its relevance to your personal situation.For beginners, it seems that investing should be easy. What’s to know? Pick a stock; buy it; watch it grow in value. That is one way to do it. Learn as you earn, and hope that you never learn as you lose (too much, that is).The reality, though, is that investing is not easy - not without teaching yourself through books (eBooks and regular), programmes, information presentations, financial representatives, practice websites, and discussions with virtually anyone who can impart knowledge on these topics. This requires work (it can be fun) and continuous investment knowledge upgrades on your part.You need to think about understanding investments the same way you think about your smart phone. Quick, how many can list all of the features that your phone can do for you? Bet you know them all! Yet, when it comes to investments and planning, the discipline is the real challenge.People often say (to me and others) that they have no interest in understanding investments, stock markets, and the like. It’s all Greek, they say. Yet, you must somehow embark on this learning curve because what should be your single biggest asset, your invested pension needs to appreciate in value, grow as you grow in your careers, and be available to you when you are contemplating retirement.Investment knowledge is power. Your livelihood also depends upon the knowledge that you obtain about the industry that employs you. How many of you employed in international business can reel off your company’s statistics: share price, return on equity, profit and loss, debt to asset ratio, product lines, 52-week moving average for its stock, number of stock exchanges the shares are listed, dividend yield, competitor financial information. Knowing your company means knowing your career future.How many of you that have pension investments can cite the cost of converting your monthly pension allocation from Bermuda in US dollars? Or, the cost is to transfer your pension when you retire into an annuity? Or, the performance over the last four years in your pension investments? Or, the interest rate you will receive on your annuitised pension?Increase your investing knowledge. If you have the time this weekend, you are fortunate to have electricity and Internet access, start to learn to invest your way to prosperity.Useful websiteswww. http://www.fool.com/how-to-invest/thirteen-steps/index.aspxhttp://simulator.investopedia.com/#axzz25nLC1DmFhttp://investor.gov/investing-basicshttp://finance.yahoo.com/education/begin_investing#OverviewMartha Harris Myron CPA PFS CFP(USA) TEP is director of tax services at Patterson Partners Ltd providing integrated cross-border tax, estate, investment advisory and related strategic planning services through entities in Bermuda and the United States. She is a member of the American Citizens Abroad Professional Tax Advisory Council (http://www.aca.ch). For additional information, please contact mmyron@patterson-partners.com or call 296-3528 http://www.patterson-partners.com