New Market Wizards is worth a read
Some guide lines Two secrets of trading success: 1. Preservation of capital and Home Runs. 2. It is not easy to buy a stock after you have sold it. 3. Use left brain for fundamentals and right brain for imagination and story behind how a stock will soar. 4. Victor Sperando's goal in Wall Street is not to get rich but to stay in business. 5. The key to success is not knowledge alone but emotional discipline. The best analogy to this is dieting. You know that to slim down, you need to exercise and avoid fats. But the knowledge of this does not make you slim. It is the discipline to do it that counts. 6. Have a balanced life. 7. Do not buy a stock that is going down even if the fundamentals are good. (when broker houses are issuing 'buy' calls) 8. Never use valuation to time the market. 9. Be able to get over a loss in twenty four hours. Otherwise, the position is too big. 10. Emotional makeup and discipline is more important than IQ. (i.e. IQ is still important) 11. T...