Part 2: Turn SEC filings into data with Python. A small toolkit downloads each company once, then extracts revenue, margins, operating income, cash flow and debt—annual and quarterly—so you compare businesses on the numbers, not the hype.
Part 1: A beginner's guide to SEC EDGAR, what it is, the filings that matter (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K), and how to compare companies and ask better questions instead of guessing from stock prices.
I almost bought NVIDIA because I work in infrastructure. Then I tried to actually defend it as a buy at today's price — and couldn't. Liking an industry isn't a thesis. New rule: start every name on a study list, never a buy list, until I can explain the valuation in plain language.
I used to think stock analysis was mostly about revenue growth, profit margins, free cash flow, debt, and competitive advantage. Those things still matter, but I was missing the environment around the business: interest rates.
The beginner mistake is quitting before the curve bends. Why time in the market beats timing it, and what 30 years of $300/month looks like.
I used to think saving money meant I was being responsible. But then I realized something uncomfortable: money sitting in cash is not standing still, it is shrinking in purchasing power and this was one of the many triggers which lead me to learn investing your money is the best approach
I "knew" META. I used Instagram. I still lost $28K because I bought without a thesis. The 3-sentence rule I now use before buying any stock.