Buy! Sell! It easy to get excited when you watch movies or television shows about people working and making money in the stock market. Hollywood glamorizes Wall Street to make it more dramatic. However, this doesn't mean you can't make money in the stock market. With a little bit of knowledge and a lot of hard work you can make your investments pay off for you; and you can do it from the comfort of your own home.

1. DO YOUR RESEARCH

You wouldn't jump in the deep end before learning how to swim, would you? Investing in the stock market isn't much different; just a little drier. Knowing the basics of how the stock market operates is a key to making money. If you are unsure how to invest your hard-earned money, it is advisable to contact a stock broker. They will explain how the stock market operates and help you find the companies that will best suit your needs. Whether you use a stock broker or go it alone, you will need to keep yourself informed about news that relates to the stock market.

Investigate the companies you're interested in. Find out as much information as you can about the companies initially and keep yourself up to date about any news that could affect the price of the stock. Know who is running the company and where they worked before.

Read the financial reports and watch the stock market reports daily. You will want to keep your information as fresh as possible if you want to make money in the stock market. If a company's earnings have risen or dropped substantially, it will have an effect on the price of the stock.

Watch the news. The stock market is a very fickle mainly because investors are fickle. Bad news such as war or a natural disaster can affect the price of stocks. Keep an eye on the latest news stories and watch for your stock's prices to rise or fall.

Visit the websites of the stock markets. You can go directly to the websites of the different markets, like the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ to get the information directly from the source.

Get stock tips from the pros. There are plenty of websites where you can get stock tips to help you when you're first starting out, or later in the game. Do your research to make sure the websites you get your tips from are worth your time.

Hot Stock Market offers free membership to their website to get market analysis, trading tips, forums and more.

Jim Cramer is a nationally known face in the Stock market. You can subscribe to his website, The Street, to get great tips for stock investing. The Street offers a free trial, but there will be future membership costs.

Keep an eye on the market condition and get sound advice by visiting the MarketWatch website.