[mikraig]

A lot of great suggestions already (especially regarding index funds), but I'd add that one of the best things I've done is get a Wall Street Journal subscription. Reading the business and markets section daily really helps. I know it doesn't sound as rigorous as reading a textbook on trading or investing, but after you read the news daily for a while, you start to make connections. You know all the current deals, you know how a lot of businesses are doing. And most importantly you start to build an internal model of how a stock will do based on certain stories that get published.