Here are some ways which people can benefit by becoming an investor in the stock market. By trading or selling options in the market you can provide extra monthly cash flow that can go a long way in helping pay off some debt and bills. Everyone can use some extra cash here and there and the stock market gives you a great way to be able to get it, even if it just through dividends. The real benefit of trading or investing in the stock market is not the short term cash flow but the long term growth. It is a great place to keep your money and to let it grow over years and years until it can finally start paying out a great income. The market is really a long term thing no matter how you are approaching it. The benefits of compound interest are just too great of an opportunity to pass up. The rich invest in the stock market, in fact the richest man in the world Warren Buffet got that way by investing in good companies. If the rich are doing something with their money doesn't that mean that it is a wise thing to look into it? Trading has historically made millions of people rich so there is something to this whole trading thing. Banks take the money they get for CDs invest them in the stock market and pay you back a small percentage of the profit they made. Call me crazy but it seems much wiser to figure out this stock market thing then to put your money in a bank and let them make the huge returns. Retirement planning can get very overwhelming very quickly. This is usually because of all of the different things that you need to think about while planning. If you would like to have a comfortable retirement-which most people do, you will want to learn as much as you can about it and be comfortable with the terminology and options. You will want to be aware of the more popular retirement investments. Considering the different investments for early retirement planning, pension payout is one of the first ones you should look at. This is one of the best moves in early retirement planning that anyone could make. At some point in life you are going to be asked whether you would like to have your whole pension in a big chunk all at once, or if you would rather prefer to get your pension in payments. Usually, you will have a larger tax penalty if you take it all at once, than if you take the withdrawals, but this largely depends on your individual situation. You will probably want to get the advice of a financial advisor or an accountant if you have access to one.