If you are doing that, there are certain things you must look for. One of the first things that you have to remember is that the bank where you have your regular account is not necessarily the bank with the best saving accounts too. With a saving account, the stakes are higher because banks have to pay you interest on the deposits that you make. Just one small monthly repayment covers all your outstanding debts. Well in some cases that is very true but every case is different and you have to do you own checking to make sure you will be better off. It is important to remember that you are taking the existing balances of your bills and spreading them over the term of the new loan. If you are planning to invest in the stock market you will need some serious knowledge of how to select stocks before jumping in. However if you choose to use a financial professional then you just need to make some enquiries to ascertain their track record. Don't assume that because they are a professional that they know everything about each different aspect of investing. After this is your money and if you won't fight for it you can hardly expect anyone else to do it for you! The best place to start is on the internet. You can quickly find and compare a huge number of banks and loan companies to sniff out the best rate for you. Don't just go to their sites though. Look for some of the magazines and comparison sites they will give you lenders you probably wouldn't have thought of. A number of brokerage houses put on regular training seminars for new investors. These will take you through the basics of learning the terminology of the stock market and also on to how to select stocks using various indicators. Some will even teach you how to spot trends and these can be as important for timing your exit from a position as getting into it in the first place. That is because the truth is that even the most prudent investments carry a degree of risk with them. If you don't feel comfortable with the possibility of losing your money then it's more than likely that the stock market isn't for you. The next step in getting started is to make certain that you understand the need to leave your money invested for a reasonable period of time.