周围不乏各路"荐股人"，向人们兜售"一夜暴富"的投资机会。
There is no shortage of tipsters around offering 'get-rich-quick' opportunities.
但如果你是一名严肃认真的个人投资者，就应将拉斯维加斯式的投机心态留给那些有钱可以挥霍的人。
But if you are a serious private investor, leave the Las Vegas mentality to those with money to fritter.
严肃认真的投资者需要一个规范的"投资组合"——一套经过周密规划的投资方案，有明确的结构和清晰的目标。
The serious investor needs a proper 'portfolio' --a well-planned selection of investments, with a definite structure and a clear aim.
但股市新人究竟应该如何着手实现这一目标呢？
But exactly how does a newcomer to the stock market go about achieving that?
好，如果你去找五位声誉良好的股票经纪商，询问他们你该如何打理自己的资金，你很可能会得到五种截然不同的答案——即便你提供了所有相关信息，包括你的年龄、家庭、财务状况以及对投资回报的期望。
Well, if you go to five reputable stock brokers and ask them what you should do with your money, you're likely to get five different answers, -- even if you give all the relevant information about your age, family, finances and what you want from your investments.
寓意何在？构建投资组合没有唯一"正确"的方式。
Moral? There is no one 'right' way to structure a portfolio.
然而，有些方式无疑是错误的，你完全可以肯定：我们那五位顾问中，没有任何一位会建议你将所有（乃至任何一部分）资金都投入到 Periwigs 这一支股票中。
However, there are undoubtedly some wrong ways, and you can be sure that none of our five advisers would have suggested sinking all (or perhaps any) of your money into Periwigs.
那么，你应该怎么做呢？
So what should you do?
我们假设你已经处理妥当了基本的财务事项——比如房贷、养老金、保险以及获取足够备用现金储备的渠道。
We'll assume that you have sorted out the basics--like mortgages, pensions, insurance and access to sufficient cash reserves.
接下来，你应当确立自己独有的个人目标。
You should then establish your own individual aims.
这些目标，一方面取决于个人的客观情况，另一方面则取决于个人的心理因素。
These are partly a matter of personal circumstances, partly a matter of psychology.
举例来说，如果你年龄较大，你从重大损失中恢复的时间就较少，而且你很可能希望增加自己的退休金收入。
For instance, if you are older you have less time to recover from any major losses, and you may well wish to boost your pension income.
因此，保全本金和创造额外收入便是你的主要优先目标。
So preserving your capital and generating extra income are your main priorities.
在这种情况下，你或许会构建一个包含部分股票（但不是高风险股票）的投资组合，同时搭配政府债券、现金存款，以及或许还有可转换债券，或者拆分型资本投资信托的收益股份。
In this case, you'd probably construct a portfolio with some shares (but not high risk ones), along with gilts, cash deposits, and perhaps convertibles or the income shares of split capital investment trusts.
如果你年龄较小，且处于稳固的财务状况之中，你或许会决定采取激进型投资策略——但只有在你性情乐观、不会因股票价格波动而辗转难眠的前提下才可如此。
If you are younger, and in a solid financial position, you may decide to take an aggressive approach--but only if you're blessed with a sanguine disposition and won't suffer sleepless nights over share prices.
如果你发现自己符合这一描述，不妨在投资组合中加入两三只令人亢奋的成长型股票，与你那些更为平淡稳健的投资品搭配在一起。
If you recognize yourself in this description, you might include a couple of heady growth stocks in your portfolio, alongside your more pedestrian investments.
一旦你确定了投资目标，接下来便可以决定把资金投向何处了。
Once you have decided on your investment aims you can then decide where to put your money.
这里的黄金法则是分散风险——如果你把所有资金都投入 Periwigs International 这一只股票，你就是在把自己变成一个任命运摆布的人质。
The golden rule here is spread your risk--if you put all of your money into Periwigs International, you're setting yourself up as a hostage to fortune.