Every publicly traded company must publish quarterly financial statements, called 10-Q reports. They also file annual 10-K reports. You can find financial reports at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website. If you use an online broker, then this information should be on the broker's website as well. Pay attention to the company's revenues, which is the total amount of money the company brings in. You want to see that revenues have been growing. This is a calculation investors use to check whether a stock is undervalued or overvalued. In essence, you check to see how much it costs to buy a share of the company's profits. For example, a company's share price might be $50 and its earnings could be $2.5 per share. The price-to-earnings ratio is 20. Essentially, you are paying $20 for each $1 in company profits. Remember to compare the P/E for different companies. Generally, a company with a P/E of 10 is a better investment opportunity than a company with a P/E of 20. However, comparison works best when the companies are in the same industry. The market price is itself a good indication of a stock's potential. Check the stock price over the past year or two. Look for stocks that have a nice upward trend, and avoid stocks that show too much volatility. Also refer to the new 52-weeks high list that is in most newspapers and published online. Of course, a company can't trend upwards forever. However, there is no infallible way to pick a stock, and choosing a company with good momentum is a defensible strategy. There are many analysts online (and on television) offering their expert opinion on stocks. You should listen to what they have to say and take notes of what stocks they are most excited about. You can find expert commentary at Stockchase.com, Yahoo Finance, and Google Finance. However, you should avoid hype. Just because everyone on television is talking about a stock doesn't mean you should buy it. Instead, look for a company with an excellent earnings history. If you want to buy stock in more than one company, then you should probably buy in different industries. Companies in a common industry tend to move up or down together. If you're all in with tech stocks, for example, then you are exposed to more risk. A better strategy is to invest across at least three different industries. For example, invest in retail, tech, and entertainment. These are the two main types of stock. Although you want to buy common stock now, you might want to branch out in the future. Compare common and preferred stock: Common stock creates income for you in two ways. The stock might become more valuable over time, so you can buy a share for $20 and sell for $30, thus pocketing the difference. Also, the company pays dividends. However, if the company goes bankrupt, common stock holders are the last to receive any value when the company liquidates. Preferred stock often pays regular dividends, so you can predict with more regularity the income it will generate. Also, in a bankruptcy, preferred stock holders will receive equity in the company before common stock holders. With common stock, you can vote for the company's board of directors. By contrast, preferred stock usually doesn't have voting rights. However, preferred stock comes in many shapes and sizes, so read up on the stock before investing in it.

Summary: Read the company's quarterly statements. Calculate the company's price-to-earnings ratio. Find stocks that have momentum. Read expert commentary. Consider diversifying across industries. Compare common stock to preferred stock.

Aim to clean your chandelier with either the "crystals on" or "crystals off" method every year for a fixture that remains shining and bright. Observe your chandelier periodically for visible dust, cloudy crystals, or spots. These are all indications that you should clean your fixture right away. Clean more often if your chandelier is located in a kitchen, as it will build up more grease and grime than in other areas of the house. Entryways are another area in which a chandelier may need more frequent cleaning. If you've never cleaned your chandelier, opt for a deep clean by performing the "crystals off" method. Otherwise, the less time-intensive "crystals on" method will typically suffice for regular cleaning. Choose a deeper clean particularly if there are stubborn spots or a cloudy, milky quality to the crystal that isn't removed by a simple dusting. To make your clean last longer, use a soft feather or lambswool duster to lightly clear dust from the frame and crystals. You'll need a stepladder, but you do not need to disassemble the fixture. A good general rule is to dust every few months, or whenever you notice a visible layer of dust or haziness on the crystals, frame, or bulbs. It's also a good idea to dust before any wet cleaning, as you can remove larger dust and dirt particles ahead of time.

Summary: Try to clean every 12 months. Decide on a deep or shallow clean. Dust in between cleanings.

You can skip straight to the next step to find which country it is made in, but this basic information is easy to check and remember. If the first character is an A, B, C, D, E, F, G, or H, the vehicle was made in Africa. J, K, L, M, N, P, or R as the first character means the vehicle was made in Asia. This includes the Middle East. Note that a VIN never begins with a zero or O due to the ease of confusing these two symbols. S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z indicate Europe. 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 indicate North America, including USA, Mexico, and Canada. 6 or 7 indicate Australia or New Zealand. Note that nearby nations such as Indonesia or the Philippines are considered part of Asia for this purpose. 8 or 9 indicate South America. Many vehicles are made in a different country than the one the manufacturing company is located in. Compare the first two characters of the VIN to an online chart like this one, including the first "continent" code described above, and find out where a vehicle was really made. This will also tell you which company made the car. Some companies use the third digit as well to indicate manufacturer or company division. The first two digits should be enough to identify the country and company, however. This method will always work for North American cars, and will often work for cars from other regions. Note that this might be one year later than the car was actually made. A model year of 2008 means the car was probably made either in 2007 or 2008. See below for decoding instructions: A 10th character which is an A, B, C, D, E, F, G, or H indicate the years 1980 1987 in alphabetical order, or the years 2010 2017. J, K, L, M, and N are reserved for model years 1988 1992, or 2018 2022. P means the model year is 1993 or 2023. R, S, and T mean 1994 1996 or 2024 2026. V, W, X, and Y mean 1997 2000 or 2027 2030. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 indicate the years 2001 2009 or 2031 2039. A real VIN never contains the letters I, O, or Q. The year code has additional restrictions, never using the number 0 or the letters U or Z. If you're not sure whether your car is new or old, check the vehicle's 7th character. If this is a number, your vehicle's model year is earlier than 2010. If the 7th character is a letter, the model year is 2010 or later (until 2039).
Summary: Use the first character to discover the continent of manufacture. Use the first two characters to narrow it down to country and manufacturer. Use the tenth character to determine the model year.