I know Wall Street can be a confusing place for new investors. Just tune in to CNBC, the cable financial news channel. In the course of a single day, you'll likely hear hundreds of opinions on stocks, bonds, interest rates, and the like. And many of these opinions will conflict:

"Stocks are headed higher."
"Stocks are headed lower."
"I think the Fed is going to raise rates."
"I think the Fed is going to lower rates."
"I like XYZ Corp."
"I think XYZ Corp. is a pig."

And so on . . . and so on . . .and so on.

What's a new investor to do?

First, forget about what you hear from Wall Street experts. It'll just confuse you, and confusion is not what you need if you're contemplating beginning an investment program. What you need to focus on as a new investor is the following:

Start investing now.
Not a year from now. Not a week from now. Not tomorrow.
Now.

Why is starting an investment program now the most important step in the investment process? Simple. You can't build wealth unless you start building wealth. I don't care if you start with just $20 or $50. Start investing whatever you can afford each month.

You're probably saying, "But I don't know enough to invest?" Fortunately, if you begin an investment early enough, you don't have to know very much. That's because time and the power of compounding can overcome a multitude of investment sins.

Don't worry about making investment mistakes. Everyone picks bad stocks at some point in their investment lives. However, what will ultimately determine your success as an investor is how early you start in the game and the rate of return you earn on your investments.

My latest book project gave me insight into the investment strategies of 180 everyday millionaire investors, people (except for the size of their investment portfolios) probably a lot like you. What I found should be reassuring to new investors, Most everyday millionaires made a lot of mistakes over the years. Still, by starting an investment program and sticking to it for a long period of time - many of the millionaire investors I surveyed have been investing for nearly 30 years - they were able to achieve a seven-figure portfolio.

If you are worried about making dumb investments, take the following words to heart:

That you invest is much more important than in what you invest. Just get started investing today. I don't care in what, just start now. Thirty years from now, you may be glad you did.