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What would you do if you knew you could not fail? -- Robert H. Schuller, American Clergyman, 1926.

It seems like kids these days have “formal” graduation ceremonies for everything from pre-school on up. Do you remember what year you “graduated” from middle school? I just remember being a bit intimidated by the idea of high school. Commemorating and celebrating these rights of passage, transitions and growth is good for our children and helps to build confidence.

Last weekend I was in Vermont visiting old friends, one of whom is a very special 14-year-old young man. He’ll be graduating from middle school later this month so we celebrated while we were in town. It was a treat to spend time with him and a few of his friends, many of whom are girls (“but not in that way!”)

There’s a myth that girls don’t excel in math or science in the same way as boys. It’s encouraging to see that the young women I met were strong, confident and quite fluent in mathematics and science. The gender misconception is evaporating from our schools.

My standard graduation gift for young people is a paperweight engraved with the quote “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” Of course I bought one for myself and whenever I glance at it there’s a smile on my face and in my heart Many of us lack the confidence to address our financial needs and goals. The responsibility of providing for your retirement can be a bit daunting. However, when it comes to investing you already know more than you think. Don’t let the numbers, charts and graphs so often associated with investments intimidate you.

Here are a few basic concepts you’ve probably mastered but just don’t know it yet. Some of these are common sense ranging from psychological to practical in nature.

You know more than you think. Successful investors understand what they’re buying. Women are generally careful consumers, who know what works and what doesn’t. Women make most of the consumer purchases in the U.S. You have a treasure chest of hands-on information about quality products and services. What you consume and spend discretionary income on is quite revealing.

Consumer needs fall into these three categories; things you must have, things you need to have to make life easier and things you want. Identify examples for each of these categories and you’ll organize your personal consumer habits and behaviors. This provides a starting point of where to look for interesting investment trends. Invest in what you know and observe.

Invest for your retirement. People ask if they should save for retirement or for their children’s or grandchildren’s education along with several other financial goals. Most often my answer is “save for retirement first.” Odds are you’ll outlive your partner. Strive to have at least enough money to provide for 20 years into retirement. That’s a long time.

If your employer offers a retirement plan, participate, especially if there’s some percentage of matching funds. If you don’t work, look into IRA options. That’s even more reason to begin investing now, even if it’s not in a retirement plan. Kids can get college loans, scholarships, etc. However, when you’re 75 and alone (I sincerely hope that’s not the case) you’ll regret not funding your retirement.

Don’t be too conservative. Before investing determine your level of risk tolerance is. This isn’t a suggestion to take risks that make you uncomfortable. However, keeping everything in “safe” investments could make it difficult to reach your financial goals. Taxes and inflation will eat small returns and you’ll be lucky to stay above water. Stocks, which are more volatile than some other investments, may provide the opportunity to beat inflation over a long period and build a solid foundation. Buying and holding good companies for the long term is a way to build a nest egg.

Learn and implement asset allocation. Asset allocation is an investment term you should know. It’s just another way of saying spread your money around so it’s not all invested in one spot. You’ll see the common sense of this immediately. The important thing to remember is that it’s a continual process. If you start out with this mindset, your investments may be in a better position as the years go by. Regularly review your asset allocation strategy.

Nice women do talk about money. Fortunately, we’ve moved beyond the notion that woman aren’t suited for business or investing. While we “talk the talk,” I’m not sure we always “walk the walk” when acknowledging this fact. There’s nothing about investing in stocks or investing in general that any woman of reasonable intelligence can’t grasp.

What would you do if you knew you could not fail? Don’t be afraid to ask for help professional advice and jump in with both feet — investing in stocks knows no gender barriers. The rest is up to you.

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Darcie Guerin is a financial adviser and branch manager at Raymond James & Associates Inc. at 606 Bald Eagle Drive, suite 401, Marco Island. Contact her at Darcie.Guerin@raymondjames.com, 389-1041 or toll-free (866) 343-0882.