Many people want to start investing in the stock market, but somehow never do it.

What seems like a good solution at the time may fall victim to the demands of everyday life.

But you don’t have to have a lot of money to get into the stock market and potentially start a lifelong journey towards building wealth.

Here are three things someone can do Now which I think would facilitate them start investing in the New Year.

1. Learn how the stock market works

Investing is more than buying shares of a good company in the hope that if it does better in the future, its stock price will enhance.

First, while capital gains can be an critical part of building wealth in the stock market, so can dividends. So it’s worth understanding things like free cash flow, because without it, a company’s current dividend may be unsustainable.

It’s also worth learning how to value stocks.

There are other critical lessons to learn before someone is ready to invest, such as portfolio diversification.

Taking the time to learn the basics of investing can be time very well spent.

2. Determine how to invest

Once you’ve done this, it may be time to start investing.

But first, someone will need a way to invest. Setup can take some time, so I think starting early makes sense.

This could be, for example, a shares trading account, SIPP, Stocks and Shares ISA or a trading app. Different investors have their own needs and it is critical that they consider what will work best for them.

3. Make a list of stocks to buy

Being willing to invest and actually investing are two different things.

Some people soon find plenty of stocks they want to buy, while others have cash to invest but no ideas they find compelling enough to take action on. I am never in a hurry to invest for the sake of investing, I prefer to buy shares only when I really like the business and think the price is attractive.

For example, one stock I would like to own is an engineering group Spirax Group (LSE:SPX).

It may not be a household name, but it really is FTSE100 business. Due to its focus on industrial clients, it is not widely known.

However, among its target customer base, Spirax is not only well-known, but often also well-respected. He has expertise in some specific areas of engineering, such as steam devices.

Steam may seem quaint, but the reality is that many newfangled industrial processes still rely heavily on steam, which is why companies are willing to pay to have the right expertise when needed. This gives specialists like Spirax pricing power.

The company, as one of the few listed on the FTSE 100 index, has been increasing its dividend per share every year for several decades (in this case, over half a century).

But while I like the business, I don’t like the current share price of 31 times earnings. So Spirax is on the list of stocks I would like to buy, but only if the price seems attractive enough to me.