How to be a Smart Investor ?

For starters, to be one you might want to try and keep track of the company's products, management, growth prospects, bottom-line, acquisitions, mergers, buy-backs, government policies, regulations, taxes, world/local economy, international demand/supply, world commodities/stock markets, other asset-classes, seasonal factors, calendar events, geo-political factors, currency & interest rate movements, FII/Mutual fund data, technicals/fundamentals, insider news, sentiments, perceptions et al. Easy isn't it? So, what are the canons of successful investing in stock markets? This is a question which many of us ask when faced with a particular market scenario. Not suprisingly, we come accross different answers each time notwithstanding being bombarded with informations and conjectures as soon as we come alive each morning. Don't you think that that day is not far when they'd have invented a technology that enables exchange of SMSs even while sleeping. Curiously enough, if that be the case, you and I will still rush-in to take the prime-mover advantage in the race for more - or some bloke would be smart enough to sell it to us anyways. When we perpetually keep all doors and windows open to the vagaries of the weather, for sure we will enjoy the breeze but can we weather the ominous storm that will suddenly threatens us from time to time? Given the fact that one needs to be invested in the stock markets or any asset class over time, funnelling vital clues into meaningful decisions is more important than shutting yourselves from the data deluge. Differentiating between a breeze and a storm is as important as clocking a profit or loss situation. Else, find an insurance company to possibly cover against the risk of literally loosing your shirt due to an information overload?