Right so from my understanding, and from listening to the people on the forum here, you need to read into the coin you want to buy etc.. However so many altcoins just had a pump yesterday, is it even the right time to buy now? And how do you choose an altcoin you want to read in to and possibly buy?
Do you scan coinmarketcap.com? If so, what do you look for?
At first, you have to decide for yourself which funds are you ready to lose, how active are you planning to buy/sell coins (is it trading or long-term investment) and how ready you are to risk. After the budget is set, you first sell your fiat (if it was in fiat initially) and buy bitcoin. Then if you plan to go for a long-term investment and are not willing to take risks - just leave the money in btc and wait for some months. If you are a bit more risky - invest in top coins on marketcap (read some thoughts of others on them before). Finally, if you're really risky and eager to get big profit - find a nice ICO for yourself and invest in it.