How does one start investing in stocks, such as Apple/Google?
A web user asks, I am only 19 and would like to start investing in some stocks. I don’t know how to do this. But I am not much of a gambler, so I would like to invest under 200. I saw I could buy Apple stock for 119, but I don’t trust the website. Any suggestions or comments???
Can you help them out? Post your advice!
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You should read and watch a few stocks for a few years, then invest once you have the funds to loose…
Open a brokerage account at TradeKing.
You’re going to want to either go to a brokerage or get a DRIP(Dividend reinvestment plan) or a DIP(Direct Investment plan). Being new to the market, it would be a good idea to go with a brokerage, but with DRIPs or DIPs it can be much cheaper.
Buy ‘One up on Wall St.’ by Peter Lynch and educate yourself first. Buying one share of stock isn’t gonna get you anything. You might as well save it in a bank account.
I think that you may have to be 21. Aside from that question, read, read, read. Take a course in securities or security analysis, and economics. Read about Buffet’s theories, and Otto Graham, etc. Read the business pages. Or find a conservative broker you can trust to direct you to some mutual funds.
Yes, Peter Lynch is very good.
Investing in “individual” stocks takes a lot of knowledge and practice; so I would not suggest doing this until you understand completely how the stock markets work.
Unless you have at least $3,000 dollars to invest the stock market probably is not worth the effort.
The websites below all contain plenty of FREE information to get you started in the right direction.
BEWARE – the stock market is not as easy as it may appear. You have to know what you are doing or you might as well throw your money in the garbage can.
If you are going to be purchasing individual stocks, but don’t know anything about them, then you will need to read an introductory book on stocks … unless you like losing money. There are 3 books I recommend if you are interested in learning about stocks:
1) The Five Successful Rules of Stock Investing, by Pat Dorsey. Highly recommended. This book is an introduction to “fundamental analysis”.
2) All About Stocks, by Esma Faerber. Another quality book.
3) A Random Walk Down Wall Street, by Burton Malkiel. This book will change your whole view on stock investing. Warning: once you read Professor Malkiel’s book, you may never want to invest in individual stocks again. After reading his book (and many others) I am convinced that buying individual stocks is an absolute waste of time. Hence, I only purchase index mutual funds. So, if you are interested in individual stocks, then don’t read the evidence he presents in his book. Just remain blissfully ignorant and buy your stocks.
to start buying share is as easy as opening an online trading account or register with a broker. and $200 is not enough. put cash aside, what you need now is the knowledge on how to pick a good stock, how to calculate its intrinsic value as well as its margin safety; more or less Warren Buffet’s secret to his successful stock investing records.