daydreamgirl asked:


I would like to invest some money into the stock market. I dont want to buy stock, just invest in it, kind of like you do with retirement/ 401 k but not. I just want to invest some money into a stock and see what happens basically, hoping for the best of course. Anyone have any ideas or information? This is serious so serious answers only. Thank you.

JACK

5 Responses to “How do you get started to invest online into the stock market?”

1. Liberal Asskicker on November 23rd, 2009 5:38 pm

   Ameritrade
   Sott Trade
   E-trade

   All of them offer accounts that you can start on your own with no broker assistance. All you have to do is transfer money in and start buying.

   You can’t do a 401K without an employer plan, but you can do IRA accounts if they’re offered. I know Ameritrade will do it.

2. Christiaan on November 24th, 2009 5:14 pm

   You say that you don’t want to “buy” stock, you just want to invest in it? What do you see as the difference? Basically it sounds as if you just want to buy small amounts and watch them, but one word of warning, if you’re just buying a little at a time, the transaction fees will kill you. You’re best bet is to get into some type of ETF(exchange traded fund), also known as SPDRs, that act like passive mutual funds, they track specific indices that you pick(consumer discretionary, gold, oil, just about segment you could imagine). The great thing is you only pay one transaction fee and get solid diversification, and the maintenance fees are usually less than half what you would pay going through a mutual fund. Once you have your funds picked out, invest all at once, this way you only pay a few transaction fees, which will add up to dividends in the future. Also a good option is called a DRIP(dividend reinvestment plan) which automatically uses your dividends(money you get for free from owning your stocks) to rebuy fractional shares of what you already invest in, but with no transaction fees.

   Hope this helps, and happy trading!

3. sam on November 26th, 2009 2:28 am

   ok to get a crash course and to have some fun go to wallstreetsurviror.com it is just a simulation but you can really get the feel of how it works and they use real stock market numbers to date. good way to get the feel with out loosing money!

4. StockMarket on November 28th, 2009 7:00 pm

   Based on your question, you appear to be a beginner to investing. I’m saying this because “investing in a stock” and “buying a stock” are the same, for all practical purposes. There is no need to feel embarrassed, since everyone takes time to understand the stock market.

   Since you wish to be a serious investor, you should definitely educate yourself first, before starting to invest, otherwise you would get caught in a stock market crash and lose all your money, before you know it. Not trying to scare you, but that’s the hard truth.

   There are tons of free material available on the internet - some by real experts, and some by self-proclaimed experts. Notwithstanding the fact that it’s sometimes difficult to discern the grain from the chaff, I say the free material is only worth what you pay for. The best education that I received on the stock market was from, you guessed it, books. There is really no easy way out when it comes to learning about the stock market. In reality, it’s no different from the education that you received as part of your degree. You relied on good books for that, and the same is the case for the stock market.

   But, what books to read? If you are like me, you have a full-time job that takes up most of your waking hours, hence you need to spend your spare time wisely. Also, you need to be very careful in selecting the right authors, because wrong advice can do you more harm than good.

   As Charles Caleb Colton said, “Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen.”

   Here’s the shortlist of books that I found very useful

   1. The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing, by Jason Kelly
   This is a must-read if you are beginner to the stock market. Kelly explains all the stock market terminology in very lucid terms. He draws parallels between the stock market and real life examples.

   2. A Random Walk Down Wall Street, by Burton G. Malkiel
   Malkiel explains the inner-workings of the stock market, that will help you avoid falling into “intuition traps”. Malkiel illustrates the many bubbles that occurred in the past - the Tulip-mania being a classic example. His detailed insights into stock market bubbles and how to predict, detect and avoid them, is simply priceless.

   3. Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World, by James J. Cramer
   Jim Cramer is the ebullient host of the popular TV show Mad Money. Irrespective of what transpires in the show, Cramer’s book deserves to be in your bookshelf. His advice on how to scale into a position, when to sell a profitable stock, how to speculate prudently, his caution about buying stocks on margin, and his emphasis on diversification are just some of the ideas that I have greatly benefited from. The chapter on “Spotting Tops” helped me get a wind of the stock market crash. Credit goes to Cramer for having written it in a very simple yet interesting manner - once you start reading the book, you wouldn’t feel like putting it down until you hit the Index Pages.

5. Shane on December 1st, 2009 8:44 am

   You can register yourself and start earning unlimited from the Online Stock & Share market ….

   Regards,