I want to know how to invest in stocks anyone know a sight that can explain it in simple terms?
113622
Try http://www.etrade.com\n\nSimply put: you buy a part of the company looking to profit either in the long (investment) or short term (a short term trade).
942698
If you don't know how to invest, then that's a completely different question.  Start there first if you are new to trading.  (VERY IMPORTANT)\n\nSo, we'll assume you know how to trade and that you're looking to figure how to trade online.\n\nBecause, if you know what you want to invest in, then it's really easy.  Just open a brokerage account, deposit some money, and trade!  \n\nThere are a lot of good brokererages depending on what you like and how you trade.\n\nBarron's Online has a great article on brokerages that they publish each year. (I'll try to find you the link for the March 6,2006 article)\n\nFor basic stuff, E*Trade, Ameritrade, and Scottrade are sufficient. For more complex trades, I'd recommend Optionsxpress, ThinkorSwim, or interactivebrokers. \n\nBased on what you put in your question, I'd recommend one of the first three, but all are very good. Cheapest probably is scottrade (of the larger online firms). Yes there are cheaper like interactivebrokers, but you'll have to get used to their software based platform (which is doable). They're only about $1/contract on options!\n\nBrokerages like Fidelity are horrible for anyone with any decent experience. \n\nSo, decide what's important to you as a trader and compare the brokers! You can use the article, or go to each website as they all seem to have comparison charts! \n\nAnd if there are particular things that you want to mention as being most important to you (such as executions, cust svc, cheapest trade - which you mentioned, flexibility on allowing you to do certain types of trades, stop and stop limit orders, contingent orders, great graphing, what if scenarios, training, etc), I'll be glad to help discuss this with you too!\n\nIf you have any questions, let me know.\n\nHope that helps!
377410
Don't invesst in penny stocks. If you read any investment book, all will tell you to avoid these stocks. They are worthless. Instead of placing money in these, invest in a small cap corporation that has strong growth potential. Anyone can invest in a company, but it's those who research the company and know everything about them that make the money.
364326
Start by learning How to invest, determining WHAT to buy through Fundamental Analysis and determining WHEN to buy through Technical Analysis. \n\nStart with Investors.com, it's William O'Neil's online version of Investors Business Daily.  The How To Invest section is the best place to start learning the importance of Fundamentals and the basics of Technical Analysis.   The site has the IBD 100, a cross index list of the market leaders, the Stock Checkup, a great tool for checking fundamentals on any stock, and articles and analysis of stocks and general market conditions.  They also run various screens every day which in addition to the other lists, (IBD100, New America, stocks under $10, CANSLIM select, ect) are very helpful for finding investment ideas with solid Fundamentals that are ready to move.  The CANSLIM method alone is a very successful and popular trading system, but I prefer to use a combination of Fund & Tech Analysis, rather that just the rating system alone. \n\nFrom there you can move on to more detailed study of Technical Analysis. \n\nStart with StockCharts.com, they have an excellent free Chart School which helpfully explains various chart patterns and Technical Indicators and overlays.  Pay particular attention to the Chart Patterns section, and make sure you learn about Zig Zag patterns, Bollinger Bands, Moving Average, Volume, RSI, the MACD (Mac-D), The Williams %er, Stochastics, and the Chaikin Money Flow.  Sounds complicated, but when you start chart reading you'll want about a half a dozen or so of these overlays and indicators.  I personally rely heavily on the ZIG-ZAG, MACD, Chaikin Money Flow, Volume, Moving Average and RSI. \n\nStockTA.com is also an excellent Technical Analysis site, with charted Fibonacci resistance and support lines and will tell you if the stock is bullish or bearish in the short, medium and long run.  The site also has an extensive Candle Pattern Glossary and a fantastic technical screener. \n\nThe above sites do have premium services, but all the services I mentioned are free.  After you've absorbed some of the Technical information, do some reading on Fibonacci numbers and Elliot Wave theory, there are good links in the "School" section of StockTA.com.  I've been using Elliot Wave and Fibonacci's to help refine my in and out points.  StockCharts.com's "ZigZag" overlay helps me plot and count the waves and that helps determine where I am in the overall pattern. \n\nThe way I personally work is, I'll find interesting stocks through the screens on Investors.com or StockTA.com, run them through the Stock Checkup at Investors.com, if they measure up I'll run them through the Analyisis & Fib Analysis at StockTA.com and do an extensive chart study, examining the 2 yr, 1 yr, 6 mth, 3 mth, 1 mth & 5 day.  I'll also do my due dilligence, studying the profile, key statistics, headlines, etc. through Yahoo Finance and web searches.  If it all measures up and the stock is in a base or in a pull back and it's starting a wave 1 or wave 3, it's time to buy. \n\nRemember, always protect your downside with a stop loss or a trailing stop loss.  Once you have absorbed a few of the things I've mentioned, the fog will begin to lift and you'll start seeing which stocks should be bought or sold and you'll be able to do your own analysis on any stock. \n\nIf it's all too daunting or confusing, stick with it, it takes time to absorb.  Start by paper trading.  Yahoo Finance lets you track portfolios for free, try picking a couple stocks and see how they do.  Be realistic with your buy and sell prices if you paper trade, seeing for example if you can actually get in at the price you want during intraday trading.  If Mutual Funds are more to your liking, the same principles mentioned above can be applied to those as well.\n\nGood luck, hope it helps.
1026567
First you should know what your options for investing are. \n\nIf you don't have a good deal of money (in the thousands), you shouldn't invest in stocks because you won't be able to diversify your holdings enough - you need a well balanced portfolio that fits your goals and spreads out risk.\n\nUsually mutual funds are the most convenient and practical way for most people to invest in the stock market, with fund minimums starting around $1000 for funds like Vanguard STAR (VGSTX, a fund for beginning investors), and most of them being around $3,000 (and certainly going past that).\n\nAnother option is exchange-traded funds. They are baskets of stocks that are traded like stocks, and have lower expense ratios (the percentage that the fund company takes from your total return every year, usually under 1%) than mutual funds. ETFs don't have minimums.\n\nHere's the "Learn" section of a very reputable securities analysis company called Morningstar - they make lots of books about investing which you might want to check out as well.\n\nhttp://www.morningstar.com/Cover/Workshop.html?pgid=hetablearn\n\nIf you take a lot of tests there (and do well on them), you can actually send for a free book. Of course, you'll be on their mailing list after that.\n\nhttp://www.investopedia.com is also another great website for reading about all the different options available to you.\n\nAs for the brokers that you will have to buy your investments through (unless you buy it straight from a fund company like Vanguard, T. Rowe Price, or Fidelity), you have quite a few choices. The more affordable, while still easy-to-use brokers are Scottrade and TradeKing, while E-Trade and TDAmeritrade are very well-established and user-friendly but more costly brokers.\n\nHope I helped.
78898
Stock is ownership in a company. You buy shares of a company. Let's say Company A is worth $30.00 per share. You can buy however many shares at that price. Each day, the value of that share fluctuates (goes up or down).\n\nIdeally, you want to buy the shares at a low (cheap) and sell at a high (expensive).\n\nYou can earn the most money by investing in stocks, compared to bonds and money markets. (You can also lose a lot, so be careful.)
324804
I hear that buying Royalty Dividends is hot.  Know what it is?  If not, its stock in fuel.  Not alot of investors mess with it but there is a big market for it on the net.  Just set up e*trade account and go!  You get a check monthly or option to convert back to stock options.  That's what I'm hearing!
897124
If you want to invest in the stock market I would suggest first seeing what the best traders are buying and selling.  Check out http://www.top10traders.com - this is a free site that lets you create a portfolio of stocks with $100,000 in "play" money.  Each day the site ranks the best performing portfolios, so you can see how your picks perform compared to other investors.  You can also read posts on investing from the best traders, as well as share your own investing ideas.\n\nHere are this month's best traders:\n\nhttp://www.top10traders.com/Top10Standings.aspx \n\nMy stock recommendation would be PWI, a stock I own personally.  This is a Canadian Royalty Trust that pays a great dividend.  The stock has sold off recently, so I think the price is good.\n\nGood luck!
407887
I would recommend checking out the website www.investopedia.com  You can learn some things about the stock merket and also use play money with it's stock market simulator.\n\nHave fun
886195
I use Scottrade.com, but you might want to also consider Sharebuilder.com.  \n\nIf you are looking for investment ideas, the first thing you should do is see what the best traders are buying and selling.  This is the idea behind http://www.top10traders.com - this is a free site that lets you create a portfolio of stocks with $100,000 in "play" money.  Each day the site ranks the best performing portfolios, so you can see how your picks perform compared to other investors.  You can also read posts on investing from the best traders, as well as share your own investing ideas.\n\nHere are this month's best traders:\n\nhttp://www.top10traders.com/Top10Standings.aspx \n\nGood luck!
69628
Stocks represent ownership in a corporation.  When a company goes public, they sell shares to the general public thru an underwriter who sells the shares to large clients.  Once these large clients have the stocks any individual can buy or sell these stocks in the open market -- once you have access to the market.\n\nTo get access to the market you need to open up a brokerage account with an investment company.  If you have never bought or sold stocks before I highly recommend that you get your feet wet with mutual funds first -- reading the prospectuses could provide you with some information about what THEY look for when purchasing stocks and bonds.\n\nThe stock market is the bets place to have your money for the long term, but you really should leave it to the experts -- funds are a great way to diversify, particularly with limited funds.
422619
As far as I know, you can only buy stocks from a broker.  If you're a beginner investor and want to invest in stocks while lessening your risk, start out by investing in stock mutual funds.  Some of those you can buy direct from the mutual fund company.  Fidelity has a large array of funds you can choose from.
1007680
Here's a start - log on to Yahoo Finance.  Start reading the articles.\n\nIf you don't know much, just take a look at the closing prices of the S&P 500 every day, which is an "index" that covers most of the market.  That helps you get a feel for what "up and down" means.\n\nDon't spend money on research - learn how to understand company information.  The site below is great!  Avoid technical trading (buying or selling based on price movements, not company information) - it's simply not good for the beginning investor, and the folks in my office think it's crap, and I work for economists.\n\nBest to buy and hold a stock for at least 3-6 months.  A year or more saves on taxes!
72786
Hi there,\n\nHere are a few sites that offer online training for trading and selling stocks:\n\nhttp://www.geocities.com/learn2trade2000/\nhttp://www.pressbox.co.uk/detailed/Financial/Online_Trading_Course_......_Learn_to_Trade_Stocks_Going_Up_29986.html\nhttp://www.daytradeteam.com/dtt/
23258
1) Read everything you can get your hands on about investing.  I would start with "How To Make Money In Stocks" by William O'Neil.  Yahoo Finance has a very good "education" section also. \n\n2) Never ever purchase a stock based on what you read here on or a message board.  Everybody on a message board has an agenda.
287549
Only one way to make your money go farther:  BORROW.\n\nOptions:  These are contracts that you buy which, if they meet a certain criteria, allow you to purchase shares at a set price at a set time.  For instance, a contract to buy 100 google shares at $225 on April 1st.  YOu might pay $70 for this contract (at least).\n\nOn April 1st, you have to buy the google shares.  If they are worth more than the $70 price in your contract, you gain 100 shares times the difference.  BUT>...  if they are worth less, you have lost the difference.\n\nI recommend you check out www.motleyfool.com or other investing sites.  When in doubt, check with a professional.\n\nAlso, online stock challenges are a good way to hone your skills and strategies without risk.  JUst write "stock challenge" into any search engine.  GOOD LUCK!
484335
Instead of trying to get something for nothing, which will only get you opinions and not facts or knowledge, start looking at "how" to invest, rather than "what" to invest in. \n\nInstead of looking at assest classes and divestiture and mutual funds vs Google, find out first the condition of the market, its position, and its trend. All boats rise and fall on the tide, unless you're clairvoyand and can pick the one or two that doesn't. No future in swimming against the tide.\n\nYou have to consider that the Dow is again approaching that all-time historical high set in Jan 2000 at 11,721. Looks like a Double Top to me, but some people say we could double that again. Logically, this is one of the scariest markets I've ever seen in two decades of watching it; just try to find something that is stable, anything. Doesn't exist, does it. Anything could send this market over the edge to the great void. But hey, it might double too, who knows.\n\nThis is simply not a good entry point for investors. Be patient, wait a few months, and you'll be able to buy much more stock a lot cheaper, the risks will be lower (even though they will seem higher), and your chance of success greater.\n\nFor most people, the name of the game is capital preservation. You don't invest when the market gets too risky or too frothy or is nearing a market top or an old market top, or when the market is overpriced, or unstable, and all of these things are true today. There really is a time when cash is King. That 1.5% CD is going to look pretty good when everyone else is cryin' in their beer about losses. Or the market could just go sideways to work off the excesses, but either way, you're safe if you're out. Wanna throw the dice, go to Vegas.\n\nIf you wish to research the “Buy and Hold Strategy” further, or perhaps trade yourself, I recommend two book titles. One is called "Which Is Better, Buy-and-Hold or Market Timing?" The other is "Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Market Timer?" They will give you plenty to think about.