i want to invest in stocks, how shall i do it?

Question

I want to know the mechanics of investing in stocks.

Answer 1

First of all, unless you have a lot of money, typically you're not going to get advice from a financial adviser(they get paid the big ones). Before you begin investing you need to saturate your brain with key terms and types of investment products out there. A good website that has a lot of beginner's tools is Fool.com
Run by the Gardner brother's their website has free articles to get you a good idea of different investments and methods for investing

Answer 2

Congratulations on getting started. It’ll help you more than you know!

Your first dollars should be spent on getting educated on investing. You don't have to train to trade them professionally, but we are talking about your future here. So the more you learn, the more it'll help you! So let's start there.

You ask a very broad question, so be prepared for a pretty long answer. Just take it in chunks!


How to invest depends on what you already know. We'll assume that you're beginning!

A good primer is How to Make Money in Stocks by William O'Neil. You can get it cheap just about anywhere. It’s widely available new or used.

Another good one is one of Jim Cramer's books (he’s got a few).

But books will only get you so far. At some point, you'll also want to get at least a little training. There are some great education companies if you want to make the investment. Investools.com or optionetics.com are both very good companies as is tmitchell.com

For free, you can start by visiting thestreet.com and investopedia.com. That'll get you a pretty good primer so at least you'll understand what the markets are and what a stock is, etc.

If you get a chance, watch Mad Money on CNBC. Don't trade any of his picks until you track many of them over time. Just use the show to get you to understand some basics and get a feel for the market itself.

Next, subscribe to something like Investorsbusiness daily or something like that that can help you identify good stocks.

Once you understand stocks, go to 888options.com. It's a website that'll help you understand options (what they do, how they work, etc). You don't need to trade them, but the more you know, the more you'll see how options can really be the safest way to invest (once you're educated).

For discipline (which is crucial to successful trading), probably Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas or Mastering the Trade by John Carter

I know that’s a LOT to absorb. Just take it one step at a time for now. Start with a book or two to give you an idea of where to begin. Take your time, and let it seep in.

As you get up to speed, you should papertrade to practice (highly recommended). This should help reduce your losses in the beginning as you get used to buying/selling.

You can practice for free on almost any reputable broker site (optionsxpress, scottrade, thinkorswim, etc).

Start slow, then as you figure things out, you can buy more shares.

Congrats again on getting started. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I agree with Muncie Birder. You need to educate yourself before you start thinking about investing. As for practicing your investing skills, I would suggest http://www.top10traders.com The site lists out which investors are doing the best, what stocks they have bought, which stock is most popular, how many member investor hold certain stocks and etc. This is a totally FREE site. You can create your own portfolio of stocks with $100,000 in 'play' money, and then watch how your stocks compare against other traders. Good Luck!

Answer 4

First thing is to get some education on investing. Go to your library or book store and begin by reading "investing for dummies" and "mutual funds for dummies" Those will give you a basic foundation upon which you can then begin your investing career. After you read those books, come on back and ask any specific questions you might have.

Answer 5

The best advice is to learn from one of the greats, Jim Cramer. You can search for his book on Barnes and Noble, "Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World by James J. Cramer."

You can also find him on the radio (depending on what area you live in) and on CNBC everyday. Just type "Jim Cramer" in a search engine for his website. His returns are very impressive and the way he approaches stocks is very logical.

REMEMBER: Never pay for stock information! You can find just as valuable information for free on the internet! Don't be fooled by people trying to sell you information that you can find yourself.

If you are looking to use an online broker I recommend Scottrade.com. They are very easy to use and currently cost $7 to trade, which is quite low.

Hope this helps and good luck,

lemonpiesaregood

Answer 6

Speak to a investment broker at a bank

Answer 7

read the Motley Fools

guide to investing.

Answer 8

Talk to a Finicial Advisor or someone who is involved in stocks for their self.