How do I start investing in stock?

I mean, where do you actually purchase the stock? I don't want to hire a stock broker. I'm still in college, and I don't have much money, but I'm going to do research and begin investing in stocks

Public Comments

1. open an account with charles schwab, scottrade, etrade, tdameritrade etc. buy stocks on the internet, and pay a commission fee for each trade you make. easy as learning the abcs

2. Trading, eg picking a stock broker like Schwab or OptionsXpress (what I use) is the easy part...investing takes time and energy and discipline....before you buy one stock, I suggest you read the following:
1) "Buffetology" - An easy read but points you in the right direction and philosophy of investing..note, some of the companies mentioned in the back of the book have gone bankrupt...so, no one is perfect.
2) "Snowball" - The book about Warren Buffet's life....after reading the book, you will realize how much focus you will need to make a good investment....and, you will realize even a person like Warren Buffet makes mistakes, so you have to be even more careful.
3) "The Long Emergency" - This isn't about investing, but it talks about the end of Oil as a fuel source over the next 20-40 years...it will give you an idea of where you should invest....
4) Read/Watch/Listen to good,solid news sources like Bloomberg TV...not everyone that goes on there is solid, but they have many more credible and knowledgeable people then any other network..and, they don't BS with the facts...
5) Remember rule #1 - Don't lose any money...Rule #2 - See rule number 1.

3. The stock exchange or stock market does not sell directly to retailers. In order to buy stocks, a person is required to open a trading account with a stock broking house. Depending on which country you are from, some exchanges may allow a person to trade directly but this is usually a full time job.

With regard to a broking house, a person who wants to buy stocks can buy via online or call the stock broker to execute the trade. Either way, a commission has to be paid whenever a trade is executed. Most cases, online trading commission is lower than the commission paid to the stock broker.

4. forget stocks, that is when you have time.

stocks is a long run, not for making quick money ( but it happens sometimes). Gold is better or invest in trees

5. try forex bot

6. If you're a rookie in investing or stocks, go to

www.finance.yahoo.com.

Open up a portfolio without using real money. You can give yourself as much or as little money to try out the market. The stocks you want to focus on is consumer staples, consumer discretionary, and healthcare. These are DEFENSIVE stocks that will survive through good and bad times. Most of my positions are in these stocks. Some names include 3M, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly Clark, Exxon Mobil, Walmart, Costco. Everybody's got to eat and wipe their butts regardless of the state of economy. Many of these companies survived through the Great Depression.

That's the benefits. You can sleep at night knowing your money is doing well. There are NO guarantees that you won't lose money. It's just that these stocks are the best. They pay good dividends too.

Then once you're comfortable and test the waters of the market, you can finally put some real money in. Go to Scottrade.com. They're excellent for beginners.

If you're new to stocks, DON'T DAY TRADE. You'll a rookie in a world of professionals. I tried day-trading with Citigroup and AIG when they were a little bit over $1. I had some luck at first, making about $30 a day but I was way over my head. My luck didn't last long and I had to rethink my strategy.

Day trading involves A LOT of commissions to the broker. With all the commissions deducted from each trade, you'll be lucky if you only lose half your money.

I would just day trade using Yahoo! Finance. Open a stimulation account, give yourself $100 worth of fake money and play it in the stimulation format. You'll see what I mean by losing money every easily.

Good luck.

7. Stock has to be purchased through a broker. As the investor, you have the right to decide which stocks you would like to invest in but the stockbroker has to make the trades on your behalf.

There are two kinds of stockbrokers: discount and full-service. Discount brokers charge low commission but you are completely on your own in terms of research and stock selection. Discount brokers do not offer any investment advice. Full-service brokers, however, offer investment advice but are significantly more expensive. Full-service brokers are recommended if the value of your investment is very large and/or you are not planning on making trades frequently. If neither applies to you, it might be more economical to choose a discount broker.

I would like to caution you that being a college student, money is a useful asset. The stock market can be very risky and could result in significant loss of money. This is something for you to consider when selecting stocks.