stock market?

This probably sounds really dumb, but I want to invest in the stock market...in different companies like apple or facebook, etc. I'm still in school and want to start investing some of my money. Does anyone know how to use Nasdaq or Dow or w/e else there is??

Public Comments

1. It's not dumb, it's a great idea. The younger you start, the more money you'll be able to earn. You pretty much need a checking account of your own. If you have one, you can go to one of a number of online brokers (TradeKing.com, Scottrade.com, etc.) and set up a brokerage account. There's alot of information on the sites themselves, but if you're just starting out, you'll have a few terms and principals to learn. Once your account is set up, you can start buying stocks and mutual funds. If you have a gut feeling about a stock, find out as much about the company as you can, then make your decision. It not very hard to buy stocks at all....a few clicks of the mouse and you're there. Picking good ones to buy.....that's the tricky part.

2. Go to a bank that has financial advisors. They can help small investors as well as large ones. It is never too early to start investing for the future. There are many plans for the small investor including systematic plans where you put in a small amount each pay period. In my experience none of these financial advisors charge unless you buy a product through them(stocks, bonds, mutuals, etc.).

3. You would need to open a brokerage account. Try T Rowe price. Open a Roth so that the money can grow tax free. Great to get started early. It will really pay off.
Do your research on the financials and don't just ride the current fads that are hot.
Some things like facebook etc may not last.

4. Lets say you have 2000.00 dollars and the stock you want to buy is 25.00, that means you can buy about 79 shares including commission.
Now how much is that 25.00 stock going to increase for you to see a reasonable gain so you can sell and make money and it be worth while.
Just because you have a decent company doesnt necessarily mean you are going to make a decent amount of money off the trade. Stocks go up and down in price daily and sometimes even on rumors and not necessarily hard news.

5. Open a brokerage account at Zecco and buy AAPL and MSFT.

Facebook is still a private company and Microsoft holds a 1.6% stake.