Where To Buy Stocks?
The days of the expensive stock broker are long behind us as new and less expensive ways to invest have become prevalent. If you don't have big bucks to invest, then you are probably going to overspend if you go to a traditional brokerage firm, since most of them charge a lot of transaction fees on both ends of the sale. Here is a list of some of the best places to buy stocks and other investments for cheap and save yourself money in the process.
E*TRADE is a great place to invest because you can usually earn money on your buying fund as well as get up to 25 free trades when you sign up. This means that you can buy a lot of stock without having to worry about the upfront cost affecting your fund. You can take advantage of this to play around a bit and see what strategy works best for you without having to buy a ton of stock in the beginning. Once you've picked a few stocks, then you can buy them by the bulk and actually get your money's worth. E-Trade also lets you invest in international markets, which is something that is hard to find.
Sharebuilder is a fantastic way to slowly build up a stock portfolio over time. This product, by ING, allows you to make monthly payments towards whole or partial stocks. Let's say you want to buy shares of Google, but can't afford to buy it at $500 per share. Well you can set Sharebuilder up to deduct from your account or paycheck twice a month and invest in Google in any increment you choose. If you only have 20 bucks a month, you can let Sharebuilder invest it for you as partial share and once you have a full share you can keep going or change to another stock. This is a great way to get started.
Check with your bank to see if they have any options for stock investing. I know that my bank offers me 12 free trades for signing up for a stock account, and your bank might have a similar option. It is much easier to manage your stock portfolio from the same website that contains all the rest of your accounts. This way you can track all of your money and investments from the same page without having to go all over the place to catch up. Try this out and see if it works for you.
Investing in stocks and other paper investments doesn't have to be expensive thanks to the technology of the internet and internet brokerage firms. Many companies charge as little as $4 per trade and up to around $10-12 per trade, which is much cheaper than the cost at a regular old-fashioned firm. Check around and see which option works best for you and get started buying stocks online. The prices will never be cheaper and you can take advantage of free trades to get your feet wet.