INVESTING IN THE STOCK MARKET

July 30th 2012 at 7:52pm Published by firstdownadmin

Many business owners like the idea of investing profits and diversifying their revenue portfolio. Investing in the stock market can be a good idea for your future. Consider the following before starting your investment venture.

1. Decide how you want to invest in stocks

You may choose between Do-It-Yourself account or choose an investment firm to manage your portfolio.

2. Open an investing account

Generally speaking, to invest in stocks, you need an investment account. For the hands-on types, this usually means a brokerage account. For those who would like a little help, opening an account through a robo-advisor is a sensible option.

3. Know the difference between stocks and stock mutual funds

Stock investing doesn’t have to be complicated. For most people, stock market investing means choosing among these two investment types:

• Stock mutual funds or exchange-traded funds. These mutual funds let you purchase small pieces of many different stocks in a single transaction. Index funds and ETFs are a kind of mutual fund that track an index; for example, a Standard & Poor’s 500 fund replicates that index by buying the stock of the companies in it. When you invest in a fund, you also own small pieces of each of those companies. 
• Individual stocks. If you’re after a specific company, you can buy a single share or a few shares as a way to dip your toe into the stock-trading waters. Building a diversified portfolio out of many individual stocks is possible, but it takes a significant investment.

4. Set a budget for your stock investment

New investors often have two questions in this step of the process:

1. How much money do I need to start investing in stocks? The amount of money you need to buy an individual stock depends on how expensive the shares are.
2. How much money should I invest in stocks? If you’re investing through funds — have we mentioned this is our preference? — you can allocate a fairly large portion of your portfolio toward stock funds, especially if you have a long time horizon.
3. 5. Start investing

Stock investing is filled with intricate strategies and approaches, yet some of the most successful investors have done little more than stick with the basics. That generally means using funds for the bulk of your portfolio — Warren Buffett has famously said a low-cost S&P 500 index fund is the best investment most Americans can make — and choosing individual stocks only if you believe in the company’s potential for long-term growth.

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