I want to get into Buying and Sharing Stocks - help?

[Zorara]

I eventually want to get some money to go towards a house.

I work full time but looking on how to earn more in my spare time.

One option in the current climate is Stocks.

Anybody got any tips on how to get started?

[Neo1337]

Interesting topic. I'll be following this closely, as this is something I actually wanted to get into myself!

[cornishwall]

Disclaimer: This is all amateur advice, there are forums out there that have people far more experienced than me. Also, my knowledge is limited to the NYSE

I don't have many stock investments, nor have I had them very long, but my 2 cents (maybe really worth 1 cent) is that the S&P 500 is always a good investment in the long term. How long you keep your stocks is up to you, but my understanding is a minimum of 5 years is the standard for recommending stock investments.

If you're looking for individual companies that will grow at or above inflation for the next several years, something like Colgate-Palmolive, Proctor&Gamble, or Nestle are pretty safe bets since their brands are household staples throughout most of the USA.

If you're looking for meteoric rises in the next five years, no one is going to be able to tell you the next Amazon or Apple with absolute certainty.

Personally, I'm expecting a crash in the next five years and am holding off investing my spare cash until then while keeping said cash in a high return, no penalty savings account that averages around the inflation rate for the last five years. S&P would probably be a better return, but I'm still new and nervous about how many companies in it have market caps multiple times what their annual revenues are.

[Sarada]

I haven't gotten my feet wet with stocks yet but most of my friends who have use robinhood as there are no commission fees for buying and selling stocks, but something important to know is that if you ever plan to buy cryptocurrency through robinhood those infant do have commission fees. I hear its a fairly common misunderstanding on that platform.

[bank_man]

Disclaimer: This is all amateur advice, there are forums out there that have people far more experienced than me. Also, my knowledge is limited to the NYSE

I don't have many stock investments, nor have I had them very long, but my 2 cents (maybe really worth 1 cent) is that the S&P 500 is always a good investment in the long term. How long you keep your stocks is up to you, but my understanding is a minimum of 5 years is the standard for recommending stock investments.

If you're looking for individual companies that will grow at or above inflation for the next several years, something like Colgate-Palmolive, Proctor&Gamble, or Nestle are pretty safe bets since their brands are household staples throughout most of the USA.

If you're looking for meteoric rises in the next five years, no one is going to be able to tell you the next Amazon or Apple with absolute certainty.

Personally, I'm expecting a crash in the next five years and am holding off investing my spare cash until then while keeping said cash in a high return, no penalty savings account that averages around the inflation rate for the last five years. S&P would probably be a better return, but I'm still new and nervous about how many companies in it have market caps multiple times what their annual revenues are.

Just want to aggressively +1 the first part of this. Buying and selling individual stocks is exclusively for people who have money to play with. It's a gamble, not an investment. Even most hedge fund managers can't beat out the S&P500.

I would personally advise against timing the market, though. People who bought stock prior to 2008 and held are still better off than people who held cash prior to 2008. You don't know when the market will bottom out; it's best to just dollar cost average money if you have a substantial sum and no impending large purchases (e.g. grad school, a house) that you need to secure that cash for.

[♥ PrettySarcastic ♥]

This is not at all a beginner topic, but it's my first real in depth experience with stocks.

This guy explains the situation currently going on the past few days (well longer than that really, but very newsworthy the past two days) with Gamestop stock, which teaches you a great deal about short selling (don't do it).

It's really informative, so I thought that you all might like it!



Here's a bit more info explaining the explanation, too.

(you need an account to see links)

[♥ PrettySarcastic ♥]

(you need an account to see links)

Coincidentally I bought in just today. It turns out institutions doubled down on shorts as the older shorts that closed got replaced by new ones and now the short squeeze continues. Even though I bought midday I still saw my shares increase by nearly 80% today

I would never suggest doing what I did today to anybody else though. This is definitely gambling

Ah! You brave soul.

I bought um. Like half of a share. Just because that's about my disposable income, as like you said, it's 100% gambling.

But the fact that Emerald Mine Elon Musk is tweeting about it now gives me hope I'll make my pennies back. Hope you get a nice return!

[Zapdos]

Watching the GME saga unfold on Reddit has made me even more interested in learning about stocks, but working full time I'm not sure where or when I'll get the chance to do research Are there any easy-to-digest ways to get started?

[Donatella Versace]

I have started investing using the Robin Hood app it gives you a free share when you first sign up of a random company. It has like a card as well, similar to cash app - debit card.

I also just recently got "Investing for Dummies" I believe it's the second edition. Wish me luck!

[Zorara]

I wish I got into the GME bandwagon which is why im looking at investing in stocks!