There's more to buying & selling stcok, how about "clearing the trade"? How does is the seller get paid when you buy their stock and how does the seller deliver the stock to the buyer??
Companies that list their stock on exchanges do not want to deal with the "little guy" (who knows very little about markets), they do not want to get involved with the trading AND clearing of the stock, this is why there are brokerage firms and exchanges.
Since you want to give "the market a go" you will have to play by the rules of the markers. You way and your line of thought does not and can not work.
If you want to try to learn how trading/investing works, why not paper trade. You can use some of these sites
http://www.tradingsimulation.com/
http://simulator.investopedia.com/
www.marketwatch.com/game/
http://www.moneyworks4me.com/
At least this way you can not loose any money and maybe you can learn something
Brokers don't generally give advice anymore on which stock to buy. They are more of a secretary that executes trades. You're thinking of a market analyst or strategist or adviser. Going through a broker is the simplest, most efficient and effective method of trading. It is also the only way to get the resources you need to be successful at investing/trading. Sure, you can get the same resources at a thousand different websites and books, but not very effective use of your time and resources or efficient. Everyone uses a broker. It's part of the cost of doing business and combining what you need to do business and make money. It combines all the lawyers and contracts and safeguards with ability.
In order to trade an NYSE stock, someone has to have a seat on that exchange, which is over three million dollars. This is the function of a brokerage firm; the go-between for the exchange and the public. Then there are the other exchanges, like the Nasdaq, which is completely digital now, but still have their own memberships and clearing firms.
It is possible to buy stock directly from many companies nowadays, but you will not save any money and the hassle isn't worth it unless you are going to hold the stock forever. Neither will you have access to the brokerage firms many resources, including research and scanning capability, charting, money management techniques, risk management techniques such as stops on your positions, and thousands of indicators that help value entries and exits and targets and positions. If you can't afford the $10 broker's commission, you aren't ready to trade.
If you simply want to "to learn how it operates," and try it real time (or 10 min delayed, whatever, doesn't matter), then develop a trade plan and test it on a simulator before risking a dime. No need to give your money away to ignorance and inexperience. If you don't make simulator money, revise the plan. Or download a trading platform free trial from any major broker and they will also have a simulator and access to help forums and research and fundamental and technical analysis.
http://simulator.investopedia.com/#axzz1...
The best way to learn is from a book. The best way to test what you've learned is with a simulator (randomly hitting buttons on a simulator accomplishes nothing -- you're trying to become consistent through a written Plan. If it isn't written down, you don't have a Plan). Read a good book or three, like Investing For Dummies, and the Millionaire Next Door, to get a feel for the markets and what’s available.
Stocks Basics: Introduction
http://www.investopedia.com/university/s...
Getting Started In Stocks
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/bas...
Five Minute Investing: How To Evaluate A Trading Strategy
http://www.investopedia.com/university/f...
The Cardinal Sin Of Beginning Investing -- And How To Avoid It
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analys...
Answered a similar question here:
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index...
there is a website online that is called plus 500, I started using it when i first wanted to start getting into investing and what now. Basically the minimum investment for anything there is $500 but you probably looking at around $600-$700 with securities.
It's kinda fun and most of the time you'll only be losing or making small amounts of money, it's very difficult to lose over $100 with $500 investment
It is but it makes more sense to understand what you are doing with the stocks before you start buying and selling them. You need to know why you want to buy the stock and why you think it's going to do well and what makes it different from its competition. You also need to know how their finances are doing and stay updated on the news about the stocks.
I don't suggest buying and selling stocks on your own unless you know what you are doing because you wont learn a lot from it unless you do your research!!
you do need a broker also. i suggest going through schwab because it's cheap! :)
Brokers have access to the stock market (they are members). The public don't (they are not members). To trade stocks efficiently you need to use a broker.
You could deal directly with me as an individual but I only have about a dozen UK stocks so you probably won't want to buy those particular stocks from me. The market (and therefore brokers) have, collectively, access to millions of people like me, each who have , collectively, every different stock in every different size.
P.S. Don't bother to click Zion's link!
Brokers don't generally give advice anymore on which stock to buy
You can play trade which is to say I'll do this on paper but not for real. If you want to do it for real, you'll need a broker. And for small amounts you'll need a discount broker who charges about $7.00 per trade. On 100 shares you'll pay 7 in and 7 out, or 14 total, so you have a built in cost of 14 cents per share. On 10 shares that will cost $1.40...definitely a drawback to small traders.
These guys are advertising. Open an account with an online broker (E-trade, ScottTrade, whichever). If you have less than $100,000 I would stick with no load mutual funds (OAKBX is a good one, but there are many) Once you build up your net worth then you can dabble in individual stocks.
I have recently been reading through money guides and so on and have decided i will give the stock market a go.
I have read that you will need to go through a broker in order to buy/sell shares. Is it possible to somehow buy/sell your own to learn how it works at a cheaper cost.
i was thinking of investing small amounts not to get rich but to learn how it operates and slowly increase my budget.
As i will only be using small amounts to get the hang of it i cannot see the point of using a broker who is basically a middle man for such small amounts and will just tell me where and when to place the money rather then gaining knowledge myself.
in short; Is it possible to buy and sell yourself or having a broker is needed due to the legal ramifications and risks??
