how to invest in stocks?

[lummox]

the thread on investments got me thinking that i don't know shit about how to buy and sell stocks. Seriously, this stuff is confusing to me. how can I invest a few hundred bucks in a couple selected stocks without spending bucks on trade fees? etrade? vanguard?

is it even possible to buy a few shares at a time?

[lummox]

like i suspected: no specifics at all.

[high_on_rock]

Is your question "what stock to buy", "theories of stock investment", or "how does one purchase a share of stock"?

[Bug]

Ameritrade has $7 trades.

I don't know their specifics but most companies do not have minimum trades.

[Hugh Conway]

lummox always seemed the type who would be put in stocks before he'd buy them

[lummox]

"how to purchase?" sums up my query.

from the little i know, a minimum account balance is needed to set up an individual brokerage account, but all i wanted was to get a few hundred bucks of stock as a gift for a money-minded kid i know. so, how to purchase a handful of shares?

[JayB]

If you want to avoid accounts that require a minimum balance to establish the account, you might want to look at companies that offer a direct purchase plan for their stocks (http://www.enrolldirect.com/indexnj.htm)

 

Another alternative is to use an at an outfit like the one below that enables you to invest in stocks in dollar (rather than share) increments with scheduled deductions

 

http://www.sharebuilder.com/

[lummox]

thanks all.