The first thing to do is to open a brokerage account. This enables you to buy and sell stocks. You can open an account with any of the major brokerages, such as Charles Schwab, E-Trade, or TD Ameritrade.

If you are trading stocks for the first time, it is best to start small. You can start by investing in mutual funds instead of individual stocks. Mutual funds are a type of investment that pools your money with other investors and buys different types of securities, such as stocks or bonds. This diversifies your portfolio and reduces your risk because if one investment declines in value, others may be doing well at the same time.

Investing in mutual funds also provides instant diversification because many investments are typically included in each fund (i.e., one fund might invest in international stocks while another might invest in domestic stocks). If your goal is for more than just a short-term gain, investing in mutual funds can make sense because mutual funds typically have portfolios that are diversified across different types of investments investing in a single company’s stock can be risky.

For example, if you invested $1,000 in Apple stock and it later dropped to $700, you would lose half your investment. If the company went bankrupt though and no one bought its shares, your investment would be worthless. In that case, you definitely want to sell your shares. Of course, the company can’t go bankrupt without there being someone with shares that wants to buy them.