How to Invest in Stocks?

There are a variety of accounts and platforms that you can use to buy stocks. You can buy stocks yourself via an online brokerage, or you can hire a financial advisor or a robo-advisor to buy them for you. The best method will be the one that aligns with how much effort and guidance you’d like to invest in the process of managing your investments.

• Open a brokerage account. If you have a basic understanding of investing, you can open an online brokerage account and buy stocks. A brokerage account puts you in the driver’s seat when it comes to choosing and purchasing stocks.
• Hire a financial advisor. If you would prefer to have more advice and guidance for buying stocks and other financial goals, consider hiring a financial advisor. A financial advisor helps you specify your financial goals and then purchases and manages your investments for you, including buying stocks. Financial advisors charge fees, which can be a flat annual fee, a per-trade fee or a percentage of the assets they manage.
• Choose a robo-advisor. Robo-advisors are a simple, very inexpensive way to invest in stocks. Most robo-advisors invest your money in different portfolios of ETFs, and they buy the assets and manage the portfolio for you. They are generally less expensive than financial advisors, but you seldom have the benefit of a live human to answer questions and guide your choices.
• Use a direct stock purchase plan. If you’d prefer to invest just a few stocks, many blue-chip companies offer plans that make it possible to purchase their stock directly. Many programs offer commission-free trades, but they may require other fees when you sell or transfer your shares.

Keep in mind that no matter the method you choose to invest in stocks, you’ll most likely pay fees at some point to buy or sell stocks, or for account management. Pay attention to fees and expense ratios on both mutual funds and ETFs. Don’t be shy about asking for a fee schedule or chatting with a customer service representative at an online brokerage or robo-advisor to advise you on fees you might incur as a customer.

How to Buy Stocks with Investment Accounts

There are a variety of different account types that let you buy stocks. The options outlined above offer some or all of these different investment accounts, although some retirement accounts are only available via your employer.

• Retirement accounts: The two most common types of retirement accounts are 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The former are only available from an employer, while anyone can open an IRA at an online brokerage or a robo-advisor. These accounts often offer tax advantages that incentivize you to save for retirement, but they also come with annual contribution limits. Other retirement account types include 401(b)s, SEP-IRAs and solo 401(k)s.
• Taxable investment accounts. The retirement accounts outlined above generally get some form of special tax treatment for your investments and have contribution limits. Proceeds from stock investments made in taxable investment accounts are treated as regular income, with no special tax treatment. Plus, there are no contribution limits.
• Education savings accounts: If you’re saving money for qualified education purposes, education savings plans allow you to invest in stocks, generally through mutual funds and target-date portfolios. These accounts include 529 plans and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts.

Depending on how hands-on you’ve chosen to be with investing in stocks, you’ll either set up your investment accounts through a broker (online or through your financial advisor), through your bank (for Coverdell ESAs), or through your employer (for employer-sponsored plans).