FAQ

Yes. While the stock market could be intimidating for beginners, once they learn about it, they realize that it provides a great opportunity to grow their money over time. There are many resources for beginners to learn to invest in financial securities, including stock market books, videos, training programs, specialized websites, tools, trading simulators, TV shows, etc. These are most effective when used in combination, since they can enhance a person’s knowledge through the analysis of different perspectives, which can assist them in developing an investment approach that reflects their own situation and preferences. There is no scarcity of resources for beginners to understand how the stock market works and the different options available for people to improve their chances of succeeding in the stock market. Many beginners choose a gradual approach, starting investing small amounts of money first, and only increasing their investment amounts as they gain experience and feel more comfortable scaling up. This allows them to test the waters and reduce the risks of transactions whose implications do not yet fully understand.

No. Most stock brokers allow users to open accounts with $0, so it is up to each investor to decide how much money they want to transfer to their investment accounts. Company shares are usually bought by the unit, and the price of each share varies according to the market value of the stock. There are shares with low market value, like those trading for 5$ or less, which are known as penny stocks, but involve higher levels of risk. However, many stockbrokers allow investors to specify any dollar amount to purchase stocks, which is then automatically converted into fractions of shares. Fractional shares allow investors to start owning equity of any company trading in the stock market, including those of the most established companies.

There are many tools for beginning investors to gather data that could inform their investment decisions. These include stock screneers, for instance, which can filter securities that follow certain characteristics; recommendations from analysts, based on their forecasts; technical charts, which can be used for those that prefer technical analysis; investment advisory services, which identify companies whose stock is reported to have good prospects of going up in time, according to their best estimates; financial magazines, which provide investment tips; forums and crowdsourced websites, where individuals express their opinions about market trends and stock movements, among others. Tools can provide information to help operationalize an investment strategy.

Defining the proportion in which different types of assets are allocated in a portfolio is a crucial part of an investment plan, and a key risk management measure. The three main areas whose proportions are normally considered when defining an asset allocation are stocks, bonds, and cash. On the stock/bond ratio, an example of an asset allocation recommended by John Bogle (2017), founder and chief executive of the Vanguard Group, is that younger investors could allocate 80 percent to stocks, preferably in the form of low-cost index funds, and 20 percent to bonds, with these proportions changing to 70 percent in stocks and 30 percent in bonds for older investors, while also considering that the proportion of bonds could go as high as 40 or 50 percent for people in the post-retirement phase. According to E*Trade (2022), a conservative asset allocation is 20 percent stocks, 70–75 percent bonds, and 5–10 percent cash; a moderate asset allocation is 60 percent stocks, 30–35 percent bonds, and 5–10 percent cash; and an aggressive asset allocation is 80–90 percent stocks, 0–15 percent bonds, and 0–5 percent cash. Many financial websites have asset allocation calculators that can help investors define with greater precision what their recommended asset allocation would be. However, a rule of thumb that many financial specialists use to quickly assess the proportion of stocks in relation to bonds is the rule of 110, which involves subtracting the age of the person from 110, with the result indicating the percentage in equities. For instance, a person who is twenty-five years old could have a portfolio that consists of 85 percent stocks and 15 percent bonds, while a person who is fifty years old could have a portfolio with 60 percent stocks and 40 percent bonds. This rule, however, would need to be taken into consideration together with other factors such as risk tolerance, time horizon, source of income, investing experience, and financial goals, among others.

Cryptocurrencies have been on the radar of some investors. Their high level of growth attracted many people interested in speculating on further price gains. However, their prices have also experienced significant declines. Cryptocurrencies are mostly traded in specialized platforms, like Coinbase, Binance, Gemini, and Bittrex. Some stockbrokers like Webull, Robinhood, eToro, and Sofi Invest also offer the option to invest directly in cryptocurrencies, while many other stockbrokers allow the trading of Bitcoin trusts and futures (i.e., BITO, GBTC). Stock market investors can also buy shares of companies engaged in cryptocurrency mining operations (i.e., HUT, MARA). However, because of their huge level of volatility, this is a speculative activity with a particularly high level of risk. There are also cybersecurity risks, as evidenced by the many hacking incidents involving the theft of data affecting cryptocurrency holders, service providers, and other cryptocurrency market participants. This article provides additional information about investing in cryptocurrencies.