Stocks

[BadDrafter]

While true that you can't make a lot of money in the stockmarket the conventional way with only $200 (through sheer volume of shares) you can double or triple that value with a penny stock if you do a little research. It might actually just be more cost effective to work a little more overtime with the kind of money you will yeild in the most part this way. I know I did last friday and it was only $300-29$ comission X 50% rise in price in 5 hours. It actually interupted my workflow last friday watching that worthless stock actually become something (kept hitting refresh at work while watching over my shoulder as I work in an open cubicle). No stock tips allowed so I am not telling .

[alkapone]

no, unless you name the exact symbol/name and whether to buy/sell it, it's NOT a tip

Whew.....that's a load off my electronics arts..

[Adi_None]

alkapone stop hijacking people's threads unless you have something constructive to add.

[t3359]

At $200 you might consider a mutual fund... It's been a while since I've invested in those, but I think the minimums are usually $100. Other options are GICs and bonds, depending on what risk you're willing to take.

As advice to a new investor, only invest in the stock market what is acceptable to lose! I've had my fair share of losses and gains.

bjl

[TigerEROS]

$200????? gotta be s**ting me!!!! What a laugher! You can't even afford to pay the commissions dude!

Try at least $5K.

Go buy yourself an MP3 player with 2 bills.

[alkapone]

alkapone stop hijacking people's threads unless you have something constructive to add.

Now...you have hurt my feelings

[t3359]

$200????? gotta be s**ting me!!!! What a laugher! You can't even afford to pay the commissions dude!

Try at least $5K.

Go buy yourself an MP3 player with 2 bills.

Yo dude. Take it easy. Everyone starts somewhere.

bjl

[smokeylovelove]

Now...you have hurt my feelings

Alright alkapone, I am a fan of your avatar - there, feel better now??

[sparkplug]

Yo dude. Take it easy. Everyone starts somewhere.

Good attitude. Just think if we all put $200 in Dell, Microsoft, AOL, Berkshire Hathaway, Disney or McDonald's stock back in the day. Twenty years ago, it was common for a parent to buy their newborns one share of Disney stock.

Hindsight is 20/20, but many blue chippers will still be around in a few decades with a lot of growth ahead. Buy $200 of a big 5 bank stock, enroll in the dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) and let it sit until you retire. You're buying shares for $60ish yielding 4%. In twenty years that $60 stock may grow to $600 (pre-split) and still yield 4%. However, that's 4% on $600. Since you only paid $60 for it, you're effectively getting 40% annually.

People who owned their bank stocks one or two decades ago can already claim that kind of dividend yield. People who buy now will be able to say the same sometime between 2019 and 2026. It's a long time to wait... unless your parents bought you a few shares of a favourite company when you were born.

[lithiumli]

you don't need $5000 to start some people are just repeating what one person says. yes $200 will not get you any where but you probably need about $2000 or so. just start slow like you can get many stocks around $20 and you buy 100 shares it works out to about $2000 + commission. but you don't have to buy $20 stocks there are lots of good stocks out there that are less like 5,10,15... and anywhere in between. just start off slow and learn the ropes

[SamInfinity]

you don't need $5000 to start some people are just repeating what one person says. yes $200 will not get you any where but you probably need about $2000 or so. just start slow like you can get many stocks around $20 and you buy 100 shares it works out to about $2000 + commission. but you don't have to buy $20 stocks there are lots of good stocks out there that are less like 5,10,15... and anywhere in between. just start off slow and learn the ropes

well, you certainly need more than 200. The $5000 figure comes from what a lot of the bank brokerages set as a minimum for them to not charge you monthly for service charges on your trading account. It's certainly always a good idea to have an amount that surpasses the minimum just so that fluctuations in market value don't put you below that minimum value.

[mkwong]

Ask close family members if they own any stocks that have a share purchase program. Usually they are fee-free, have no minimum, and the costs of additional share purchases is nil. Ask them to transfer one into your name. Its a bit of paper work involved, but the most likely way to invest starting small. After registering, you can send cheques as little as $50 and purchase fractional shares. Some companies to look into are the big banks and other large cap stocks.