
Meet Patricia, learn what you will take away from this course and get a preview of the next steps you can take after you set up your investment account.
Explore how public companies are owned by shareholders, how IPOs convert private firms to public, and how shares are bought, sold, and regulated in the stock market.
Explore the stock market as the open market for buying, selling, and issuing shares, with NYSE and Nasdaq hosting most trading and not all stocks trading on every exchange.
Understand the role of a stock broker, how the job has changed over time and whether you need to have one.
Explore capital gains and losses on stocks, distinguishing short-term from long-term tax implications, and how selling creates a taxable event and potential offset of gains and losses.
Explore dividends as a way to earn regular profits from stocks per share, noting that not all companies pay them and profits may be reinvested or paid quarterly.
Explore the dividend aristocrats, S&P 500 stocks with 25+ years of rising dividends, a market cap above 3 billion, and automatic removal if dividends or index status change.
Explore selling stock options to boost earnings and generate cash, using beginner-friendly options to buy stock at a discount and reduce risk; a readiness checklist notes that novices should wait.
Diversify your portfolio to shield it from sector shocks, as travel stocks faltered while tech rose, by balancing investments yourself or buying a diversified fund, with cash or gold.
Do you feel lost when the conversation turns to stocks and investing? Have you been thinking about investing, but have no idea how to get started? Then this course is made for you. By the time you finish this short, introductory course, you'll be ready to select an online broker, and set up and fund an account. My next course, Choosing and Buying Stocks and Funds will help you decide what to buy with those funds.
Learn how things work before you put your money on the line. Grow your financial literacy and independence with an experienced, supportive teacher. We start at the very beginning.
You'll get a solid overview of the stock market to prepare you to participate in it confidently. I’ll define the terms you need to know so you can ask questions and understand the answers you get. I might even answer some questions you didn’t know you had.
You'll get answers to your questions such as:
What exactly is a share of stock?
Why can I invest in Coca Cola, but not LEGO?
What determines the price of a share of stock?
What is a stock ticker?
What is a stock broker and do I need one?
Exactly how do I make money with stocks?
What is a dividend and what can I do with it?
How do I diversify my investments (and why do I need to?)
What exactly are The Dow, NASDAQ and The S & P 500?
What is an index fund?
I give you step by step instructions with everything you need to choose a broker, decide what kind of account you want to open, and set up your first account.
We'll also talk briefly about the difference between buying individual stocks and buying shares of Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds. We'll touch on retirement plans you may have available through your employers and why you should probably take advantage of them.
This course prepares you for Part B, Novice Investors' Guide to Choosing and Buying Stocks and Funds.