How much money are you typically expected to invest in the stock market to participate?

Question

If you choose to go through a broker?

And if you are going at it solo ?

Answer 1

It sounds like you are just starting out, in which case I would start with a discount broker like Scottrade or Ameritrade.  Do not waste your money on the ridiculous charges & fees of a Merrill Lynch or other full service shop.

Many times you can start an account with about $1,000.  Just shop around and you'll find plenty with low minimum investment amounts and low transaction fees.

If you are just learning to invest, I recommend checking out www.fool.com, an investment website geared toward beginning & intermediate investors.  Have fun, and don't fall for any scams from spam emails, faxes, etc.

Answer 2

Hard to say really. Some brokerages require anywhere from a thousand to one million,  depending on the type of account and who the broker is. You can actually participate without paying a penny to a broker though by signing up for a DRIP program offered by many companies. This will allow you to buy stock with no fees or commissions at all.

Answer 3

A few thousand dollars at least according to me.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

The great part about the explosion of the Internet is that it gives the individual, independent investor the opportunity to start with very little to start investing in stocks.

There are a number of great discount brokers out there (Scotttrade, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, E*Trade, Fidelity), and each have their own requirements for getting started.  Some of these allow you to have a minimum balance of $0, but they may charge higher fees to execute your trades, so shop around and pick the one that's best for you.

Pick a good discount broker, and then do your homework on WHAT you invest in.  I'm an advocate of value investing (find good companies, buy them at the right price, and only sell when they become overvalued...).

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Answer 6

Some companies allow you to invest directly in the company through what is called a DRIP (dividend reinvestment investment program).  In these programs you can buy as few as one share of the company.  The purchase is made directly from the company.  Unlike a traditional broker, however, your ability to move the money around between investments is severely limited.  However, if you are investing for the long term and want to invest in larger, more established companies, this may be the way to go if you only a few hundred to invest.