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Chances are, you’ve heard that investing your money is one of the best ways to grow your wealth. You likely also know that investing comes with risk—which is why it can be intimidating to start investing for the first time.
Learning the stock market and how it works can help make investing less daunting. We take a look at what you need to know to better understand trading for beginners. That way, you can dip your toes into investing in the stock market confidently.
Vault’s Viewpoint
- Before you begin to invest, you need to understand the risk you are taking on.
- Setting a budget of money you can afford to lose if your investments don’t perform is key.
- Diversifying your assets across different companies and industries can help you balance your risk.
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What Is the Stock Market?
First things first: Before you can invest in the stock market, you need to understand what it is. The stock market is a marketplace that makes it possible for individuals or larger entities like businesses to buy and sell shares of publicly traded companies. This process helps companies raise capital by selling their shares and, in exchange, the investors own a small fraction of the company. The two most popular stock exchanges are the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq.
Stock prices fluctuate regularly due to many different factors. How a company is performing, economic trends, current events and market conditions can all impact how a stock performs on a daily basis. The goal when investing in the stock market is to invest in companies that will perform strongly, which can result in your stock value rising or earning dividends (or both).
How Do I Determine My Risk Tolerance?
Because there are no guarantees in investing, you must accept that you are taking on some level of risk every time you invest money in the stock market. While these risks can lead to big rewards, they can also lead to major losses—which is why you want to avoid investing money you can’t afford to lose.
What your investing timeline looks like can help you determine how much risk you can afford to take. Generally, the longer you have your money in the stock market, the more time you have for your investments to bounce back if they take a dip.
Further, investing in long-term goals can give you room to take on more risk. For example, if you’re 25 and starting to invest in order to save for retirement, you may want to take on riskier investments with the hope of making a larger return. If you’re in your late 50s and are starting to near retirement age, you may want to switch your investments over to less risky ones in order to help safeguard your retirement savings.
Before you start investing, sit down and break up your budget into separate buckets based on long-term and short-term goals. This can help you to determine how much of your investment funds can go toward riskier investments that have the potential to produce a greater return and how much you want to allocate toward less exciting investments that will hopefully help you avoid too great of losses while you work on short-term goals.
Stock Market Basics
To better understand how the stock market works, it helps to understand these basic concepts.
Stocks vs. Bonds
Two popular investment types you can choose include stocks and bonds.
- Stocks. A stock represents ownership in a publicly traded company. When investing in a stock, you only invest in a single company. If that company thrives, your stock value rises. If the company struggles, your investment tanks. Because you are only investing in a single company when you buy a stock, you take on greater risk but also have the potential to earn a greater reward.
- Bonds. A bond is a type of debt security issued by a corporation or a government. When you purchase a bond, you lend money to the bond issuer for a set period of time. In exchange, you receive regular interest payments once the bond matures.
Historically, stocks offer greater returns than bonds over the long run, but bonds offer more stability and regular income. Which type of investment is right for you goes back to your budget, risk tolerance and short-term vs. long-term goals. Many investors choose to invest in both stocks and bonds to help balance their portfolios.
How To Do Market Research
If you’re wondering, “How is the stock market doing today?” you need to master the art of market research. Chances are, your brokerage offers some kind of free and helpful market research tools that enable you to check in on individual stocks and the market as a whole. You can also read industry news sources daily to keep up with the general happenings in the market.
When it comes time to buy a stock, you want to spend some time researching the individual company you are thinking about investing in. Again—there are free tools available to you that make doing this easier. When researching a stock, you’ll want to learn about things like:
- The company’s financial health (revenue and earnings)
- How the company generates revenue
- The company’s financial projections
- Industry competition
- The company’s products and services
Why Diversification Matters
You know that saying about not putting all of your eggs in one basket? Investing is the perfect example of why that is generally not a good idea. While there is a small chance that investing in a single company will lead to major rewards (especially if you get in while the stock price is low), diversifying your investments is generally a much safer path.
Diversification refers to spreading out your investments across different companies and industries. Doing so will help you ride out any storms if one company or industry experiences a decline thanks to stocks in other areas that are performing better.
How Mutual Funds Work
One way to easily diversify your investments is to invest in mutual funds. A mutual fund gives you the opportunity to buy into a diversified portfolio of investments ranging from stocks and bonds to other types of assets like real estate. These funds consist of investments in different companies, which helps balance your risk without you having to do all the work of choosing different companies to invest in. Many mutual funds aim to match the performance of a certain index, like the S&P 500. To get an idea of how much you can earn over the years, quickly research the historical return for that index.
How To Invest in the Stock Market
If you want to invest in the stock market, you typically can’t start investing until you open a brokerage account. Spend some time researching different brokerage account options and compare their fee structures to see which will cost you the most. You can save a bit on fees by using a robo-advisor—an algorithm-based financial tool that acts as an automated financial advisor—but you may feel more comfortable starting your investing journey in person with a brokerage that utilizes a more traditional advisor approach.
Once you open your brokerage account, you’ll need to set an investing budget (this can be annual or monthly) and determine your risk tolerance, or the level of risk you’re willing to take when investing. From there, you can either choose your investments or allow an advisor to choose them for you.
Bull Markets vs. Bear Markets
Once you enter the investing world, two terms you will hear thrown around frequently are bull market and bear market. Both terms describe an investor’s outlook on the current or future market. Here is a quick look at what these two terms mean.
| Bull Market | Bear Market | |
| Asset Prices | Rising | Falling |
| Employment Levels | High | Low |
| Outlook | Optimistic | Pessimistic |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Basic Rules of the Stock Market?
One of the most important rules of the stock market that you need to understand is there are no guarantees. When you invest in the stock market, you risk losing some or all of your money if you do not sell your stocks at the right time. Another key rule of the stock market that helps offset risk is to diversify your investments.
What Is the 5% Rule in the Stock Market?
The 5% rule refers to a risk management strategy that is popular in the world of investing. Essentially, this rule suggests you should limit the total capital at risk in any single trade to 5% or less of your portfolio value.
How Much Money Do I Need To Invest To Make $1000 a Month?
Unfortunately, there is no set amount of money you need to invest in order to generate $1,000 a month in revenue, as most investments have the potential to fluctuate on a monthly basis. While you can invest in a certificate of deposit (CD) and see a guaranteed return of $1,000 a month on average, how much you need to invest will depend on the CD interest rate and term. Most CDs pay interest out at the end of the term, so you won’t actually receive that income on a monthly basis.
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Understanding the Stock Market
The stock market is a marketplace where individuals and entities can buy and sell shares of publicly traded companies. By buying shares, investors become partial owners of the company and can benefit from its success. The two most popular stock exchanges in the United States are the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq.
Risk Tolerance
Investing in the stock market involves risk, and it's important to understand your risk tolerance before investing. Risk tolerance refers to the level of risk you are comfortable with and can afford to take. Factors such as your investing timeline, financial goals, and age can influence your risk tolerance. Generally, longer investing timelines allow for more risk-taking, while nearing retirement may call for a more conservative approach.
Stocks and Bonds
Stocks and bonds are two common types of investments:
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Stocks: Stocks represent ownership in a publicly traded company. When you invest in stocks, you become a shareholder and can benefit from the company's success. However, stock prices can fluctuate based on various factors, including company performance, economic trends, and market conditions. Investing in stocks carries higher risk but also the potential for higher returns.
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Bonds: Bonds are debt securities issued by corporations or governments. When you buy a bond, you lend money to the issuer for a set period of time and receive regular interest payments. Bonds offer more stability and regular income compared to stocks, but generally offer lower returns.
Diversification
Diversification is a risk management strategy that involves spreading investments across different companies and industries. By diversifying, you can reduce the impact of a decline in one investment by having others that may perform better. This strategy can help balance your risk and potentially increase overall returns. Mutual funds are one way to achieve diversification as they consist of investments in multiple companies.
Market Research
Market research is essential for making informed investment decisions. Your brokerage may offer free market research tools, and industry news sources can provide insights into market trends and individual companies. When researching a stock, you should consider factors like the company's financial health, revenue generation, industry competition, and products/services.
Investing in the Stock Market
To invest in the stock market, you typically need to open a brokerage account. There are different brokerage options available, and it's important to compare fee structures and services. You'll need to set an investing budget and determine your risk tolerance. From there, you can choose your investments or seek advice from a financial advisor.
Bull Markets vs. Bear Markets
Bull markets and bear markets are terms used to describe investor sentiment and market conditions:
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Bull Market: A bull market signifies a positive outlook on the market. During a bull market, asset prices generally rise, employment levels are high, and investors are optimistic about future returns.
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Bear Market: A bear market indicates a negative outlook on the market. In a bear market, asset prices generally fall, employment levels may be low, and investors are pessimistic about future returns.
Please note that investing in the stock market carries risks, and it's important to do thorough research and consider seeking professional financial advice before making any investment decisions.
