Brokerage Account

• In order to buy or sell stock, an investor must open a brokerage account. This will allow a broker to fill your transaction for a commission.
  
  

Brokerage Firms

• There are several types of brokerage firms, all offering a different level of service. Some brokerage firms offer investing advice and strategy but charge a significant amount of commission. The cheapest option is setting up an account with a discount online brokerage firm, such as TD Ameritrade, which will complete your transaction and only charge a small commission on your trades.
  
  

Ticker Symbol

• Company stock trades under a certain ticker symbol. As a result, in order to buy stock in a specific company, an investor must first know that company's ticker symbol.
  
  

Using Your Brokerage Account

• When you have created a brokerage account and deposited money into it, you are able to purchase stock. Click on the trade stock link to enter the ticker symbol and the amount of shares that you would like to purchase. You can specify whether you want to purchase it at a market price or at a set price (limit order). Once the order is executed, the shares you purchased will be shown in your account.