How to Become an Independent Stock Broker

Go to the National Association of Independent Securities Dealers and register to take a Series 7 Exam. The exam takes about six hours to complete with 260 questions, which you will have to pass with a score of 70 percent or higher.
Fill out and file a FOCUS form with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which will register your independent status. You can send it in by mail or electronically.
Set up an account at a brokerage like TD Waterhouse or Schwab to act as a custodian for any funds that you hold their on behalf of your clients. Although most brokerages that employ traditional brokers and also charge them fees based on the assets, they manage the independent broker is free of those onerous fees. At this stage, you can solicit clients and begin investing their money directly while keeping the lion's shares of the commissions and fees for yourself.

How to Sell Stock After the IPO (4 Steps)

Speak to the company's CFO or a finance executive about your current shares. The CFO or financial executive should be able to tell you what you have and the value of your stock in the company.
Determine when you are able to sell your shares. In some cases, you cannot sell your shares immediately following an IPO. This depends on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and your company's policy on individual shares. This delay is typically called a 'holdout period' or 'lockout period.'
Discuss the options you have to sell the stock with your company's financial manager. Do you need to go through a specific broker or firm? If so, contact that broker to sell your stock. Obtain your certificate for the amount of shares you own.
Bring your stock certificate to your bank and ask for the investment officer. Ask the investment officer to sell the stock at the current price. The value of the stock will be returned to you, usually within three days.

How to Hypothecate Common Stock

Apply with a brokerage firm to open a margin account. Because you will have borrowing privileges, this is like opening other credit accounts. You'll need a good credit score and a statement of your net worth and income. Under federal regulations, if you work for a firm that handles securities, you must also have your employer's written permission.
Read the hypothecation agreement carefully before you sign it. Under federal law and New York Stock Exchange rules, your broker must require that you put up a minimum amount (called the margin requirement) anytime you borrow money for a transaction and keep a minimum equity (called the maintenance requirement) while holding any margined security. However, brokers are free to impose stricter standards, so don't assume the hypothecation agreement requires only the legal minimums. Sign the hypothecation agreement once you understand the terms.
Deposit the required cash minimum to complete opening your margin account. Typically initial deposits must be two to three times as large as those required for regular cash brokerage accounts, and as much as 10 times more than that for day trading accounts. For example, if the minimum for a cash account is $1000, expect a margin account minimum to be around $2500, and $25,000 for day trading.
Understand your obligations when you hypothecate common stock. You are agreeing that any common stock or other cash and securities in the account are collateral for the money you borrow. If the market goes against you, you will get a margin call from your broker. At that point you must add enough cash to the account to bring it up to margin requirements or your broker is required to sell any securities in the account needed to recover the money you have borrowed.

How to Use Implied Volatility to Forecast Stock Price

Find a source for implied volatility information. Your online brokerage account will provide historic and implied volatility figures for any stock with options trading against the share price. Another volatility product is the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, commonly called the VIX. The VIX can be easily charted and used to predict turning points in the overall market.
Compare the current level of implied volatility with the historic volatility for an individual stock. For the VIX, compare the current level to the average over the last six months to a year. You want to determine whether the current level of implied volatility is above or below historic levels and the magnitude of the departure from the norm.
Use the implied volatility deviations as signals for future stock price action. High implied volatility is usually a bearish signal, forecasting a pending decline in stock prices. Low volatility occurs when the market or stock prices are in an upward or bullish trend.