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 Issue a Stock Certificate

A stock certificate represents proof of ownership or investment in a corporate financial entity. All forms of corporations, including the limited liability corporations (LLC), partnership, including limited liability (LLP), and limited partnership (LLP), should receive a certificate. An LLC certificate is called a membership certificate. The LLP and LP are called partnership certificates. A stock certificate proves ownership and thus should be carefully held by the investor.
Review the number of authorized corporate shares. This material is available in the articles of incorporation. It may also be found through the public records of the Secretary of State in the state of issuance. Issue shares for less than half of all the authorized shares so that additional members added in the future do not require a new authorization of shares by existing shareholders.
Calculate the percentage ownership of each shareholder. Allocate the appropriate number of shares based on the percentage ownership and the number of shares to be issued. For example, a shareholder owns 10 percent of a recently formed company. There are 200 shares authorized and 50 shares to be issued. The shareholder will receive stock certificates for five shares.
Each stock certificate should include the name and number of shares of the stockholder. The certificates, readily available online or in stationery stores, should include a certificate number so changes in share ownership can be easily transacted. Never change the number of shares on a certificate. A purchase should result in additional certificates being issued or the old certificate being retired and a new certificate created.
A listing of all shareholder information, including name, address, shares held and certificate numbers, should be entered into the articles of incorporation. Another copy should be kept in a separate place where it can be quickly accessed by the secretary of the company. A certificate should be sent by certified mail to each shareholder.

How to Buy Partial Shares of Stock (3 Steps)

Analyze your investment objectives and risk tolerance before you start researching companies that offer direct investment plans. Once you know the kind of stocks that are appropriate for your portfolio, look for companies that offer a direct stock purchase plan. Contact each company's investor relations department and request a plan prospectus and any other company disclosure statements that are available. Read this information carefully to ensure that you understand the plan's provisions, and select a company to trade with.
Open an account with the selected company's plan administrator. Complete a new account application if required, which will ask for some personal information, such as your name, address, contact information, and Social Security number. Some plans allow you to set up a regular, automatic investment plan that drafts a pre-determined checking or savings account. You'll be able to choose whether you want your dividends to be automatically reinvested into additional company shares or to be paid to you in cash, or whether you want a combination of the two.
Deposit the money for your purchase. When you first set up your account you might have to pay an application fee, set-up fee, or new account fee along with the amount of your initial purchase. Rather than purchasing a fixed number of shares of company stock, you'll be contributing a fixed dollar amount. The plan administrator will pool your money with money from all of the other plan participants and purchase company stock in one transaction. The plan administrator will divide the shares among each of the plan participants on a pro rata basis, which will likely result in both whole and partial shares credited to your account.