How to Buy Sprint Stock

Find a broker. These are companies like E*trade, Ameritrade, and others that allow you to buy and sell stock. There are two major types of brokers. Full service brokers provide many investor support services, such as research on companies and advice on stocks. Discount brokers charge less of a commission for trades, and some offer online research services, but will not have as many investor services as full service firms.
Decide how much money you want to invest in Sprint stock.
Find the current price of Sprint stock. The full company name is 'Sprint Nextel Corporation', and the stock symbol is: NYSE:S. Online brokers will have a search function on their websites, but you can also find stock prices without a broker through Google Finance or similar personal finance websites. (See Resource 1.)
Divide the amount of money you want to invest by the current price of Sprint stock to determine how many shares you should buy.
Place the order with your broker. Online brokers will have account management options that allow you to buy stock through their websites. Some online brokers will also have you register a bank account or debit card to cover payments for stock; payment will either be taken out automatically as you buy stock, or you will need to send a payment through their websites after purchasing. Other online brokers, such as Charles Schwab, allow you to deposit money into a brokerage account and use those funds to purchase stock.

How to Calculate Stock Trade Profit (6 Steps)

Review the components of a stock trade (a sell or buy). A complete stock trade (opened and closed order) would be buying a share of stock and then selling it at a new price. The profit depends on the difference between what you paid and the price you sell the stock for, as well as the sales commission/transactions costs, if any.
Work through an example. Let's assume you buy a stock for $100 and sell it for $200. The profit on the sale is $100, but this assumes there were no commissions or transactions costs associated with the sale.
On the confirmation sheet sent to you by the broker, look up the compensation associated with the order to both buy and sell. The compensation may also be called a 'mark-up' or 'mark-down.' This is clearly stated on your trade order form if you use a broker. Discount brokers can charge as little as $5 per trade, but full-service brokers can charge as much as $100. Remember that a stock trade consists of two orders: a purchase and a sell. In the trade example from Step 2, the profit after using a full-service broker who charges $100 would be -$100.
Do the calculation for a stock trade profit for a discount broker. The calculation is:
($200 - $100) (change in stock price) - $10 (commission from purchase and sale) = $90.
Calculate the stock trade profit for a direct purchase program. Let's assume one company has a program where you can purchase shares directly from the company. Ongoing fees include a one-time $8 setup fee, a $2 fee each time you add money to your account from your bank account and a 5 cents per share commission. There's also a $5 fee when you sell stock.
Do the calculation. Using the same information from Step 1, the calculation is:
($200 - $100) (change in stock price) - $8 (one-time set up fee) - $2 (for funding the account from your bank account) - $5 (sale of stock) - 10 cents (commission from purchase and sale) = $84.90.

How to Day Trade Stock Options

Subscribe to a data service that provides the information required for pretrade analysis, post-trade decision support and risk management for option traders.
Practice some paper trades to find out if you will be any good at options trading. Always calculate and include your commission costs. Your options must make a real move in the right direction to make option trading financially feasible.
Gain experience day trading stocks before you attempt to day trade options. Day traders often execute multiple trades in one day. When you are dealing in options, you must, on a moment's notice, have enough experience to analyze a stock, make the correct calculations before you buy and then sell at exactly the right time.
Take an online course in trading stock options. Learn the various strategies veteran option traders use to increase profits and decrease losses. Find out which strategies work best under different market conditions.
Purchase options software. Use it to track the options market with any trading style you use. Software can also help you keep track of the stocks in your portfolio and monitor their price movement, trends and signals.
Trade both European- and U.S.-style options to boost your profit potential. European options include OSMI (cash-settled options based upon the SMI stock index of the Swiss Exchange) and ESX (cash-settled options based upon the FTSE100 stock index of Euronext).

How to Buy Stock as Gifts For Children (4 Steps)

Decide how to invest in or buy the shares of stock you are planning to give. The easiest and most financial efficient way to buy stocks for children as gifts is through Dividend Reinvestment Plans, or DRIPs. Many companies accept direct investments from anyone who wants to invest. This means that you can invest without going through a broker and without paying high fees and commission. Once you buy the first share for the child, anyone can continue adding to the account by buying more shares. The dividends earned by the shares of stock can be automatically reinvested to buy more.
Decide how to invest in the DRIP. Contact the individual companies via their Investor Relations department and ask if you can purchase shares of stock directly. Alternately, use a DRIP service company, which requires the child's Social Security number and the creation of a custodial account.
Choose a company in which to invest, which often means buying stocks with which you are familiar. Remember a child has a long-term horizon for investing. Buy shares in companies that offer growth over the long-term. Typically, growth companies don't pay dividends, or pay only a minimal amount. Income stocks pay dividends, but may not experience as much growth.
Buy the share of stock as a gift for your child, grandchild, niece or nephew. If you decide to buy directly from a company, you will receive a statement from the company representing the purchase. If you buy from a DRIP service company, you'll receive a statement with the purchased shares held in the custodial account.