How to Buy Direct Walmart Stock (5 Steps)

Visit the Investors page of the Walmart corporate website. Walmart corporate has a separate website from the Walmart stores. (See Resources for link.)
Follow the link on the Investors page to the stock purchase program. The link is located under Shareholder Services in the left column menu. A second link through takes you to the Walmart stock purchase plan administered by ComputerShare.
Review the details of the Walmart investment plan, including fees and minimums. The link for Plan Brochure provides a PDF file with additional details you can read or print.
Download and print the account application. The link for the application is located next to Enrollment Form and the link is titled View and Print.
Complete the form and mail it to ComputerShare with a check for your first stock purchase. If you set up an automatic investment plan the minimum is $25, otherwise $250. Add $20 to your check for the account setup fee.

How to Set Up a Stock Trading Account (3 Steps)

Select an online brokerage to set up your new stock trading account. Some examples include E-Trade, Zecco, Sharebuilder and TradeKing. Kiplinger has an online tool to help you decide which broker is best for you. It's a good way to learn about the different brokers if you are unsure of which one to use.
Create an account with your preferred online brokerage by picking a user name and password. Your financial and personal details are also required. Be prepared to give your date of birth, Social Security number, bank account details, your address and citizenship information. U.S. brokerages restrict new accounts to U.S. citizens only.
Wait for approval of the account. Typically, stock trading account applications are approved within 24 hours if set up on a weekday. Some brokers require the account holder to verify his identity over the phone before the account will be approved. Once the account is approved, it can be an additional two to four days before the account is funded from your bank account. You cannot buy stocks until the account is funded.

How to Obtain a Stock Certificate (3 Steps)

Ask your broker to get the stock certificate on your behalf. This is the easiest way to get a stock certificate. No matter what type of broker you have an account with--online broker or full-service broker--you can request a physical stock certificate at an additional fee. Check with your broker for details about the process as well as the fee you will have to pay.
Contact the company in which you own shares directly. If you purchased the shares directly from the company, then you can contact them for a physical stock certificate. If you cannot locate or contact the company directly, you may visit its state of incorporation for information.
Order the stock certificate through a transfer agent. Most companies that issue shares to the public have a transfer agent to handle the company's securities. You can find the name of the company's transfer agent in the company's annual report. You can visit the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to get the annual report of any company listed on the stock exchange.

How to Get Your Company on the Stock Exchange

Hire an investment bank. Examples of reputable investment banks are Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley; however, others are available to do the same work. The investment bank increases the chances of your company appearing on the stock market because they are able to create more appeal and get the paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) done more efficiently.
Meet with the bank and go over details about what type of security you're going to offer (stock) and the amount of money that you ultimately want to raise. It's during this meeting that you and the bank will decide if the bank will provide a firm commitment or a best efforts agreement. A firm commitment is when they guarantee the sale of a certain amount of securities. A best efforts agreement is where the bank sells the stock but doesn't make any guarantees on the amount sold.
Draft the registration statement for the SEC. They are the deciding factor on whether your stock can go on the market. The SEC will review financial statements, management background, legal problems (if any exist), what the money will be used for, and insider holdings.
Put together the red herring. While the SEC is processing your registration, go around with the investment banker trying to create hype in the stock. At the time, you don't know when the release date is, but you try to sell the stock to investors before it even hits the market so that it starts off strong and the price can rise faster.
Pick a price for the stock. Because the ultimate goal is to make the most money, the higher you start, the more you'll make per share. However, the investment bank and you can figure out exactly how much to charge per share so that you maximize the amount of money coming in.
Track the stock on the market. It will fluctuate up and down, but as shares are sold, the money will be given to the company so that it can further invest it to make the company stronger.

How to Report Non

Examine Box 1 of your Form W-2. It should be a higher amount than your annual salary. The increase is your income from exercising the stock options. Your employer will provide details on the amount in Box 1 to ensure that it includes salary, plus the difference between the option exercise price and the value of stock purchased on the exercise date.
Enter on Line 7 of Form 1040 the amount from Box 1 of your W-2. Include W-2 income from other employers, including the W-2 of a spouse if you file a joint tax return. Add the income from exercising the stock options if that amount is not already on your W-2.
Record the option exercise date in the first column of the ledger.
Write the market value of the stock on the option exercise date in the next ledger column. Label the column 'cost basis.'
Keep the ledger as a record of your purchase date and cost basis. Use this to determine taxable gain or loss when the stock is sold.