How to Buy Stock Without a Broker

Find an online trading company. There are many online trading companies that allow you to set up and trade stocks online. You may be familiar with some of these companies and new ones are popping up over time. Some of the companies you can look into include E-Trade, TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab. Whichever companies you look into, you should research them completely. Be sure to find out what the fees are for setting up and maintaining the account, as well as the per trade fee charged.
Set up and fund your account. Once you have researched each company and make a decision on which company you want to trade online, it is time to set up and fund your trading account. Each website will have step-by-step instructions on what you need to do to set up your account. Once the account is set up, you will need to either mail in a check or transfer money into the account to fund your online trading account. Funding an online trading account is placing the money in the account that you will use to make trades.
Research the stocks you want to invest in. Most of these online trading sites also provide research material so you can educate yourself on the stocks and bonds you may be interested in buying. You should do a lot of research on any stock before you decide to invest your money in the stock. These sites also help you to understand finance and trading terminology that you may be familiar with. It is important that you make informed and educated decisions to help reduce the risk of loss of your money.
Process the buy or sell trade. Once you decide to buy a stock, you will need to process the order. Every site is slightly differently, but each site usually has line-by-line buy 'forms' that you need to complete and submit in order to process the trade. This is true whether you are buying or selling a stock.

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 Buy Direct Stock Without a Broker (4 Steps)

Find out if a company you are interested in offers a direct stock purchase plan. Companies offering DSPPs feature them in the Investor Relations section of their websites. Alternatively, you can check transfer agent companies like ComputerShare and Sharebuilder, who have lists of the companies for which they manage DSPPs on their websites.
Open an account with the company's transfer agent. You can either call the transfer agent and request a paper application or apply online. There is a one time fee to set up a DSPP to buy direct stock without a broker that ranges from $10 to $25, depending on the stock. The minimum investment is usually $250 or $500.
Arrange to have monthly investments automatically deducted from your checking or savings account. You can make your investments by check. However, if you use electronic funds transfer the transaction fees are lower--just $1 to $3 per transaction, pus 3 to 5 cents per share. Another advantage of using electronic debiting is that you can meet the minimum investment requirement with monthly installments of $50. Once you have invested the minimum you can add more when you wish, as long as additional investments are at least $50 each. Some companies, like Exxon Mobil, even pay the transaction fees for stock purchases so all of your money goes directly towards purchasing stock.
Choose the plan features that suit your needs. Most DSPPs provide free dividend reinvestment and safekeeping storage of your stock certificates. You can set up a direct stock purchase plan as an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Some companies add special features. For example, McDonald's has a program in which a minor can start a direct stock purchase plan for their stock for as little as $100.

How to Invest in the Stock Market With Little Money

Open a discount brokerage account with a low minimum deposit requirement and low trade commissions. Some online brokers have no minimum deposit requirement to open an account and offer promotions and deals for free or cheap trade commissions.
Buy shares of a stock index fund, which is a low-fee mutual fund or exchange-traded fund that owns the same stocks as a particular stock index. An index is a group of stocks that represent a portion of the stock market. An index fund provides diversification, which spreads your money to many different investments. You can purchase index funds through your brokerage account or directly through certain fund providers.
Buy stock in a specific company using a direct stock purchase plan, or DSP. This plan is available through many large corporations, which allow you to buy stock in their company directly without using a broker. Matt Krantz says in his article 'Direct Stock Purchase is Cheap, but it Can Cost You Dearly' in 'USA Today' that the fees with a DSP are typically cheaper than buying stock through a brokerage account, but warns not to invest too much of your money in one stock.
Buy stock through a dividend reinvestment plan, or DRIP, which allows you to buy shares directly from a company and reinvest dividends in new shares. Many large companies have DRIPs that allow you to invest a small amount of money periodically and typically have low setup and maintenance fees. Many DRIPs require you to be an existing shareholder, so you may need to purchase a single share through your brokerage account before signing up for a plan.

How to Cash an Old Stock Certificate (6 Steps)

Examine the stock certificate. It contains the information you need to find the company that issued it. You need the full company name plus the “CUSIP” number. The number is a unique identifier your broker can use to help track down the company, even if it now does business under another name. Also make a note of the owner of record and of the incorporation location (the state that issued the charter of incorporation).
Check financial websites such as Yahoo! Finance (which has business listings free to examine) or Dun & Bradstreet (which charges a fee), or even in your public library. If you find the company name listed as an active business concern, you’re well on your way.
Call or write the state agency in the incorporation state (usually the secretary of state) as a last resort. They will have records of the original articles of incorporation and can tell you if the company changed its name, moved out of state or is defunct.
Contact the company’s transfer agent if the business still exists. Transfer agents are firms that handle the stock certificates and transactions on behalf of publicly traded companies. Find out what their requirements are for you to transfer ownership of the stock to yourself and what documents are needed to verify you are entitled to the shares.
Follow the transfer agent’s instructions. For example, you may be asked for a copy of a probated will that names you as beneficiary. Once everything is in place, fill out the transfer of ownership form located on the back of the stock certificate and sign it in the presence of a notary public.
Send the stock certificate and required documentation to the transfer agent via certified mail. Once the agent credits the shares to you as a registered stockholder, call your broker or transfer agent and place a sell order for the shares to cash in that old stock certificate.