How to Open an Online Stock Account (5 Steps)

Learn how the stock market works fully before starting an online stock account. Having a stock account doesn't provide you with help making decisions about where to invest, how much to invest or when to sell. Therefore, you must be able to make these decisions for yourself.
Know what discount brokers are. Discount brokers are the most common type of online stock account. As their name implies, they do not provide you with stock advice but rather the ability to invest in stocks. Compare several companies for costs and for the services they offer before you open an account. Commissions range from a few dollars up to 10 percent or more of the profit you make, but they may also charge per transaction.
Choose an online stock account providing real-time information and stock quotes. Find out how often stock prices are updated so you have the freshest information available before making investments.
Determine which account offers the features you are interested in. Some allow you to use a credit card; others do not. Some stock accounts provide you with more ability to research information. Others offer consulting services.
Select the best online stock account for you and fill out the application. You may need to send a hard copy to the broker before you can trade. Most allow for immediate access to the markets to trade. You may have to deposit funds into your account before being able to perform transactions, and some accounts allow you to have an initial credit line.

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 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 Get Real

Log onto the Internet and search for real-time stock market quotes. Web sites such as Yahoo!Finance and CNNMoney are also good places to start.
Look for a Web site that not only offers you real-tme stock market quotes, but also economic indicators and up-to-the-minute news that will help you make educated decisions about your investments.
It is important to remember that free Web sites usually offer streaming, not real-time stock market quotes. You'll probably have to subscribe and pay a fee to access sites offering real-time quotes and additional pertinent information.
Compare subscription fees carefully. Note the types of services and options you receive for joining. If having real time stock market quotes is imperative to your financial success, seek out a site that offers you that service.
Be sure to read the fine print contained in the service's rules of membership. Make certain you understand what you're getting and what you're expected to pay, if anything, for services rendered.