How to Buy One Share of Stock

Look for an online brokerage firm that does not require a high minimum balance, and keeps the fees manageable. An investment is an investment, so the number of shares does not really matter. Some firms are no cost, so keep an eye out for these companies.
Once you have located the brokerage firm or specialty service you plan to use, determine the company you want to invest in based on the budget you have for the purchase. Online brokers will be the cheaper option as they will only charge a per trade fee (varies on the firm you use) based on the number of shares you purchase at once, not per share. Because you are only buying one share you face cost of share plus trade fee. A $25 share could be anyway from $32 to $45 depending on the trade fee.
Online brokers will mandate different requirements for opening an account and maintaining the account. Open the account with the firm that best suits your needs, your situation, and your goals as a beginning investor. Fill in any required forms to ensure the accurate and complete purchase of the stock.



Understand that a specialty service will allow the purchase of one stock in the same sense of investment amount, and income return. However, because these are meant to decorate and commemorate the stock or the ownership as a gift, keepsake, or collectible, they are not recommended for the investor just getting a start.
Specialty services will charge for the special certificates, the frame, an optional engraving and other items. along with a transfer fee that will range anywhere from $35 to $45. Add in shipping and handling charges, and a $25 share quickly becomes $75 or more depending on the frame you choose.
Keep in mind that specialty services will ask you for the stock ownership information, and other information necessary to process, ship and bill you for your order.

How to Find Stock Prices (5 Steps)

Peruse the Wall Street Journal, or WSJ.com (subscription required), the Financial Times, Barron's or the financial section of your local newspaper for closing stock prices of most listed stocks. If your investment horizon is long-term and your portfolio contains financially sound, high quality shares, real-time stock quotes of your holdings throughout the day may not be necessary to making buy and sell decisions. I
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Check stock price information through the trading day if you plan to buy or sell a company based on fundamental or technical information. Obtain this information by going online. Google Finance, MSN Money, DailyFinance from AOL and others offer free real-time price information about most exchange listed shares. Yahoo Finance offers streaming real-time information for a small monthly charge. MarketWatch consolidates news from a variety of market resources for busy investors. Streaming services for your mobile also provide access to real-time price information.Broker-dealers may provide real-time stock price information free of charge as a customer.
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Get quotes directly from the exchange floor throughout the trading day. NASDAQ offers a free stock market ticker to provide constant stock price updates as they occur on the trading floor. The New York Stock Exchange Euronext offers many free tools including charts of individual stocks and market indices during the trading day. Some market index information may be delayed up to 20 minutes, according to the NYSE.
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Check the Investor or Investor Relations page of each company's shares in your portfolio to stay advised of price and relevant information that impacts share value. Not all companies maintain a real-time price. If you are concerned about intra-day price movements, you should also use real-time stock price quotations.
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Watch CNN's cable television broadcast to obtain real-time ticker information about stock prices and market indices, as well as interviews with marketplace personalities. Many stock traders keep CNN on throughout the day to learn about news events that drive market moves while at home or in the office.
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How to Invest in the Italian Stock Market (7 Steps)

Check among the major securities brokerages to see which offers the most favorable combination of account terms and access to the Italian stock market. Choose the brokerage that commands the lowest commission fees while still offering investors the opportunity to invest in the Italian stock market.
Hire a financial adviser. If at all possible, it's best to find one who knows the Italian stock market and has some degree of experience helping people invest in it.
Sit down with your financial adviser and create a personal investment plan. Determine how much money you're willing to commit to investing in the stock market, remembering that while securities trading offers the potential for aggressive returns, it also poses significant risk.
Follow Italian news and current events in addition to the Borsa Italiana index. Before you invest, you should have a solid working knowledge of the Italian economy and know which companies compose the backbone of the Borsa Italiana.
Pick an industry experiencing significant growth or one with solid growth potential if you're looking to invest long term. Identify the various Italian companies operating in that industry, and do your stock market homework on them, just as you would for an American company. If you don't know how to research a stock properly, head to your library or local bookstore for help.
Contact your brokerage firm when you have determined which Italian company you want to invest in. Place your order and wait while it is filled. Your domestic brokerage needs to route the request to an appropriate, licensed Italian stockbroker to complete the transaction. You may experience a delay while your order goes through.
Follow your investment using the Borsa Italiana's stock-quote tool on the Borsa Italiana S.p.A. English website (see Resources below). Sell when you've reached your investment goal or when the going gets too tough for your risk tolerance.

How to Invest in the Paris Bourse Stock Exchange

Learn how the Euronext is structured. In September 2000, the Paris Bourse Stock Exchange became the Paris-based Euronext exchange, with subsidiary exchanges based in five other European countries. In 2006, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Group and the Euronext merged to form the NYSE Euronext.
Speak to your financial adviser about your personal finance plan. Determine how much money to invest in the exchange formerly known as the Paris Bourse, remembering that any wise investor knows better than to sink everything into a single place.
Open a trading account with a discount brokerage. Thanks to the merger of the NYSE and the Euronext, international investors have much easier access to the Paris stock exchange than they do to other major international stock markets. Thus your buy and sell requests don't necessarily have to be routed through a Paris-based broker for your order to be filled.
Choose a French company to invest in. The best way to find these is to track trends in the Paris exchange by reading local, English-language financial papers and following the market for a period of weeks or months. Check into a company's background the same as you would for a domestic stock: know the share's price history, review financial statements, check earnings forecasts and make a decision about which company's stock offers the best value.
Place an order to buy shares of the company you've decided upon through your brokerage. Use the NYSE Euronext's English homepage to get up-to-date stock quotes and follow your investment (see Resources below).

How to Start a Stock Brokerage

Obtain sponsorship to take your Series 7 exam. You will need sponsorship from a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) member firm or from a self-regulatory organization (SRO). This often comes as a result of employment as a stockbroker with a licensed brokerage.
Pass the Series 7 exam, also known as the General Securities Registered Representative Examination. This test is administered by the NASD (National Association of Securities Dealers). You also need to obtain your Series 63 license if you have not already done so, as well as the Series 24, which permits you to run your own office.
Write a business plan outlining how you will run your stock brokerage. You need to make sure your potential investors believe you have a sound vision for your stock brokerage firm. Include information such as expected expenses, your marketing plan, employee growth goals, and targeted markets.
Present your business plan to potential investors. If you worked in another stock brokerage, you might be able to meet with some of the investors from that company. Tap into your social and business network for other investors. Meet with banks to obtain a loan if you can't get enough investors on board.
Obtain a business license, as well as any required permits for doing business in your area, by filling out all the necessary paperwork through the Secretary of State's office. You also must register your firm with the National Association Of Securities Dealers (NASD).
Hire a securities lawyer and consult with him to make sure you've obtained all necessary paperwork and that everything is up to date. Having the legally required licenses and permits and to start a stock brokerage firm is of utmost importance and can get complicated depending the state you're in.
Hire a fully licensed compliance officer. Ensure that your head compliance officer has passed the Series 14 exam.
Hire employees to work in your stock brokerage. You'll want to interview many candidates and make sure they have experience and education to work for you in the capacity you require. You will mostly need stockbrokers and may later need to branch out and hire secretaries and human resource workers. Stockbrokers must be properly licensed. Ask to see documentation of this licensing before hiring anyone.

How to Give Direct Purchase Stock Shares as Christmas Gifts

Choose the stock you'd like to buy. Whether you want to buy a big money stock or just one that fits well with the recipient's personality, the easiest way to start is to find direct purchase stocks (or DPPs) online. Not all companies sell their stock in this fashion, but there are hundreds of companies that do. One good place to find a list is at sharebuilder.com.
Set up an online trading account. It is possible to contact the company directly but much easier to set up an account with Sharebuilder, eTrade or a similar clearinghouse, especially if you plan to buy stock from more than one company. Simply go the respective website and register. There will be step by step instructions to help you.
Purchase the stock. Once you're signed into your account, there should be instructions on how to make your purchases. It will basically be the same process you use to buy other goods and services over the Internet. However additional steps may be required to verify your identity.
Transfer the stock to the recipient's name. Remember, you want the recipient to be able to sell his or her stock, so you should not leave it in your name. All you need to do is tell the company that sold you the shares that you would like to make a transfer. You can either call the customer service number or look for 'shareholder services' or a similar link on their website to make contact electronically. Be prepared to provide the name, Social Security number and birth date for the new owner.
Once you've transferred stock into the name of the recipient, ask the company to send you a paper certificate. This is what you will wrap up and give as the gift. Feel free to frame it or package it as you see fit. Some certificates look better on the wall than others. For example, DreamWorks stock has a picture of Shrek on the front of it, which is perfect for a child's bedroom.

How to Buy Exxon Mobil Stock Direct (7 Steps)

Download copies of the Exxon Mobile DSPP brochure and enrollment form from ComputerShare.com. You may also request copies by calling ComputerShare at (800) 252-1800.
Read the brochure, which discloses the terms of the Exxon Mobil direct stock-purchase program.
Decide if you want to sign up for automatic debiting from your checking or savings account to make the required $250 initial investment in five installments of $50 per month.
Choose the plan features you want. You can reinvest dividends at no charge or have them paid to you. You may set up the plan as a traditional or Roth IRA or a Coverdell Educational Savings Account.
Complete the enrollment form. Provide your Social Security number and contact information. Include your bank-account information on the attached authorization form if you want to set up automatic debiting.
Fill out and attach a W8-BEN form, available from ComputerShare, if you are opening the DSPP as a custodial account for a child.
Mail the enrollment form with a check or money order for your initial investment--or first month's installment if you chose automatic investing--to the address on the form.