How to Become a Stock Investor

Contact your employer and review the stock market investments you have at work. If you work for a for profit company, you might have access to a 401k plan that can be invested in the stock market. Employees of public institutions can invest in a 403b plan. In addition, some companies sponsor employee stock purchase plans that allow workers to purchase company stock through payroll deductions.
Contact several online brokerage firms if you want to invest in individual stocks. The price of trades at online brokers like E*Trade, TD Ameritrade and Scottrade can be less than $10 each.
Review the requirements for an online brokerage account and make sure you meet them. Each broker will have different minimum balance requirements, and if you do not meet the minimum requirements you might be subject to maintenance charges and other fees.
Contact several mutual fund companies and request a prospectus for their managed and index funds. A study of mutual funds reported in Money Magazine found that most managed funds fail to outperform the index over the long-term, so choosing an index fund can be a good move.
Complete the application for the online brokerage firm or mutual fund you wish to use, then submit the completed form and your initial deposit to the address listed on the form. Keep in mind that some firms use a separate address for regular and overnight mail, so be sure to send the application to the right address.

How to Make a Killing in The Stock Market

Choose a brokerage firm that charges the lowest brokerage commissions you can find. Keeping your costs low is an essential part of investing and making money in the stock market.
Compare the costs associated with mutual funds and choose the lowest cost providers you can find. Index funds can provide a low cost alternative to actively managed funds, which allows you to keep more of your money in the stock market.
Research the available options at your employer, including any employee stock purchase plans the firm has in place. Stock purchase plans can be an effective way to make a killing in the stock market since they carry a number of built-in advantages. For instance, the typical employee stock purchase plan allows you to buy stock at a 5 to 15 percent discount, which gives you an immediate return on your money.
Invest as much as you can into your company 401k plan and use the lowest cost and highest performing mutual funds you can find. Review the prospectus for each mutual fund in the 401k and look for funds that performed well in both up and down markets. Invest at least enough in your 401k to get the full company match from the firm you work for.
Set up an automatic investment plan into a quality index mutual fund. Transfer money directly from your bank account to the mutual fund company each month. This helps you accumulate wealth in the stock market by allowing you to accumulate more shares when the stock market is down and fewer when it is up. This process is known as dollar cost averaging, and it can help build long-term wealth in the stock market.
Put more money into your stock market investments when the market experiences its inevitable declines. Buying low and selling high is at the heart of stock market investing. The stock market should be a long-term investment, not a short-term trading vehicle.