How to Invest in the Spanish Stock Market (6 Steps)

Shop around among the major brokerages to find the most advantageous terms on a trading account that allows you access to international markets.
Follow your financial adviser's advice regarding the amount of start-up capital you'll commit to your brokerage account. With the relative volatility of the stock market, you're wisest not to put all your eggs in one basket.
Use the same procedure to research stocks as you would use if you were investing in the U.S. stock market. If you're a neophyte in the world of stock trading, it is essential that you take the time to educate yourself on the inner workings of the stock market before you attempt to invest in it. A large number of informative books on the subject are readily available at book retailers, as well as online.
Decide on a stock you want to invest in after you have spent some time getting to know the Spanish economy and have attained a good working knowledge of the principal players in the Spanish stock exchanges. Just as with domestic stocks, you should work with your financial adviser to find undervalued shares with a strong potential upside.
Have your brokerage place a buy order on shares of the Spanish company you've chosen to invest in. Typically, your domestic stockbroker will have to forward your request to a Spanish broker licensed to buy and sell shares on the Spanish exchanges to complete your order.
Use the official website of the Spanish exchange your company is listed on to track its day-to-day performance. The process of selling your shares will be the same one used to buy them: your broker will forward your request to Spain, and it will be filled there.

How to Deposit Stock Certificates Into a Brokerage Account

Endorse and date the stock certificate. Turn your stock certificate over and sign it exactly as the name appears on the front. The account you are depositing into must have the same name. If it is written to a single person and the account is a joint account there may be additional steps. Place the date near your signature.
Write the name of the broker on the back where it states 'constitute and appoint
__ Attorney.' This is where you put the name of the bank you are depositing it into, such as USAA or Ameritrade. This ensures that if it gets lost someone else will not be able to deposit it.
Write your brokerage account number under your signature. This will make sure it is deposited into the right account. This number should be located on your most recent statement.
Make a copy of both sides of the certificate and mail the original certificate to the address of the brokerage company. Choosing a certified mail option, will give you peace of mind that your package arrived safely. Watch your account statements to make sure the certificate has been deposited, and that the number of shares is correct.

How to Buy Stock Options (5 Steps)

Understand the different type of options that are available. The two main types of options are puts and calls. Puts give the buyer an option to sell the underlying stock at a certain price during a given period. Calls allow the buyer of the option the ability to buy the underlying stock at a certain price in a given period.
Track and research the performance of the underlying stock. If, after the research, you expect the stock to rise in price, you should consider purchasing a call stock option. However if you expect the stock price to fall, the put stock option is the correct purchase. There are many permutations of these basic options principles, but these are the trading options for beginners. In the option business, they call this directional trading.
When you see, call or put a price of $2.00, the cost of this option is not $2.00 but $200.00. This is because stock options sell in lots of 100 share options. This is a common mistake for beginning options investors.
Decide which stock option you want to purchase and if you want a put or call option on the underlying stock. Again, a put is option to sell and a call is option to buy the underlying stock. You will need to contact a broker or visit an online option-trading site to place the order. See Resources below for information.
Buy the stock options for the given market price. Be sure to check the strike date of the option. The strike date is when the option expires. If you do not exercise by this date, it expires and you lose your investment. It is usually a good idea buy to stock options with the latest strike date. However, sometimes the stock option will be cheaper the closer it is to the strike date. Despite being cheaper, these short strike dates carry more risk.

How to Choose a Stock Broker (10 Steps)

Build a list of potential brokers. Many names are part of the culture. Take Merrill Lynch and TD Ameritrade, two well known companies. One gives full service the other discount. Choose a name with a good history. Read the reviews for stock brokers at the consumersearch website.
Compare minimum cash needed to open an account. This varies from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Analyze your personal financial situation and how much money you have to put upfront.
Determine the type of investments you want to make. Stocks, mutual funds, bonds, options are some main choices. Look at your potential list to see which company offers the right investment vehicles.
Pick a full service broker. Their service costs more but for the most part leaves investment decisions with the broker. See the customer ratings before you apply. Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and UBS are a few of the big names. See the annual full-service rankings at the smartmoney website.
Choose a discount broker. Make your own investment decisions with a discount online broker. Save money on commissions and fees. Look at the big names and compare, such as TD Ameritrade, E-Trade and Scottrade.
See how much each stock order costs. Online trades are less expensive. A broker assisted trade is much higher per transaction.
Check out additional fees. These range from inactivity fees to maintenance fees. Each stock broker will list their fees and all have websites containing this information.
Think about the services you want. Level II quotes, interactive charts, streaming news, check writing and research are good tools for the investor.
Look at local office locations. Make sure an office is reasonably near your home, more so with a full service broker.
Talk to your potential broker on the phone. Prepare questions in advance and get a feel for the person. Choose a firm that you can rely on and trust.