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
Fotolia.com'>
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.
Fotolia.com'>
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.
Fotolia.com'>
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.
Fotolia.com'>
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.
Fotolia.com'>

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 Monitor Stock Prices in Microsoft Excel

Open a blank Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
Click on a cell where you want to show a stock price.
Click on 'Data' in the top menu bar.
Scroll down to 'Import External Data,' then over to 'New Web Query.'
In the window that pops up, type the URL http://finance.yahoo.com in the address.
Enter the stock symbol you wish to track. Be sure to double check that you entered the correct stock symbol by checking the company name that shows.
Scroll down to 'Last trade:' and click on the arrow to the left. The arrow will change to a check mark. The data highlighted will be shown on your spreadsheet.
Choose the data you wish to be in your spreadsheet, then click on the 'Import' button at the bottom of the window. You may choose to add any data with an arrow next to it into your spreadsheet by clicking on the arrow to the left of the data.
Verify the cell where you want the data to appear when prompted. You can click on any cell in the spreadsheet if you wish to change the location. Click on 'OK' after choosing the cell.
Save the spreadsheet. You can update the stock price(s) any time by clicking on 'Data' in the top menu bar. Then scroll down to 'Refresh Data' and click on it.
Know that you can also update the stock prices in the 'External Data' toolbar. Just click on the red exclamation point in that toolbar.

How to Cancel a Stock Certificate (5 Steps)

Retrieve the stock certificate from your broker, or vault, if it is stored in your possession.
Flip the stock certificate over and write 'VOID,' in bold letters, across the back of the certificate. Your broker can perform this task for you.
Record a date of cancellation, such as 'January 01, 2010' or '01/01/10.'
Jot down the transaction date printed on the right side of the certificate. Record the date in your books.
Figure the age of the canceled stock certificate. For example, 'Certificate 1234 was canceled on January 01, 2010, just nine months after the original transaction date.' Record this information in your books.

How to Make a Rifle Stock (10 Steps)

Identify your rifle and its specific style. If you are looking to replace an old and worn-out rifle stock, you may simply copy the design. But if you want to improve the look of your rifle, you need to look up various websites that deal with stock design so you can choose an appropriate shape and size.
Design and plan your rifle stock to the smallest detail. Draw the design to see how it will eventually look like when finished and choose the type of the wood as well. Note that the wood you choose for the stock needs to be of highest quality, aside from being hard, resilient and strong. One of the most common types of wood used for stocks is walnut. When you have the plan and the dimensions, purchase the needed materials and gather all the tools necessary. Remember that the most important dimensions are: length of pull, drop at comb and drop at heel, cast on and cast off and pitch.
Choose a particular wood board such as walnut or any other type you want for your rifle stock. Check the wood on all sides to see whether there is any discoloration, knots or other damage. Also check the pattern of the wood grain, since it needs to be healthy looking and, most importantly, spread in the direction of the longer dimension. If you can't see the wood grain clearly, pour some water on the board to see it. Then quickly wipe the excess liquid with a dry clean cloth, since the wood need to be absolutely dry.
Make a Plexiglas template of your design and cut it with a saw. Then hold the Plexiglas against the wood board and look through it to see how the grain is directed and positioned. Since the template is transparent, you will be able to see what the best position for the stock is. Use a marker to draw around the template and mark the place for cutting the stock.
Cut the wood to the required length, following the edges of the marked template. Make sure to add an extra inch or two for styling and shaping. Use a power saw for this task and make sure to protect yourself and others while using it.
Cut the exact shape of the template by using a bandsaw. A bandsaw is a power tool that can accomplish finer and more detailed cutting, ut make sure not to cut inside the lines: that kind of extra fine work is best left for hand-held carpentry tools.
Shape the stock into its final form by using a chisel and sandpaper. Treat the edges and the sides with sandpaper and use a chisel to add shadow lines or whatever other elements you wish. Make sure to achieve a comfortable and ergonomic shape of the stock, which provides a secure and firm fit and a stable grip as well. Check the shape from time to time during this part of the process so you can feel it in your hands and, more importantly, on your shoulder. Check the stock against the rifle as well. Now is the time to make the final adjustments if needed. Remember, the stock needs to be firmly and seamlessly attached to the rifle when it's finished.
Attach the metal part/hardware that will eventually be mounted to the rifle. Use a chisel to carve the place for the metal part and then attach it with strong wood glue and leave it in a vise for a few hours to dry and harden.
Apply a layer of wood primer and then let it dry completely. At this point, you will be able to see the beauty of the wood grain and pattern more clearly.
Finish your rifle stock by applying a coat of wood gloss or wood lacquer to its surface. Use a fine, soft brush with natural fibers to apply the gloss and make sure to allow one layer to dry and harden before adding another one.

How to Buy Wells Fargo Preferred Stock (6 Steps)

Compare the different types of preferred stock available. Wells Fargo Capital has six offerings. They include Non-Cumulative Convertibles (CUSIP: 949746804), Non-Cumulative Perpetual (two offerings; CUSIP: 949746PM7 and 949746879), Wells Fargo Preferred Funding Corp (CUSIP: 92977V206), Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual (No CUSIP) and Dividend Equalization Preferred (CUSIP: 949746887).
Compare callable dates. A call date refers to the date the company can 'call back' or pay you back for the securities. Convertibles have a call option embedded as a feature and the fixed rate cumulative securities are also callable at any time. All others have call dates ranging from March 15, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2022.
Compare coupons. The coupon is the amount you will receive in interest for buying the bond. Coupons are both fixed or floating, and range from 5 percent to 9 percent or more depending on the associated index.
Compare coupon payment dates. Payment dates can range from twice a year to four times a year. Choose an offering that best fits your income needs.
Compare final maturities. All of Wells Fargo's preferred stock are perpetual, which means they have no final maturity date.
Make a purchase through your broker, online broker or contact Wells Fargo Capital directly. You will need the CUSIP number provided in Step 1. This number contains all the information the broker or Wells Fargo representative needs. You will also need to stipulate the number of shares you wish to purchase. Divide the amount you would like to invest by the current price of the stock (see Resources).

How to Make a Prediction From a Stock Chart

Use indicators. In addition to the price of a stock over a given time period, most charts include data on volume and price moving averages as well as various meta-indicators that help interpret this data. The Relative Strength Indicator and Moving Average Convergence/Divergence oscillator are common indicators that most chartists use to confirm the strength of a trend.
Identify support and resistance. Some of the most useful information to a trader or investor is support and resistance levels. These are the price at which a stock has tendencies to be widely bought and sold. Often, price will react predictably at these levels, consistent with past performance. If these levels are broken by prices moving beyond them, however, they are still useful as confirmation of a major change in behavior.
Look for trend lines. Trends are what most investors and traders want to spot. By connecting tops or bottoms, chartists can draw a trend line and evaluate whether it's used as support or resistance in continuation of the trend.
Count wave patterns. Elliott wave counting is a complex and highly specialized chart-reading technique that can make powerful predictions about a stock based on the relative size and duration of price movements.
Read candlesticks. One of the oldest chart-reading techniques is the interpretation of candlesticks. Most have Japanese names because the technique was invented by rice traders in Japan. The relative shape and size of a candlestick's body and wick and its shape in relation to the candlesticks adjacent to it are widely believed to have predictive value.