Thank you to Carl James for sponsoring this post and contributing his insights.
Today we are shifting gears a little bit and doing a fun financial post, since it’s been a hot sec’ since I’ve done one of those! Recently, E and I have been all about getting our finances in order. We started looking into life insurance policies, and have been consistently maxing out our IRA’s for the last few years. We have a stacked emergency fund and are ready to start investing!
But seriously, I feel BEYOND overwhelmed by the stock market & know I can’t be the only one! Snapchat recently went public (meaning people like you and I can buy “shares” of it on the stock market), but I had no idea how to get started with it all and seem to have missed the boat on it a little. I decided to enlist a guest poster to break down this stock market for us confused millennials today:
The Stock Market – What Is It And Should I Try It ?
I know when I used to think of the stock market it was all suits yelling at one another in a chaotic room, with complicated calculations scrolling across screens and papers everywhere. Basically, the picture perfect scene of high stress… and I’m sure for some people it probably still is.
However in recent years the stock market has come on a long way. Today, it’s more accessible to the average person than ever. For those who do their homework, the possibility still exists to earn you a small fortune without much work or time spent at all! So here’s what you probably didn’t know about the stock market…
What even is the stock market?
The stock market or stock exchange is where you buy and sell a little bit of a company, with the aim of selling it for more than you bought it. However like any business that company’s success will go up and down which is where you have to be clever about when you buy and sell because your profit will being going up and down too.
A stock exchange acts as a marketplace for companies and individuals to buy and sell their stock to people who want to have a share of their company. Companies that list their shares on the stock exchange do so for a variety of reasons but usually for extra money for things such as:
- Starting a business
- Opening a new office/ Shop
- Buy more product
- Product research
- Staff
- Expansion
How to trade on the stock market
Trading on the stock exchange used to be seen as only for big businessmen in suits but nowadays it really is accessible to everyone and more and more people are giving it a go, there are many platforms such as CMC Markets that allow you to trade using your mobile phone or tablet, and to be honest do most of the work for you !
Why trade on the stock market
Trading in this way allows you to do as much or as little of it as you like around your existing job and daily life. However, it’s important to keep up to date with what’s going on around the world to give you the best chance at figuring out which stocks will do well (in other words, when it’s time to buy or sell). People tend to find the stock market more appealing than putting their money in a savings account since the returns are better. A typical US savings account will earn you .01-.03 percent interest a month, and you’ll rarely see a traditional savings account with an interest rate higher than 1.05% today. Historically, people who trade on the stock market see an average 7% return of their investing money. That’s a big difference!
Erica
March 22, 2017 at 8:57 amMy dad LOVES following the market and you’d think I’d be more into it given where I went to college…,but I’m still yet to dive in! It’s on my to-do list…I wanna be a total stocks girl hahaha
Coming Up Roses
Adriana Renee
March 22, 2017 at 10:22 amAt my job, my HR rep is always explaining to be how I need to dive in to this! She has multiple stocks and was explaining all the benefits and it’s totally interesting!
Neely
March 22, 2017 at 10:25 amI know pretty much nothing about the stock market! Thankfully my husband does…
Malissa @ QuotationRe:Marks
March 22, 2017 at 11:09 amI have been feeling super interested in investing and the idea of trading on the stock market! this is an awesome post to help me consider it more 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing
-MG https://malissagreenwood.com/
Candy Kage
March 22, 2017 at 11:28 amDo your homework and go trade on the stock market. We love it.
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:38 amDefinitely get advice Candy!
Wendy Tomlinson
March 22, 2017 at 11:40 amThanks for this post. I’m very interested in getting into this. I think like Candy says in the comment below, I need to do my homework.
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:38 amYup! That’s definitely the key take away from Carl that I got as well in his portion of this post!
IG:Suetanyamchorgh
March 22, 2017 at 12:04 pmI love your blog. Very informative.
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:37 amThank you!
Alison @ Puppies & Pretties
March 22, 2017 at 12:56 pmI haven’t done much with the stock market but my husband does some trading. From time to time he will explain what we are in and why but that’s as far as I get into it.
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:38 amlol I kind of gloss over when people start talking about it to me sometimes haha
Rachel at RKCSouthern blog
March 22, 2017 at 1:19 pmI don’t think most young people realize how easy it is to get started investing in the stock market! It really doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating!
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:37 amTotally agree!
Nicole Booz
March 22, 2017 at 1:21 pmI invest with Betterment and I love it so much. It’s so easy and I like watching my money grow over time.
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:36 amYeah we are using betterment I think — I have to see what my husband decided on!
Joseph Hendrix
March 22, 2017 at 3:11 pmi prefer to do index funds – where you invest in hundreds of stocks in one particular category. for instance, you can invest equally across the s&p500, or across a bunch of tech stocks (such as yahoo & google), or even stocks that pay decent dividends.
– Joe @ http://hendrixjoseph.github.io/
Bella B @ xoxoBella
March 22, 2017 at 9:58 pmThis is such a great share. I had no clue about alot of this info. the stock market sounds interesting.
Alix Maza
March 22, 2017 at 10:25 pmThanks for sharing this! Such great tips and tricks.
Alix | http://www.apintsizedlifeblog.com
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:35 amThanks Alix!
Anna Hubbard
March 22, 2017 at 10:42 pmI haven’t actually traded in the stock market, I’m waiting until I get out of college. But I definitely think it’s important to be wise with your investment choices and do your research!
-Anna | http://www.fivefootandfabulous.com
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:35 amAgreed Anna!
Kaycee
March 22, 2017 at 11:34 pmThis post came at the perfect time for me! My husband (who is currently working on an MBA) has recently gotten into learning all about the stock market. He has a few buddies that are currently trading and has learned a few things from them as well as a couple professors. My husband hasn’t invested in any stocks yet because he wants to do a little more research first. However, we found this app called “UpTick” which has a stock market game on it. You can set up a private “battle” between you and your friends. I think it’s good practice to see trends and it’s fun to see who had the better investment.
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:35 amOmg thats awesome! I am going to try that app! thank you!!
Silvia Marquez
March 23, 2017 at 1:52 amThis is such a great post! My cousin really got into the stock market and I’ve been trying to learn from him. Hopefully this upcoming year or later this year I can invest!
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:35 amLove it! It’s so important but so intimidating! awesome you have someone to break it down for you!
Ashley Mason
March 23, 2017 at 6:30 amThis is such an insightful post! I’ve been thinking about investing lately – my cousin does and he’s pretty good at it. I’ve specifically been thinking about doing Ellevest, which is investing for women!
Rachel Ritlop
March 23, 2017 at 8:34 amThat’s so cool! I hadn’t heard of Ellevest!
Miss ALK
March 23, 2017 at 9:48 amThis is something I hadn’t considered yet much, but I hope to in a couple years! Unfortunately my first year salary isn’t very high, and gotta pay off my student loan first. 😉
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
thesofieyahdiaries
March 23, 2017 at 9:49 amSo I’m definitely coming back to this post when I’m ready to go there xD
http://thesofieyahdiaries.com/lifestyle/beauty-and-the-beast-review
Kristine Circenis
March 23, 2017 at 11:44 amMy parents have always stressed the importance of eventually investing in the stock market and have been willing to answer any questions I had. I’m happy to learn that now there are ways of investing via devices that make the whole process much easier.
thesofieyahdiaries
March 23, 2017 at 6:16 pmThanks for the simplified info!! It’s very helpful 🙂
Elly Leavitt
March 23, 2017 at 6:19 pmthis is seriously so useful! I swear my younger brother (who is 16…) knows more about the stock exchange than I do haha def something we need to learn about more! x
Ashley Garza
March 23, 2017 at 8:31 pmThis is such a helpful post! Thanks for sharing your insight! I found this so useful as I have been thinking of investing!
Jenny
March 23, 2017 at 11:17 pmThis is totally helpful! I have no clue about the stock market – my husband is the financially savvy one in the family.
Kristin C
March 24, 2017 at 6:12 amWow! I am so glad you wrote this post. I knew very little about the stock market but had been told I should consider it. Thank you for the info. It’s helpful have! Is there a minimum amount that people invest? I’m sure people aren’t going in with $5 to spend. haha.
Sydney Power
March 24, 2017 at 11:50 amMy dad has gotten very good with stocks, i try to understand sometimes when we talk about it but, I still get lost. It is definitely something I want to learn from him!
Cameron
March 24, 2017 at 1:35 pmYou make it sound so simple! You break it down so well!
Kaitlyn Fickle Killebrew
March 24, 2017 at 9:34 pmThis is such a great post for us millenials! I don’t have any background with the stock market, but this post made me feel a little better about it!
Alex Carreno
March 25, 2017 at 3:45 pmSuper great insight. My family is super involved in the stock market and investing. I’m sure I’ll learn all of this more at some point, too!
http://adoredbyalex.com
Seersucker Sass
March 25, 2017 at 9:17 pmI have been really curious about the stock market, but it was something that I struggled to understand. This post made things much more clear 🙂 Off to do more research now!
XO, SS || Seersucker Sass
Macarena Ferreira
March 26, 2017 at 1:56 pmThank you so much for this! I had no idea about how to invest in the stock market.
xo // http://www.thematerialgirl.co
Marie Ernst
March 26, 2017 at 5:58 pmThis is so not the kind of article I am used to read, but I loved it! Seriously so interesting
Alex
March 27, 2017 at 11:07 amThis is so helpful! I know absolutely nothing about stocks, but I’ve really wanted to start learning how to invest
mckenna bleu
March 27, 2017 at 11:09 amI love that the stock market is something that anyone can do and trade in!
Katie
April 5, 2017 at 9:09 amThis was super helpful to read! I have employee stock options through my company and it has been so beneficial. My husband manages our finances and he tries to teach me, but this post did a great job of making it sound simple.