Stocks are normally considered to be a great investment vehicle over the long term. But what exactly are stocks? What are you really doing when you buy a stock?

A stock is basically part of a company. When you buy a stock you invest into that company and become a part owner of it. For instance if you buy, PEP, you would buy stock in Pepsi and benefit if the company grows.

There are two ways to make money by holding onto a stock over the long term. The first advantage is the ability for stocks to appreaciate. As the company grows their stock appreciates. So by investing into fundamentally strong companies and holding them over the long term you can increase your money.

There is a second benefit, some companies offer great dividend paying stocks. If a company pays dividends they pay a percentage of their earnings to their stock holders. By holding dividend stocks you receive a monthly cash flow from those investments.

There is one big disadvantage of stocks however. If you buy a stock and the stock’s value goes down you lose money. There are always risks of losing money. By holding strong stocks over the long term it is very likely that you will see a profit, but it is not a “done deal.” There is always risk involved and you have to be comfortable with those risks before investing.

Overall the stock market can be a pretty powerful place to grow your wealth. The more effort you put into investing and the more often you ask smart stock investing questions like what type of serious strategies are in the market and what are some stock trading basics that can help me invest the more opportunities you will find.

Posted in articles at May 18th, 2010. Trackback URI: trackback
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