To buy a stock, you need a middleman. In the old days, you’d call a guy in a suit; today, you just download an app.

This is where most beginners get stuck. You have two main paths:

Here is your simple, step-by-step guide to going from "I have no idea what a ticker symbol is" to "I’m an investor."

This says, "I only want to buy this stock if the price drops to $X." This gives you more control over what you pay. 4. The Waiting Game (The Hard Part)

When you find a stock you want, you’ll click "Buy," but you’ll be faced with two main choices:

Transfer the cash back to your bank (but remember: you’ll likely owe some taxes on your profits!).