- 1). Explore the website. In addition to learning the nuts and bolts of placing trades, the E*Trade website offers assistance with your overall investment planning. Various tutorials are in place to help you learn more about investing in general, and about specific investments as well. In order to get comfortable with actually trading, you may want to spend some time learning about what to expect after you place your first stock trade.
- 2). Open an account. While you may want to jump right in and start trading, first you need a place to house both your investments and your money. From the E*Trade home page, click on "Open An Account" and choose the type of account you want to open. For most investors, the "general investing" account section is a good place to begin. If you want to find out which account is most appropriate for your situation, every account type on the website has a "learn more" link next to it. According to the E*Trade website, it should only take 10 to 12 minutes to open an account online.
- 3). Research investments. Now that you understand how to open an account, you should learn what to put in it. Whatever your reasons for wanting to buy a particular stock, you should always consult outside opinions and collect further information on your stock. Some things to consider might include future profit outlook, dividend payout, chart pattern, and overall market sentiment, but there are many variables affecting individual stocks. Stocks can be volatile investments, and if you are considering purchasing one, you might want to think of it as part of an overall portfolio. Diversifying your investments can help smooth out the fluctuations of any individual investment.
- 4). Buy your stock. Once you have selected a stock in line with your investment objectives, go to the E*Trade website, pull up your account, and enter a trade. Follow the instructions of the drop-down menus and enter the required information, including stock symbol, number of shares to purchase, and whether or not you want to specify a price, or "limit," at which to buy. When you enter a trade, you will be shown a confirmation screen and asked if you want to continue--make sure the information is as you desire, then proceed with your trade. When you receive your final confirmation after the trade, verify that it matches your pre-trade instructions.
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