Best online trading resources, tips etc + Disney stock

[DisneYE]

I've got a few stocks I got thru my bank years ago , but want to get into online trading
What are your favorite online trading resources (youtube videos, apps, websites, books)
I'm a newbie at this so bonus points for instructional vids and/or documentaries about ppl who invested and had success online..

Also, I want to buy Disney stock online and get the paper certificate even if its only symbolic
Can you still get that? If so where? (its for a birthday present)

TIA

 

[cvjw]

We have a broker, but also an account at Charles schwab where my husband does the trading. They have online tools where you can do research. He also uses morningstar for research.

Too bad you didn’t buy disney stock at the start of the pandemic. The stock we bought in March has just about doubled.

 

[DisneYE]

We have a broker, but also an account at Charles schwab where my husband does the trading. They have online tools where you can do research. He also uses morningstar for research.

Too bad you didn’t buy disney stock at the start of the pandemic. The stock we bought in March has just about doubled.

I know. Im a pathological procrastinator. I was also close to buy Tesla stock when it was at $200..and for some idiotic reason I didn't do it.... I hate myself sometimes.

 

[JimMIA]

I'm mostly an investor, rather than a trader, although I do trade a little.

For trading, my advice is NOT to put any money into any stock that you can't afford to lose. We're all geniuses in 2020, but this has been an unusually good year for the stock market. VERY few years are like this, so don't go by what you see today.

Somebody once asked some famous dead guy what he thought the market was going to do. The dead guy answered, "I think the market will fluctuate." And of course, it did.

That quote has been attributed to John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, and others, and I don't know who actually said it -- but truer words were never spoken.

The other blinding flash of the obvious I will offer is NEVER submit a "Market Order."

A market order means for the broker to buy or sell the stock at whatever price they can get. It's a classic rookie mistake, and can cost you bigtime in a volatile market. Learn the different types of orders and use the right one for what you're trying to do.

For research, I would avoid YouTube like the plague. I'd stick with the well-known ratings firms like Morningstar (and others) and also with the major stock brokerages websites. I personally use Fidelity, and absolutely love them, but there are a number of other very good firms.

All of the major firms have both educational materials explaining things, and research tools. In most cases, you don't have to even be a customer to use their tools. When I go to Fidelity to look something up or research something, I don't even log into my account.

For transactions, I would use one of the major brokers who offer discounted trades. Before you sign up, find out what they charge for trades. At Fidelity, I don't pay any fees unless I buy a stock and then sell it within 30 days.

I would NOT use Robinhood because they just got sued by the SEC for deceptive trade practices with their clients.

 

[hertamaniac]

I know. Im a pathological procrastinator. I was also close to buy Tesla stock when it was at $200..and for some idiotic reason I didn't do it.... I hate myself sometimes.

You can make money by shorting a stock as well. So if an investor was long on Disney and bought earlier this year, they should be in a positive position. But, if you think the stock will take a correction or downside, you can play that position as well.

 

[JimMIA]

You can make money by shorting a stock as well. So if an investor was long on Disney and bought earlier this year, they should be in a positive position. But, if you think the stock will take a correction or downside, you can play that position as well.

True, but shorting is not for novices, and most brokers have restrictions on who can short and how much. Same with options and using margin.

 

[DisneYE]

True, but shorting is not for novices, and most brokers have restrictions on who can short and how much. Same with options and using margin.

Correct. I've studied a bit about it but don't feel comfortable getting into it. Would rather start just regular investing

 

[Feralpeg]

I may be wrong, but I believe Disney stopped issuing paper certificates several years ago. They have book shares only. I use E-Trade.

 

[DisneYE]

I'm mostly an investor, rather than a trader, although I do trade a little.

For trading, my advice is NOT to put any money into any stock that you can't afford to lose. We're all geniuses in 2020, but this has been an unusually good year for the stock market. VERY few years are like this, so don't go by what you see today.

Somebody once asked some famous dead guy what he thought the market was going to do. The dead guy answered, "I think the market will fluctuate." And of course, it did.

That quote has been attributed to John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, and others, and I don't know who actually said it -- but truer words were never spoken.

The other blinding flash of the obvious I will offer is NEVER submit a "Market Order."

A market order means for the broker to buy or sell the stock at whatever price they can get. It's a classic rookie mistake, and can cost you bigtime in a volatile market. Learn the different types of orders and use the right one for what you're trying to do.

For research, I would avoid YouTube like the plague. I'd stick with the well-known ratings firms like Morningstar (and others) and also with the major stock brokerages websites. I personally use Fidelity, and absolutely love them, but there are a number of other very good firms.

All of the major firms have both educational materials explaining things, and research tools. In most cases, you don't have to even be a customer to use their tools. When I go to Fidelity to look something up or research something, I don't even log into my account.

For transactions, I would use one of the major brokers who offer discounted trades. Before you sign up, find out what they charge for trades. At Fidelity, I don't pay any fees unless I buy a stock and then sell it within 30 days.

I would NOT use Robinhood because they just got sued by the SEC for deceptive trade practices with their clients.

Thanks for the reply.
I'm aware of the risks and being able to afford to lose.
I want to invest more in stocks, that's all. My bank has online trading (Merrill) and I feel I could open an account with them and give it a try.
But first I wanted to become more knowledgeable about it.
I understand YT is full of garbage videos but I was hoping someone know of interesting videos that give good insights either there or somewhere else

 

[DisneYE]

I may be wrong, but I believe Disney stopped issuing paper certificates several years ago. They have book shares only. I use E-Trade.

Thank you
I read somewhere a few years ago that they used to issue a symbolic paper certificate with the Disney logo
I was hoping they still had them or someone knew where to get them

 

[JimMIA]

Thank you
I read somewhere a few years ago that they used to issue a symbolic paper certificate with the Disney logo
I was hoping they still had them or someone knew where to get them

That sounds familiar to me too. Maybe check with Disney Investor Relations. I'm sure they can tell you..

 

[JimMIA]

I want to invest more in stocks, that's all. My bank has online trading (Merrill) and I feel I could open an account with them and give it a try.

Be sure to consider the costs involved. I don't know what Merrill's brokerage fees are, but there are a number of very good companies who charge no, or very small, transaction fees. Transaction fees can eat you alive if you are "trading," as opposed to "investing."

But first I wanted to become more knowledgeable about it.

Great! You're already ahead of many "traders!"

Decent investment videos are boring, and are found on major broker webpages. Anything "interesting" on YouTube is almost certainly spam.

*****
The other thing you should consider -- if you want to "invest" instead of "trade" -- is mutual funds. That is another whole area of education, but it's easier, usually safer, and better for many investors.

 

[smokeyblue]

I use the Stash ap. First of all I use this ap because it is $1 per month for trading. There are no other fees. The other positive is that you don't have to buy a full share. Additionally the ap is really easy to use. The con would be that they only offer stock from select companies (Disney being one). Other than this, they have a couple dozen mutual funds you can purchase.

 

[JimMIA]

I use the Stash ap. First of all I use this ap because it is $1 per month for trading. There are no other fees. The other positive is that you don't have to buy a full share. Additionally the ap is really easy to use. The con would be that they only offer stock from select companies (Disney being one). Other than this, they have a couple dozen mutual funds you can purchase.

Robinhood is similar. The problem with those partial share apps is the execution of trades. You think you're paying nothing, but the broker is arbitraging your orders so that they can "buy low, sell high" -- to you.

That's why the SEC sued Robinhood -- the SEC alleges they were lying to their customers about the true cost of trades.

*****
With any mutual fund, pay close attention to the "load" (commission). And load can be front-load (paid at purchase), back-load (paid when you sell), or both. Front-load is deducted before your purchase, so it reduces the actual amount invested. Back-load charges commissions on the total amount of the sale, including any profit you made.

Also pay attention to the "expense ratio" of the fund, because that's where many companies make their real money. They "churn" the portfolio to drive up the expenses and that cost comes from you.

Many reputable companies have true no-load funds with absolutely zero commissions AND low expense ratios.

Morningstar will give you a very good, detailed look at all that stuff from an honest, independent, and very knowledgeable firm.

 

[starry_solo]

Thank you
I read somewhere a few years ago that they used to issue a symbolic paper certificate with the Disney logo
I was hoping they still had them or someone knew where to get them

I believe the symbolic one can be purchased (it's not free)....

 

[starry_solo]

Here is the website to purchase the collectible stock certificate (after they verify ownership, of course):

https://disney.computershare.com/#:..., Disney no,preferred form of stock ownership.

 

[hertamaniac]

I want to invest more in stocks, that's all. My bank has online trading (Merrill) and I feel I could open an account with them and give it a try.

I invest through Merrill (ETF and SPDR) and trade through another online platform. Merrill has the option of self-direct through my accounts, so I don't incur any trading expenses. I would inquire if they can waive the trade fees.

Also, don't be shy of market orders. If executed correctly, they are able to produce very healthy profits.

 

[John VN]

Here is the website to purchase the collectible stock certificate (after they verify ownership, of course):

https://disney.computershare.com/#:..., Disney no,preferred form of stock ownership.

DW's 1 share she bought in 2008 looks really cool. It's framed and hanging in her Disney Room. Should have bought more.

 

[JimMIA]

I invest through Merrill (ETF and SPDR) and trade through another online platform. Merrill has the option of self-direct through my accounts, so I don't incur any trading expenses. I would inquire if they can waive the trade fees.

I also use ETF's through Fidelity. They have some of their own, and they also sell other companies. No fees. I currently only have 3 bond ETFs -- one Fidelity and two iShares.

For those who don't know what an ETF is, it's an Exchange Traded Fund. So it's a basket of stocks, bonds, or a mix like a mutual fund, but it can be traded during the trading session. Mutual funds typically are only traded at the close of the session, so ETF's are a little more liquid.

When ETF's were new, they were mostly passively managed, which means they had very low expense ratios. To give you an idea of the difference, I own two Fidelity mutual funds which have expense ratios of 0.70% and 0.79% (that's pretty low). My two iShares ETF's have expense ratios of 0.06% -- 1/10th the ratio of the mutual funds. The Fidelity bond ETF is a much smaller fund, so the expenses are higher, but still less than half of my mutual funds.

Today, there are some ETFs which are actively managed and they will have higher expenses coming out of your earnings.

Also, don't be shy of market orders. If executed correctly, they are able to produce very healthy profits.

Yeah, market orders are usually okay...IF the executions are good. Yours will be good with Merrill, and mine are great with Fidelity -- but not all brokers/trading systems perform as well.

Normally market orders are only a problem in very volatile situations, but I prefer limit orders. Fidelity gets the best prices for me anyway and occasionally they save me a few dollars on a trade. But I'm a longterm investor, so a few bucks doesn't matter.

 

[DisneYE]

Here is the website to purchase the collectible stock certificate (after they verify ownership, of course):

https://disney.computershare.com/#:..., Disney no,preferred form of stock ownership.

Wow thank you so much.