Chapter 1: Get Familiar with Stocks
Have you thought about using any passive income sources? Do you have a
desire to be part of a profitable investment? If so, you should definitely
consider investing in the stock market. Though investing in stocks is a
profitable venture, it is a difficult one. You will be required to learn several
things in regard to stock investments before you can begin buying the
quoted shares in the stock exchange market. Do not make the mistake of
buying stocks before understanding the basics; you will regret it in the long
run.
To put it simply, one share of stocks is the representation of a partial claim
that the owner has towards the earnings and assets of the issuing company.
If the number of shares available in the market is higher, then it means a
single share will have less worth. If one has a higher number of shares for a
particular company, then that individual has greater control over the
company. Any owner of stock in a particular company is regarded as a
shareholder, implying that they own a portion of the profits of the company
(Hayes, 2013). Such portions are normally called dividends. The payment
of dividends is made on predetermined points of any particular year. If you
have shares of a specific company, you may have voting rights regarding
the decisions of the company, in which case you can influence its future
progress.
You should note that owning shares of a particular company does not give
you an active say in the daily operations of the company. Owning shares
provides you with entitlement to a profit share and voting shares. During
the annual shareholder meeting, you have the possibility to vote for the
members who constitute the board of directors. This is the moment where
you have the chance to express your satisfaction or dissatisfaction towards
the current setup of the company or how it’s run.
When you decide to invest in the stock market, it is paramount that you
understand the risk. Be considerate of the companies you resolve to invest
in, and identify whether they pay out dividends; not all companies do so,
and it’s not a guarantee that one that paid out dividends previously will
continue doing it. This is because, when talking about the stock market,
profits are never 100 percent guaranteed. It is impossible to count on
continuous stock appreciation in generating more value. There will be
reasons that may contribute to the slipping of a given stock. It’s also
possible that the company could declare bankruptcy.
Don’t consider the risk with negative thoughts, though; consider it as a tool
that can help you evaluate the potential of a given stock. If a particular
stock presents a greater risk, then the possibility of reward is high if it
moves in the direction you want it to. If you carefully take the time to
understand the risk, you will generate a return that’s higher than the
standard 7 percent promised by many investments; you may even reach a
profit of 12 percent.
Why Do Companies Sell Stock?
A company sells stock when it needs to raise money. It can also do this by
borrowing funds from a bank or another source (Metcalf, 2019). However,
if its owners choose to sell stock, there are no repayment plans you’ll face
in the future.
There are a few different ways to sell stock. If a company’s owners want to
control who is offered a piece of the pie, they sell stock through “private
placement,” which allows the management to choose to whom the stock is
offered.
Chances are that if you’ve purchased stock or plan to do so in the future,
you’ve done so through a public offering. Companies initiate public
offerings, as was noted, in order to raise money. They may need money for
a variety of reasons, including expansion or any other kind of further
growth, or to pay back owners or investors who had a hand in starting the
company.
Companies set up an initial public offering (IPO), which is the first offering
of stock, but they can also continue later with a secondary public offering if
they need to raise more capital.
A company that has stock that’s performing well is usually considered a
stable company and tends to have an easier time raising money through
lenders, as well, aside from the sale of stock.