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Investing in the Stock Market

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Investing in the Stock Market

Matt Gonzales

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to inform the average investor of how to make money in the stock market. The stock market should be thought of as a long-term savings vehicle. Investing in the stock market should not be associated with gambling. By investing in high-quality U.S. companies, the investor in a company profits along with the company. As a shareholder, when the company makes money, the investor also does. There are many ways to invest in the stock market, but it is my opinion that investing in mutual funds is probably the most appropriate way for the average person, without expertise in stock analysis, to make money. This paper plans to inform the reader on how to purchase stocks and mutual funds and which are appropriate for investing and retirement.

Investing in the Stock Market

When an investor owns a share of a company’s stock, he/she receives part of the company’s profit or bears some of the company’s losses, if the company does not do well (investopedia, 2011). When company does make profit for the year, there are two basic options that the company can do with the profits. They can either reinvest the profits back into the company or they can pay them out in the form of dividends. High-growth companies rarely offer dividends because all of their profits are reinvested to help sustain higher-than-average growth. Dividends can be thought of like cash payments back to shareholders for a job well done (“Get both dividend,” 2011). Most people that invest in the stock market do so by means of mutual funds, usually offered by their employer (such as through a 401k) or through an IRA. The 401k takes its name from the section of the tax code that allows for company-sponsored retirement accounts. (IRS, “401k,”11)

An IRA is an

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