How Do You Make Money in the Stock Market (2024)

If you're trying to grow your wealth, the stock market can be a lucrative platform. This is provided that you know how to navigate through it well. According to the Federal Reserve, American families between the 50th and 90th percentiles are investing in stocks more since 2019. While this growth is encouraging, many people are still intimidated by the investing world.

This is why we've developed this helpful guide to help more people understand how the stock market works and how you can make money from it. You'll learn unique insights and strategies upon reading this article.

How Does the Stock Market Work?

Before you start investing in stocks, you should understand the basics. First, the stock market is a place where investors trade equity securities. This can be in the form of derivatives and common stock. These are traded on stock exchanges. When you buy stocks or equity securities, you buy a minimal ownership stake in a company. The more shares you buy, the more significant percentage of that company you own.

On the other hand, a bond is a loan from you to a company's business or government. You don't get a share of that company's business. That entity is indebted to you for a particular period, and you get interest payments in exchange for the money you lend.

The stock market is the platform where companies can raise money to fund their business operations. This is through selling stocks; in return, these individual investors can build wealth. The stock market is often interchanged with stock exchanges, but they are different. The stock market is comprised of many stock exchanges. Moreover, the market involves many bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and other securities.

Another term you should learn is trading session, which refers to the active trading hours of an asset or a given locale. Different markets have different trading hours, so not all markets are available simultaneously. Meanwhile, a trading player is an entity involved in buying and selling financial securities within the market.

Stock prices aren't always the same. Certain risks are involved, so market analysis and research are vital when investing in stock. You shouldn't buy shares of publicly traded companies in the New York Stock Exchange on a whim.

How To Make Money in the Stock Market?

Stocks are part of the fundamentals of building an investment portfolio. Why? When you buy stocks, you can get a return on investment. There are two ways to make money from stocks.

First, when the stock prices appreciate, you can sell it for a profit. The other way is through stocks that pay dividends. Not all stocks pay dividends, so you should confirm if the individual stocks you're looking at do.

You can also make money through mutual funds. A mutual fund is a financial vehicle that gathers money from many shareholders to invest in securities like money market instruments, bonds, stocks, and other assets. You can make money from mutual funds like you do from the market.

When stock investing, the general rule is that you earn more money when you invest your money longer. This is the power of compounding. The value of your investment increases over time due to interest, and that same interest is added to the principal amount.

Understanding the basic terms is easy, but navigating through market volatility, fixed-income investments, and the like can be confusing. However, if you follow in the footsteps of successful investors, you can also make a profit and grow your wealth through index funds and more.

5 Ways to Make Money in the Stock Market

There are various ways to make money through the stock market. Here are five popular ways long-term investors have taken advantage of the market:

Star Intraday Trading

Intraday trading, or simply day trading, is a very dynamic and action-packed strategy that involves buying and selling stocks many times within a single day. This strategy aims to make money through the different fluctuations in stock prices.

Day traders are tasked to capitalize on intraday volatility, which happens daily in the market. This volatility is the ups and downs of equity prices between the open and close on a trading day.

Invest in Index Funds

Buying individual stocks can be challenging, but there's an easier alternative. An index fund comprises dozens or sometimes hundreds of stocks that mirror a market index. Hence, you don't need to know much about individual companies to succeed.

When investing in an index fund, you're investing in various stocks simultaneously, so there's no need to manage them individually. This investment strategy helps lower your risk of losing money. However, there's also a risk of losing money because the companies you invested in might all fail.

Explore the Buy and Hold Strategy

Buy and hold strategy is the lowest risk and simplest way to make money from the market. When a person buys and holds a stock, they don't focus on the day-to-day or year-to-year returns. Instead, that person builds a diversified portfolio with high-quality stocks and/or exchange-traded funds. They endure the long-term market ups and downs as a result.

Long-term investors don't concern themselves with market trends because they're banking on the long-term lucrativeness of their investments. Making money through the market doesn't happen overnight; this is the best strategy for long-term gains.

Look Into Dividend-Paying Stocks

Many highly profitable stocks pay their loyal investors through dividends, which are regular direct cash payments to investors. On average, companies reward investors with 1.6% dividends, but select companies have significantly higher rates.

Another concept you should learn when looking into dividends is dividend reinvestment plans or DRIPs. DRIPs allow investors to maximize the power of dividend compounding. When you enroll in a DRIP program through a broker's trading platform, that broker will automatically reinvest any dividend cash payments by buying additional shares of the dividend-paying stock.

Select an Investment Account

You need to open an investment account to get into stocks and bonds. This account is like a bank account, but the money is used mainly for buying stocks. Investment accounts like 401K or traditional brokerage account don't make you money. Instead, it's the platform where your investments live.

Choosing the right account is crucial because picking the right one might help save on taxes. Some investment accounts, like traditional retirement accounts, offer tax reductions, while Roth offers tax-free withdrawals later.

You might even want to open more than a single brokerage account. It takes about 15 minutes to open a brokerage account, and it can open many doors if you're looking into investing in individual stocks and more.

Timing the Market: Myths and Realities

A lot of investors try to make money by predicting future results in the market. This is market timing. This strategy involves the perfect timing to buy and sell stocks based on expected market fluctuations. Market timing is the opposite of the buy-and-hold approach.

While this is one of the strategies day traders use, seasoned investors would advise against this approach. Why? It is extremely difficult to predict the future of the market. You must be very active in the market to employ this strategy.

Should you get involved in long-term investments or short-term ones? It depends. Long-term investing is done when you don't need access to the money invested for an extended period, typically ten years. Growth of the main investment is your goal with this strategy.

Meanwhile, short-term investing involves having access to your money in a shorter period, typically less than three years. Your goal is capital preservation through this method.

Short-term investing can help support more immediate financial goals, while long-term investing is best for significant financial commitments, like retirement or college education. The 'best' strategy depends on your financial situation.

Another concept you should learn regarding timing in the market is market cycles. As the term suggests, market cycles refer to the idea that prices in the market go up and down in time. Seasoned brokers use their knowledge of market cycles to make informed decisions on investment.

A bull market happens when a robust and positive economy marks a long-term upward trend. Meanwhile, a bear market is a prolonged downward trend accompanied by negative sentiment. These trends prove why you should separate your emotions from your investment strategy and have an objective approach to maximize your money.

The market can swing unexpectedly, and a risk is always involved when investing. That's why your personal risk tolerance and historical perspective play a massive part in your investing journey.

Leverage and Margin Trading: High Risk, High Reward

Did you know you don't necessarily have to use your money to delve into the stock market? In finance terms, leverage refers to borrowing money to invest in the market. This borrowed money becomes debt. While falling into debt is considered negative, some investors get involved in it, hoping to increase their returns on investment.

Leverage trading means a person has a trading position worth more than the amount they put into investment. On the one hand, investing other people's money involves a more significant risk. On the other hand, this risk also puts you in the position of gaining a high reward.

Meanwhile, margin trading is a sub-type of leverage trading that involves borrowing from a broker. You then use that money to trade assets. Usually, brokers offer a fixed interest rate on the money borrowed.

Profits and losses from leverage and margin trading depend on the investor's total exposure. The more exposure you have, the better you can maximize the borrowed money to reach your personal finance goals.

How Does Technology Impact Modern Trading?

Nowadays, most investors don't need to monitor newspapers to learn about stocks with reasonable prices. Technology has empowered more people to gather information regarding particular stocks and the market. It's also easier to get information on company listings in the market.

AI technology and other tools have empowered more people to monitor the market's past performance and learn about preferred stocks. Fortunately, it's easier for people to make more informed decisions, and there's no need to be physically present at stock exchanges to make trades.

What Are the Taxes and Legalities in Stock Investing?

If you're involved in stocks in the US, here's something you should know: you don't have to pay taxes if you own stocks and prices go up. However, you'll have to pay taxes on investments that increase in value if you sell them. In short, the government doesn't tax your holdings, just your profits.

Capital gains are the profits you make from selling a stock or asset. The IRS splits capital gains into two categories: long-term and short-term. Long-term is when you're involved with that asset for over a year, while short-term is when you've owned it for less than a year.

Regardless of your investment strategy, it would be best to understand your investments' legal implications. If you have any tax planning and compliance concerns, you should ask for advice from brokerage services or other investors. An accountant can help you determine the legal implications of investing.

Moreover, having an objective approach to investing would be best. Your emotions shouldn't lead you to make decisions in investment. That's why it's wise to research before buying and selling stocks. You won't become an expert in the market overnight, and you must keep learning from your mistakes. You won't make any money if you don't take any chances, but the risk is higher if you're more adventurous in trading.

Do You Need Guidance on Managing Your Portfolio?

Navigating the stock market can be tricky, but the rewards can be life-changing. Research and analysis are key to making informed decisions, and the rule of thumb is that you shouldn't let your emotions cloud your judgment. If you want to take your portfolio to the next level, work with us at Lyons Wealth. Our team of wealth managers can help you develop winning strategies to reach your goals and more.

FAQs

How do you earn money from stocks?

There are two main ways to earn money from stocks. The first involves buying and selling stocks and profiting from the price difference. The other strategy involves dividends.

What happens after you buy stocks?

It depends. If the stock value increases, you may earn money from that increase. On the other hand, if the value lowers, you risk losing money.

Who gets the money after the stock is sold?

When it's the first time a company sells stocks, it's called Initial Public Offering (IPO). The money goes to the company whose stocks you purchased.

What happens when you buy a stock for $1?

Even with a single dollar, you can build your portfolio. While you won't turn into a millionaire overnight, it's a good start to opening more opportunities.