The main way to buy stocks and shares is to go through a broker or a share dealer, but online trading is becoming increasingly popular. Look for a company that's monitored by a regulatory body to ensure that your investment is with a legitimate company with a complaints procedure in case things go wrong.

American companies are regulated by NASD (National Association of Securities Dealers), which regulates virtually all US stockbrokers and brokerage firms. It lists complaints filed and actions taken. Similar sites will be available for regulatory bodies of all reputable companies around the world so you'll always be able to check out the company you're interested in.

You may also want to see our article on when to buy stock to make sure you are buying at the right time.

Where Do I Sell Stocks and Shares?

If the time is right and you're ready to cash-in on your investment, contact your broker or investment manager, and they'll put the shares on the market.

Benefits Of Online Trading

By logging on to the Internet you will be able to check your shareholdings, track recent stock movements; find information on dividend payments and see a daily valuation of investments in your portfolio. All this can be done online without involving a stockbroker. You can even choose to receive shareholder communications electronically rather than in paper form through the post.

There are now many sites on the Internet dedicated to this purpose, and once you are set up this can give you flexible and quick access to your stock information, as well as a quick means of buying and selling stocks, in many cases reducing the costs of transactions.