The main way to buy stocks and shares is to go through a broker or a share dealer, but on-line trading is becoming more popular too. 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.
To find a company for online share dealing, type 'Online share dealing' into a search engine, and look at the results in the directory section, which has listings selected for quality of content.
Similarly, type in 'shares for sale' in the directory section to find large and small companies, brokers and individuals with shares on offer.
The FSA regulates the UK stock market and financial institutions, and has a website http://www.fsa.gov.uk which lets you search for a company to see if it's listed and whether any action has been taken against them. American companies are regulated by NASD, which regulates virtually all U.S. 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 shares to make sure you are buying shares 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.
