Equity Analyst Jobs

Many people are wondering where to put their money for the best investment during the current economic crisis. It can be quite scary with some of the worlds biggest banks going bankrupt and savers potentially losing out it can be hard to decide where to put your money to be safe, never mind to make a profit.

Well there are some obvious places not to invest, the first being in financial stocks. Many of the large banks are still suffering hugely from the credit crisis and it is feared that many of them still have some large losses to come out of the closet. These kinds of stocks are not yet a viable option again and probably will not be for some time yet.

One of the best opportunities out there at the minute (and one that I am following with my own portfolio) is to invest in smaller companies. A small, well run and financed company should not be suffering much from the credit crisis so long as it is not in the financial or real estate/construction sectors. Many sectors are relatively immune to recession such as food (we all need to eat right?).

The point i am trying to make is that no matter what the economy is like there will always be individuals and companies that are taking advantage of opportunities and making money. It is out job as investors to find these companies and to invest in them. Many people say you need money to make money, i do not agree with this, you simply need to look in the right places and more importantly be able to identify an opportunity when you see one.

You cannot trade or invest in stocks unless you open an account with a stock broker. Since investing in stocks has been much facilitated by the advent of computers and internet, you can easily register your account online with any stock brokerage firm.
Before you open an account, you must find out the minimum amount you have to deposit with your broker irrespective of the type of account you opt for from the website of your brokerage firm. Each broker has his own minimum account limit, which may range from $500 to $10,000.

The guiding principle before accepting the minimum amount deposit should be your budget and also the facilities and services that the brokerage offers for a particular level of minimum amount deposit. A comparison-shopping in this respect would prove highly beneficial in long term trading. While it may be true that the less minimum deposit you pay, the less you get in form of services as well, there are some brokerage firms that deliver much more value than the minimum deposit they demand.

A good brokerage firm may demand a minimum deposit for example $ 2,500 but may deliver much more value in terms of lower commissions, as low as $1.50 to $ 3.00 per equity trade, free dividend reinvestment plans and a large number of free trades spread over a long time. They may not even charge you any thing if your account becomes inactive for some time. If you are beginner in stock investing, these benefits can prove to be of immense value in form of risk free investments and savings.

The next step is to choose an account. You can choose an:

1.Individual Account

2.Joint Account

1.Individual Account

As the name suggests, an individual account is an investment account that is opened for one person. You must have reached the age of majority, i.e., you should be 18 years old or above in your state of residence. The age of majority entitles you to full legal rights as an adult. Besides, you must also be a US citizen or a resident alien with a valid social security number. A resident alien is a person who is a non-US citizen but legally resides in the US and also pays the taxes.

2. Joint Account

A joint account is an investment account that is opened for two or more people with the proviso that both people who open accounts should have reached the age of majority in their state of residence. Joint account can either be set up as Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship-JTWROS- --or as Joint Tenants in Common-JTIC.

Opening both kinds of accounts is an easy process. It takes about five minutes to open an account on line. All you need to do is to select the account type you want to open and fill in your personal information.

You also have to read and confirm the subscriber agreements, which include the 'account agreement', 'customer acknowledgment of risk' and 'day trading risk disclosure statement'.

Besides these you are also required to comply with the exchange rules. So you have to read, understand and comply with both the New York Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange data subscriber agreements. You should read the agreement as you scroll it down to the bottom. Read both the sections of the agreement and check both the boxes before you move on.

The next step is to choose your user ID and password. You also have to provide your email id for correspondence. You also need to select one of the four secret questions and provide answer to them. This information is needed to assist you to get your password in case you forget about it.

You have also to provide your personal information including your name, date of birth, residential address, marital status, employment, number of dependents, phone numbers, mother's maiden name, social security number and country of citizenship. You have also to provide your financial information including your employer's name, annual income, net worth and liquid net worth.

The answer to these and a few other simple questions completes the account opening process and you are ready to start investing in stocks and shares immediately thereafter.