The Stock Market Is Confusing—We're Here to Help

The Stock Market Is Confusing—We’re Here to Help

IMAGES COURTESY OF MARK WAGNER

You’ve heard about the stock market—to keep it really simple, it can make you rich or leave you poor. It can be really terrifying to gamble your hard earned cash on a guess, but maybe you like taking risks if it means you can earn big? Or maybe you’re just looking for a little fun. Either way, you have to be a little curious if you’ve landed on this page and we’re prepared to satisfy your curiosity about day-trading, even if you’re a tad bit hesitant.

As we’re sure you’re aware, modern technology has made so many things possible with just the swipe of a finger and investing is no different. If you go to your App store and type in a few key words, you’ll find pages and pages and pages of stock market-related apps, but we’ve found three that we’ve found to be most helpful—even for those of you who barely know what the stock market is. So enjoy our step-by-step, app-by-app guide below:

For those who don't know anything about investing...

Stash

We’re not going to pretend like the stock market isn’t a complicated maze. It is difficult to maneuver, but that is why Stash exists. The company’s mission is to make financial opportunity possible for everyone, regardless of circumstance, by making it as simple as possible. When you sign up, you take a questionnaire, and based on that questionnaire, Stash will create a portfolio based on your interests. For instance, if you’re into the saving environment (why wouldn’t you be?) then Stash will present you with a portfolio full of environmentally conscious businesses to invest in. There are also tutorials, educational tips, and you only need $5 to start investing.

For when you sort of get it, but not really...

Uptick

So you’re keeping up with trends and you know that you won’t get an extra zero at the end of your bank statement overnight, but you’re still timid. The world of Uptick is only a representation of trading for you to practice and experience just how thrilling trading can be. Even though it looks and acts like the stock market, you won’t have to invest any real dollar bills to participate. Go ahead, dip a toe in.

For when you're ready to start investing on small budget...

Acorns

“Micro-investing” is what Acorns calls it. They’re another app hoping to make stock trading for everyone, not just the mega wealthy. When you sign up, Acorns links to your bank account, starting with your spare change. If you spend $4.56 coffee they pull out .44 cents to put into your portfolio. You can watch your money and pull it out any time.

The Stock Market Is Confusing—We’re Here to Help