If not set up during the “Funding” step of creating your account, you can go to the “Account” tab and then click “Banking. ” Under your name you will see a button that says “Add an Account”. Upon clicking you will need to provide the routing number and account number for the account. It will make a two nominal charges to ensure that there is in fact money in the account and upon verification of your identity you will be ready to invest.
If you only have money for the weekend, then maybe you’re better off going to the casino. If you are in the market for mid to long term investing, however, the stock market may be right for you. If you are in it for the long haul, then maybe a mutual fund or IRA is best. If you only have a couple months then maybe Apple or another tech stock is a worthy buy. It all depends on the market when you start.
If you see that Microsoft is at a 52-week high, then maybe wait for it to become a little cheaper. By the same token, if a stock is at a 52-week low, wait for it to have an upswing before investing. Some companies can have long periods of growth while others trade nearly horizontal (meaning that their periods of rising and falling are relatively short).
There are some circumstances where this could be profitable in the long run (recently AMD had several weeks of high percentage gains in a row) but often this is not the way to invest. Look for stocks that are at, near or below their average price paid by other users.
For example, if the company is about to enter a large legal battle, it is often not a good idea to buy that stock, at least not after its price has dropped below its usual minimum and could then become profitable.
