This column is dedicated to you, the person I was just 6 months ago. You have some knowledge of the stock market, but not so sure about how it works, and mainly too scared to make a move.

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That was me anyway.

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While I was working on my next article, I thought that taking a dive into stock investing would make a nice experiment to write about to my readers. There are many brokers and advertisements dedicated to online investing, so the subject needed to be adressed. And what better way to report on something than first-hand experience?

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The plan:

Spend $2,000 on popular stocks, and then do absolutley nothing for a year. Will I lose? Will I make a profit? Worst case scenario- I'll have the material for my next article.

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What I did:

1. I looked a for a broker with long-term credibility and overall good reviews. Looking into brokers, some negative reviews will arise, as with everything that has to do with money and a volatile enviroment like the stock market.
    

2. After I chose my broker, I set up and account and deposited $2,000 of my money. The process was not stress-free, not because it was complicated, rather because you are making a considerable transfer to company you didn’t know before and hope for the best. Fast forward, all the money arrived safely, and I was left with the investment part.
    

3. But how do I choose what to invest in? There are hundreds of options, just among the popular ones. After reading the news and debating with friends (the broker also had some decision-supporting tools to offer) I focused on 4 big names that were on the list of many websites and analysts. I divided my deposit into 4, $500 deals, and pressed "Deal". I have to say I was more excited than scrared. It felt like I'm silently joining the crowd of people who take advantage of market situations instead of standing on the sidelines.

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How did it go?