Q: How do you actually buy stocks?

Answer: Most people buy their stocks through an online broker, such as TD Ameritrade, E*Trade or Schwab, just to name a few. These all charge trading commissions under $10 and offer valuable educational resources for new and experienced investors. It’s a good idea to shop around and compare fees and features of a few brokers before picking one. Most of these services use investments called exchange-traded funds (ETF).

Once you’ve decided, opening your account is pretty straightforward. You’ll need to sign a few forms and answer some questions, which can generally be done entirely online, and you can fund the account via an electronic funds transfer, wire transfer, by mail or through less-common methods.

After your account has been opened and funded, most brokers have a quick order-entry feature on your account’s home screen. You’ll be able to choose whether to enter a “limit” order, which means that you name the maximum price you’re willing to pay for the stock, or a “market” order, which means that you want to buy shares now at the current market price. Once you’ve decided on your order method, enter the number of shares you want and hit “buy.” Before you know it, you’ll be a stock owner.

Another option starting to gain traction are microinvestment apps like Acorns, Stash, Betterment and Robinhood. These apps allow would-be stock buyers to bypass brokerage account minimums when investing. Each has its pros and cons.