How to Buy Stock on Robinhood App: A Beginner's Guide

Author

Reads 855

Mobile Trading App with Financial Market Charts
Credit: pexels.com, Mobile Trading App with Financial Market Charts

To buy stock on the Robinhood app, you'll need to create an account and fund it with money. This can be done with a debit card, bank transfer, or wire transfer.

You can download the Robinhood app from the App Store or Google Play Store and sign up for an account in just a few minutes. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices.

The minimum amount you can deposit into your Robinhood account is $1, but you can deposit more money if you need to. This is a great way to get started with investing in the stock market.

Once you've funded your account, you can start searching for stocks to buy.

Sign Up Now

To sign up for Robinhood, you'll need to be at least 18 years old and have a valid Social Security number. You'll also need a U.S. address.

Robinhood doesn't charge any fees for opening or maintaining a brokerage account, so you can sign up without breaking the bank. You can start investing with just a few dollars, thanks to fractional shares.

Here are the details you'll need to get started:

  • Social Security number
  • A mobile device
  • Bank information to fund your account (you can set this up later)

With Robinhood, you can make unlimited commission-free trades, and earn 4.5% interest on uninvested cash in your account with Robinhood Gold.

Understanding the Basics

Credit: youtube.com, How To Invest on Robinhood For Beginners (In Under 5 Mins)

Fractional shares allow investors to purchase smaller portions of a company or ETF, making it possible to buy in with a smaller budget. This is a game-changer for individual investors who couldn't afford full shares in the past.

Investors can now get started sooner and access a wide range of individual stocks and exchange-traded funds, whereas before they might have had to wait until they could afford a full share, which could be hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Is Good?

Robinhood is a solid choice for beginners because it offers a user-friendly app. This makes it easy for new investors to navigate the platform.

You can start investing with minimal amounts through fractional shares, which is a great feature for those just starting out. This allows you to buy a portion of a share, rather than a whole one.

Robinhood offers decent access to penny stocks, with over 250 options available as of August 2024. This is a plus for investors interested in these types of stocks.

One of the benefits of using Robinhood is that it offers commission-free trades. This can help save you money on trading costs.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Capital One Stock Buy or Sell

Explained

Credit: youtube.com, Options Trading For Beginners - The Basics

Robinhood offers access to over 250 penny stocks, which can be a great way to start investing with a small budget. You can buy penny stocks on Robinhood by following a few simple steps, which we'll cover in a bit.

To buy penny stocks on Robinhood, you'll need to open and fund your account, which can be done by linking your bank account or debit card and depositing funds for investing. Once you have an account, you can pick a stock to invest in by researching potential stocks until you're comfortable investing your money.

You can research stocks to buy by looking at company annual reports, which are readily available on their websites. Reading a company's annual report can help you value a company and make informed investment decisions. You can also look at metrics like net income, revenue, price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio), and earnings per share (EPS).

Fractional shares are a great way to invest in stocks, especially with a small budget. With fractional shares, you can buy a tiny increment of ownership in a company or exchange-traded fund (ETF), rather than requiring you to buy a full share. This levels the playing field and allows you to invest in a wider range of individual stocks and ETFs.

For more insights, see: Can You Buy Partial Shares of Etfs

Credit: youtube.com, Understanding Money: The Basics Explained

Here are the steps to buy penny stocks on Robinhood:

  1. Open and fund your account.
  2. Pick a stock to invest in.
  3. Select your order type.
  4. Enter the number of shares to buy.
  5. Review your order.
  6. Submit your purchase.

You can also choose between buying in whole shares or fractional shares, which allows you to invest specific dollar amounts, as low as $1.

Day Trading and Eligibility

Day trading on Robinhood can be a bit tricky, but it's definitely possible. You can day trade penny stocks on Robinhood, but there's a catch - if you have a Robinhood Instant account, you can only execute up to three day trades in a five trading day period.

It's worth noting that day trading is a highly risky trading method, so make sure you have a solid understanding of the market and various trading strategies before attempting it.

If you're not comfortable with the restrictions on Robinhood Instant accounts, you can always downgrade to a cash account. This will give you the freedom to trade without any day trade restrictions, but keep in mind that you won't have access to margin trading.

To switch to a cash account, follow these steps: Head to the Account tab in the bottom-right corner of the screen.Tap the hamburger menu in the top-right corner of the screen, and then select Investing.Scroll down and select Day trade settings.Select Switch to cash account.

If this caught your attention, see: How Much Does a Day Trader Make on Average

How to Buy

Credit: youtube.com, How to Buy Stocks on Robinhood For Beginners (2025)

To buy stock on the Robinhood app, you can follow these simple steps. First, you'll need to open and fund your account by linking your bank account or debit card and depositing funds for investing.

Robinhood's platform combines real-time trading with a customizable portfolio, making it easy to trade ETFs, stocks, and options with just the swipe of a finger. This platform also gives you access to financial news, professional research from Morningstar, and a fully built newsfeed.

To find penny stocks on Robinhood, you can follow the instructions on their website or sign up for an account and navigate to the penny stock section. Research potential stocks until you're comfortable investing your money.

Here are the steps to buy penny stocks on Robinhood:

  1. Open and fund your account.
  2. Pick a stock.
  3. Select your order type.
  4. Enter the number of shares to buy.
  5. Review your order.
  6. Submit.

Fractional shares are also available on Robinhood, which means you can buy a portion of a share for as low as $1. Stocks that are worth more than $1 per share and have a market capitalization of more than $25 million are eligible for fractional shares.

Managing Your Investments

Credit: youtube.com, Robinhood How to Buy & Sell Stock in 24 Hour Market

To manage your investments on Robinhood, start with a small amount of money you're OK with losing. This will help you get comfortable with the process without risking too much.

To create a diversified portfolio, include at least fifteen stocks across different industries and company sizes that you've researched. Thanks to fractional shares, you can start investing with just a few dollars.

Consider using a stock market simulator to create a "practice portfolio", which will help you learn how the market fluctuates over time. This will also help you develop healthy investing habits, like not checking your account excessively.

A different take: Start Investing

Funding Your Account

You can link your bank account to the app and fund your Robinhood account directly. These funds will appear as pending until they are clear in about 5 business days.

You can fund your account from various financial institutions, and it isn't mandatory to do so at the initial stage. You can fund your account later via the mobile app.

Credit: youtube.com, How to Leave Your Investment Advisor (It's Easier Than You Think)

Direct deposits allow you to use a paycheck from any job as a means to fund your Robinhood account. You can also set up automatic deposits into your brokerage account on the mobile application.

Robinhood allows you to make up to 5 deposits per day totaling $50,000. You can cancel transfers as needed.

To ensure a smooth transfer, keep the money in your account for the 5 business days to ensure that your transfer is not canceled due to a lack of funds.

Here are some key facts to keep in mind when funding your Robinhood account:

  • Link your bank account to the app to fund your account directly.
  • Funds will appear as pending for about 5 business days.
  • You can fund your account from various financial institutions.
  • Direct deposits allow you to use a paycheck from any job.
  • Automatic deposits can be set up on the mobile application.
  • You can make up to 5 deposits per day totaling $50,000.

How to Handle Shares?

If you're new to investing, you might be wondering how to handle shares. One thing to keep in mind is that you can place fractional share orders in dollar amounts or share amounts, which means you can buy or sell a portion of a share.

Robinhood will convert a cash amount to the equivalent number of shares, and then buy or sell the stock at the best available price. This is convenient if you want to invest a small amount of money, like $10.

See what others are reading: Share Market Phonepe

Credit: youtube.com, How to Successfully Manage a Stock Portfolio | VectorVest

To place a fractional share order, you can follow these steps: go to an individual stock's detail page, select Trade, and then choose Buy or Sell. Next, select Shares or Dollars, and then enter the amount to trade.

You'll have the option to Sell All if you have less than $1 of any fractional share. For example, if you own 0.01 shares of YOWL and the price is $1,000 per share, you'll pay $10.

If you place an order to Buy in Shares or Sell in Shares, you'll choose the amount of shares to buy or sell. You can buy or sell as little as 0.000001 shares.

Orders above $0.01 will be rounded to the nearest penny, and fractional share orders under $0.01 will be rounded up to $0.01. This means that if you place an order to buy 0.01 shares of YOWL, your order will be executed as soon as possible.

Here's a summary of how to handle shares:

Robinhood handles fractional share orders on a Not Held basis, which gives them time and price discretion to secure the best possible execution for you. This doesn't change the ownership of your shares or how your shares are held in your account.

Reinvesting Dividend Shares

Credit: youtube.com, Dividend Reinvestment, Explained - How To Automatically Reinvest Your Dividends

Dividend payments are a portion of profits companies pay to shareholders, and you'll typically receive a proportionate amount if you own fractional shares. You'll usually receive your dividend payment on the same schedule as investors with full shares.

Some brokerages, like Robinhood, allow you to reinvest cash dividend payments back into the underlying stock or ETF. This is known as a Dividend Reinvestment Plan.

Dividend reinvestments can support compounding returns, even with small investments like a single dollar or a fraction of a share. Using automatic reinvestment can make investing easier, even for hands-on investors.

Keep in mind that while fractional shares and dividend reinvestment help get the ball rolling, your results are directly affected by how your investments perform and the amount you've invested.

Robinhood Features and Options

You can trade stocks, options, and ETFs commission-free on Robinhood.

The app offers a free stock when you open an account. This is a great way to get started with investing, even if you're not sure what to buy yet.

Credit: youtube.com, HOW TO TRADE OPTIONS ON ROBINHOOD FOR BEGINNERS 2024

Robinhood gives you access to 24-hour market and IPOs, so you can trade at any time.

One of the unique features of Robinhood is that it offers a 1% match on IRAs. This is a great way to boost your retirement savings.

If you have uninvested cash on Robinhood, you can earn 5.0% APY with a Gold subscription. This is a nice bonus for keeping your cash on the platform.

Your first 30 days on Robinhood are free, which is a great opportunity to try out the app and see if it's right for you.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Robinhood Roth Ira Crypto

Micheal Pagac

Senior Writer

Michael Pagac is a seasoned writer with a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail. With a background in research and journalism, he brings a unique perspective to his writing, tackling a wide range of topics with ease. Pagac's writing has been featured in various publications, covering topics such as travel and entertainment.

Love What You Read? Stay Updated!

Join our community for insights, tips, and more.