How to Buy Google Stock Online 2017

Buying Google Stock for Beginners

In the last five years, Google stock has gone from about $300 per share to over $1,200 per share (before the split). It is one of the few companies (besides Apple) that you can say really has their act together. Most of their revenue comes from their top-rated search engine and Adwords, but they have their hand in other businesses as well. This is what makes them a strong company: They have a handful of businesses that are all doing very well so their income stream is steady and not reliant on one or two products like Apple stock might be.

May 9, 2017 Update: GOOG ($934) and GOOGL ($958) have both had a good month as the stocks have risen more than 100 points. April's earnings report bolstered investor's confidence that the company is back on track and as advertising revenues climbed. Highlights of the earnings report:

• Earnings per share were $7.73 vs. $7.39 a share expected (Thomson Reuters consensus estimate)
• Revenue was $24.75 billion vs. $24.22 billion expected, (Thomson Reuters consensus estimate)
• Revenue was up about 22% over the last year when Alphabet reported first quarter earnings (adjusted) of $6.02 per share on $20.26 billion in revenue

You can read the complete earnings report here on Alphabet's site.

How Much Money Do You Need to Buy Google Stock?

Google stock is expensive, at least dollar-wise. As I write this, the both stocks (GOOG & GOOGL) are priced at $934 or higher! That means you need at least $9.340 just to buy 10 shares, or $93,400 to buy 100 shares. However, you can buy as little as one share at a time with any online stockbroker.

The high stock price prevents many people from buying the stock, and is why many investors in Google stock wish it would split. If it did split, the stock price would decrease and make it more accessible to everyday investors. Splitting just means the price is cut in half and there are then twice as many shares available.

Right now you need enough money to buy at least one share of stock and depending on when you read this, that may be more or less than $934. Please be aware that if you do decide to buy the stock, your money is at risk as the stock can always go down. Google shouldn't be the only company you buy. It is always best to diversify, which means putting some of your money in other stocks as well.

1. Find an Online Stock Broker

In order to buy stocks online, you will need to find and sign up for a discount stock broker. There are a lot to choose from and you will get pretty much the same services with all of them. You can find ones that charge around $5 a trade (TradeKing) all the way up to around $20 per trade.

Ultimately, you will find that the biggest difference between the brokers is their user interface. In other words, what their site looks like and how they present the information in your portfolio. This is ultimately a matter of personal taste. Whichever one you use, you will easily be able to buy Google shares.

Here are some of the better-known online discount brokers:

• TradeKing - Ally Invest (only $4.95 per trade)
• E*trade
• TD Ameritrade
• Scottrade
• OptionsHouse
• Fidelity
• Charles Schwab
• Merrill Edge

2. Sign Up and Get Money into Your New Broker Account

After you pick a broker, you are then have to sign up for an account. Most people are used to doing things online now and signing up for online accounts is much the same with a broker as it is for anything else.

They will need your name and address along with your Social Security number (yes, this is required). They might also ask you to fill out some personal information regarding income, net worth, savings goals, and similar thing, but you usually do not have to answer those questions if they make you uncomfortable. Most likely they are used for the trading company's own marketing and data-collection purposes.

Before you can buy Google stock, you will of course need to get money into your account. Most people simply have the money wired in from their bank, but you can also send in a personal check or hand deliver it to your broker's office if they have one in your city. The wire transfer is quickest and it will allow you to get started buying stock fastest.

3. Practice Buying Stock with an Online Simulator

If this is your first stock purchase, you might want to take a dry run before you use real money. For that I recommend signing up to Wall Street Survivor. It is a free stock-trading game that gives you 100,000 virtual dollars in play money and lets you place buy and sell trades in a system that resembles what you will find with real stock brokers. They have all sorts of contests, videos, articles, and training materials to help beginning investors learn the ropes. Again, it is free, so give it a try if you feel you want some quick experience before buying Google for real.

4. Time To Buy Google Stock For Real!

Once you feel you are ready to buy Google with real money and your online broker account has been funded, it's time to make your first trade. You can buy the stock right away any time the market is open or you can wait in hopes of getting the stock at a cheaper price. There isn't a right way to do it because while it is true that you might be able to get a better price sometime in the future, it is also possible that the stock will continue to go up and you will end up having to buy at an even higher price.

Keep the following in mind:

• Learn to ride the waves: You have to get used to having money in the stock market and seeing it go up and down on a daily basis. If you have never owned stocks before, this can take some getting used to. It's nerve-wracking when your stocks go down. However, over time most investors learn to live with it. Nevertheless, knowing that you can lose money every day the market is open is difficult for some people to adjust to.
• Diversify your holdings: Make sure that Google isn't the only stock you buy. You should never have all your savings in one stock or even all in the same economic sector. This also means putting your money in other investment vehicles such as real estate, bonds, CDs, or precious metals. That way, your wealth can take a hit without collapsing if and when the market takes a dip.