How to Properly Buy Shares in UK Companies

Individuals are trying to beat the historically low interest rates that are currently being offered in a number of different ways. One of these ways is by purchasing shares in a corporation. As a matter of fact, in a recent poll that was carried out, 43 percent of prospective investors stated that low interest rates were a primary factor in their consideration of purchasing shares. Increasing your savings by investing may be possible since the value of your investments may increase as the company expands and you may get dividends from the company. Investing in the stock market can be done in a variety of ways, one of which is to purchase individual shares of business stock.

If you want to be successful in investing, you need to have faith in cold, hard facts, and you can find some of this data on websites that are specifically dedicated to investing. If you are interested in how to buy shares uk, an external guide will assist you on how to choose a regulated stockbroker, the fees to expect, choosing the right shares, and more. Now let’s get into what you need to know to properly buy shares in UK companies.

How to Buy Stocks and Shares


Purchasing stock in a firm is a very uncomplicated process. In order to get started, just follow these seven easy steps. This guide contains in-depth explanations of each option.

Step 1: Choose an Online Share-Trading Platform

Buying and selling shares requires a broker. Most individuals use an online share-trading platform, also called as an online broker or stock brokerage app, however, in the UK, you can still find face-to-face or phone-based brokers.

The appropriate online share-dealing platform for you depends on how confident you are when investing, if you want to do it all by yourself, and what are the trading fees you're looking at.

To make your choice, ask yourself:
  • Are you comfortable buying and selling stocks alone? If not, consider a robo-advisor.
  • Have you utilised the ISA allowance that you were given? In each tax year, you are allowed to save a certain amount in an Individual Savings Account (ISA). This year's yearly tax-free allowance is £20,000. If you haven't spent your allowance, consider Free Trade or Trading 212..
  • Is there anything else you need to know about this topic? Some providers have a lot of research that can be beneficial. Choose a supplier based on the information you require.
  • Price structure? You can find flat fee, commission-only, and foreign exchange-only providers. Determine how often and how much you'll trade.
Your option may depend on what you're trading. Will you buy ETFs and individual stocks? Investment trusts? Make sure your online broker meets your demands.

Step 2: Sign Up

After choosing a platform, you must register an account. This step is normally free, however some suppliers may charge for extras like market research.

New customers must provide:

Confidential information. Name, email, birthdate, residence, national insurance number, and job status.

A photo for proof of ID, which may be a passport or driving license.

Payment information. You'll finance your share-trading account with a bank transfer, debit card, or credit card.

Step 3: The Next Step is to Select the Shares You Wish to Purchase

You've made it to the exciting part: picking which firms to invest in. Your favourite cereal brand or the manufacturer of your cell phone are good examples of well-known brands to choose from.

Instead of jumping right in, you may wait and see how the share price changes over time. If you're using a trading programme, you can set up watch lists to keep track of price changes for you. You might even utilise a virtual portfolio to evaluate how well you'd do investing in it before putting real money into it.

After a few months, re-evaluate the situation. You should ask yourself a few questions before deciding whether or not to invest in the stock market.
  • Is the price of the stock different from when you originally saw it? If that's the case, are you satisfied with the new price?
  • Are there any new dangers? Make sure there aren't any new dangers by keeping an eye on the news or recent company announcements.
  • Is there a lot of swings in the stock price? If the stock price appears to be spiralling out of control, it could be due to an influx of new investors or even those leaving.
  • Is it possible for you to afford the stock? Remember that the value of stocks can fall as well as rise, so only invest what you can afford. Taking out loans to fund your investing portfolio is a bad idea.

Step 4: Make a Purchase Order for Stock

Once you've determined which stocks to buy, the process of actually doing so is usually quite straightforward. In your online account, you'll see a price and the option to "deal now", if you're ready to buy. It is expected that you will be sent a contract notice soon after.

There isn't a limitless quantity of shares to choose from, unlike when buying milk at the grocery store. If you're buying stock on the "secondary market," you'll have to find someone willing to part with their stock before you can get your hands on it. This is normally a simple and quick process, but you may want to wait a little longer to see if the share price has changed.

Step 5: Make a Payment

In order to complete the transaction, you'll need enough money in your online share trading account to cover all the costs, including brokerage fees.

An introduction to dealing fees.

Buying and selling stock typically involves a one-time fee. On larger share purchases, this becomes more cost-effective if this is a constant amount (say £10).

As an alternative, you may be charged a flat fee or a percentage of your total assets. You'll have to do some maths to figure out which of them is the greatest fit for you.

You should additionally take into account a 0.5 percent Stamp Duty Reserve Tax on the value of the transaction. Foreign exchange fees, calculated as a percentage of the transaction value, may be required when purchasing international shares.

6. Keep Tabs on the Performance of Your Stock Investments

One way to make money from investing is to see the value of your shares rise, and the other is to see dividends paid out.

Depending on your investment plan, the frequency with which you monitor the performance of your shares will vary. With a long-term investing plan, you may only check in on your shares once a month to see how they're doing. It's a good idea to check in on a weekly or nightly basis if you're working on a medium-term strategy. Your online trading account can provide an overview of the progress you've made, regardless of the option you select.

You may also want to limit the amount of money you spend on stock trading. You could, for example, set an automatic sale whenever the shares' value drops by 10% or rises by 50%. As a result, you will have a limit on the amount of money you can lose, or you may be prompted to sell out when the shares go too high. These were briefly discussed in Step 4 of the process.
Previous Post Next Post