Like most people, you’ve probably imagined buying shares of a company that grows in value and makes you enough money to retire early and live a financially secure life. Apple stock might have been one of your top choices when it comes to buying shares in a growth company.
Investing isn’t an easy subject to learn, but there are some options that might make investing easier. Many free stock apps simplify the investing process and have democratized access through the elimination of stock commissions.
Online trading means you can buy shares incrementally without being charged a commission for each trade. Some websites will allow you to save money on a regular basis which you can use towards investing in more in your portfolio.
Today, you can buy shares in companies like Apple (AAPL) fully online through low-cost (or free) brokers.
While I do not specifically advise you to buy Apple shares of stock, this article explains how to buy stocks, using Apple as an example.
If you want other stock recommendations, I suggest subscribing to some:
I would also try to do my own research on stocks and use a stock analysis app. Likewise, you should look into stocks of other companies to see if their risk profile and objectives match your broader investment portfolio goals.
This article does not constitute individualized investment advice under any circ*mstance.
Table of Contents
Top Brokers for Buying Apple Shares
Self-Directed Robo-Advisor
| Get up to $60 in bonuses
| Get $3 - $300 in bonuses
|
Basic: Free. M1 Plus: $10/mo. or $95/yr. | Get started with the Plynk app for free; some features may require a fee in the future. | Basic: Commission-free trading. Premium: $10/mo. |
Self-Directed Robo-Advisor
Get up to $60 in bonuses
Get started with the Plynk app for free; some features may require a fee in the future.
Get $3 - $300 in bonuses
Basic: Commission-free trading. Premium: $10/mo.
Overview of Apple
Apple is a tech company headquartered in Cupertino, California that designs and sells consumer electronics.
It was founded on April Fool’s Day 1976 by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Stephen Wozniak.
Apple has created many popular products including: iPods, iPhones, iPads, iTunes and much more.
The company has a market capitalization north of $2 trillion and has become a very popular investment choice for retail and institutional investors for its consistent growth and performance and strong network effects.
Apple is one of the most recognized tech companies in the world with over 300,000 employees and billions in revenue every year.
The company is the most profitable company in the world and continues to hit new all-time highs year after year with its steady growth and success, despite its first-of-its-kind corporate size.
The company has led the way for the consumer tech industry for decades and has a cult-like following of loyal customers, making it an appealing long-term investment.
Apple offers both buy to hold (BTH) stocks as well as dividend paying stock options allowing investors to build their portfolios in different ways depending on what’s best for them financially.
Investors who have held this stock in their portfolio for years have seen significant gains and likely think they will continue to see increases over time.
Investors looking for steady, long-term growth should look no further than Apple Inc.
If you would like to buy Apple stock, you can purchase it from an online broker that offers the option to purchase stocks through NASDAQ.
However, this does not mean Apple is a stock worth buying. You will need to decide for yourself if Apple is a good stock choice for your individual investing situation.
Let’s have a look at the steps needed to buy Apple stock now!
Related: Best Stock Market Websites & Stock Analysis Websites
How to Buy Apple Shares of Stock – Steps to Follow
After learning the benefits of Apple, it’s time to find out where to buy the stocks. If you’re considering buying shares in Apple, it’s important to consider what lies ahead.
Buying Apple stock and other companies, index funds or investments is a straight forward process.
→ Step 1: Find a Good Online Broker
An online broker is a website or stock trading app which allows you to buy stocks. Some important factors to consider are:
- Which exchanges the online broker offers to buy and sell individual stocks and other securities
- Commissions and fees charged by the company for trading
- What types of stocks, funds or investments are available to trade online
- Whether you can open a brokerage account with this company because of your citizenship status
- You’ll also want to consider how much time you’re willing to spend learning a new platform (typically less than an hour)
- Which margin rates the broker offers
Thebest stock trading apps for beginnersfocus on simplicity, functionality, educational and customer support and cost.
Some even work asmicro investing appswhich allow you to invest small amounts of money through making small deposits or even rounding up purchases from a linkdebit card.
I can help you find one at the bottom of this section which makes the best fit for your investing needs.
Some brokerages offer sign up bonuses to give your investing journey a boost. Learn about getting free stocksfrom online brokers for signing up and funding your account.
Consider the following brokerage choices for starting to invest money:
Best Investing Apps
| App | Best For | Fees | Promotions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Robinhood | ☆ 4.4 / 5 Basic stock, crypto and ETF investing | Commission-free trades | Free stock with sign up |
 Webull | ☆ 4.7 / 5 Self-directed investors and intermediate traders | Commission-free trades | Twelve free stocks with $5 deposit, valued between $52 - $30,600 |
 M1 Finance | ☆ 4.3 / 5 Fee-free active trading and automated investing | Commission-free trades | 3 months of M1 Plus for free |
 TradeStation | ☆ 4.6 / 5 Advanced traders, Options and Futures traders, Active stock traders | Commission-free trades | None |
 Firstrade | ☆ 4.5 / 5 Mutual fund and target date fund investors | Commission-free trades | Free account bonus commensurate with contributed funds |
 Stash | ☆ 4.6 / 5 Everyday people looking to start managing their finances | $3/month - $9/month | $5 stock bonus for making a deposit of $5 or more |
 Vanguard | ☆ 4.2 / 5 Basic ETF investing | Commission-free trades | None |
 Public | ☆ 4.5 / 5 Social theme-based investing interests | Commission-free trades | $3-$300 free stocks for signing up |
 eTrade | ☆ 4.5 / 5 Options traders | Commission-free trades | Free account bonus commensurate with contributed funds |
 TDAmeritrade | ☆ 4.6 / 5 Traders interested in more asset classes like Forex and Futures | Commission-free trades | Free account bonus commensurate with contributed funds |
Related: Best Investment Apps for Beginners
→ Step 2: Open Your Brokerage Account
You must open an account with the online broker of your choice before engaging in stock trading. Opening an account with an online broker is just like opening a regular bank account. You can do it on your computer or go to the company’s website.
Some brokers may take as little as an hour to open your investment account, while others can take a few days.
Some apps like Robinhood take only a short time to input your information, have the company verify it and then clear you for trading.
Some brokers also have extensive processes or procedures they must follow for risk compliance, regulations or other reasons.
You’ll want to make sure your money is safe on Webull, M1 Finance or any of the other investing apps listed above.
→ Step 3: Deposit Money In Your Account
When you buy shares of Apple, you’ll need to pay cash for them. This means you will need to deposit money into your account (at least above the minimum opening account balance).
Most brokers enable this instantly through verified services like Plaid. While your transfer clears, some allow you the ability to trade on credit until the funds officially settle in your account.
Thankfully, services like Plaid make this money transfer process quick and easy, not to mention highly secure when funding your brokerage account.
Most brokers rely on direct money transfers from your checking account but others will allow you to deposit money from electronic wallets like PayPal.
Related: Best Debit Cards for Teens
→ Step 4: Buy Your Shares of Apple
Now that you’ve found your broker, opened an account and deposited money, you’re ready to begin investing in stocks like Apple.
From this point, you’ll need to navigate to the stock within your app, enter the amount of shares (or dollars you’d like to invest with fractional shares) you want to buy, select your preferred order type (e.g., market, limit, etc.) and execute the trade.
For greater control, you may want to use a limit order as opposed to a simple market order. Limit orders allow you to specify a price you’d like to buy the stock or better while market orders automatically execute at the price available from sellers.
In thinly traded securities with large bid-ask spreads, this can result in a fairly sizable difference between what you see the stock trading for and what you actually pay.
→ Step 5: Track Your Apple Position Over Time
Once you’ve bought your Apple stock alongside other suitable investments, you should use the best stock tracking apps to follow it over time.
By monitoring the stock after your initial purchase, you can see how its performance aligns with your overall investment strategy.
Consider reviewing the top brokers below to see which makes the most sense for your needs.
Best Investing Apps
| App | Best For | Fees | Promotions |
|---|---|---|---|
Robinhood | ☆ 4.4 / 5 Basic stock, crypto and ETF investing | Commission-free trades | Free stock with sign up |
Webull | ☆ 4.7 / 5 Self-directed investors and intermediate traders | Commission-free trades | Twelve free stocks with $5 deposit, valued between $52 - $30,600 |
M1 Finance | ☆ 4.3 / 5 Fee-free active trading and automated investing | Commission-free trades | 3 months of M1 Plus for free |
TradeStation | ☆ 4.6 / 5 Advanced traders, Options and Futures traders, Active stock traders | Commission-free trades | None |
Firstrade | ☆ 4.5 / 5 Mutual fund and target date fund investors | Commission-free trades | Free account bonus commensurate with contributed funds |
Stash | ☆ 4.6 / 5 Everyday people looking to start managing their finances | $3/month - $9/month | $5 stock bonus for making a deposit of $5 or more |
Vanguard | ☆ 4.2 / 5 Basic ETF investing | Commission-free trades | None |
Public | ☆ 4.5 / 5 Social theme-based investing interests | Commission-free trades | $3-$300 free stocks for signing up |
eTrade | ☆ 4.5 / 5 Options traders | Commission-free trades | Free account bonus commensurate with contributed funds |
TDAmeritrade | ☆ 4.6 / 5 Traders interested in more asset classes like Forex and Futures | Commission-free trades | Free account bonus commensurate with contributed funds |
Fees For Investing in Apple Stock
Despite many of the above brokerages advertising $0 trading commissions, the regulatory authorities in your country may still assess fees to fund their operations. That means you might pay an unavoidable fees when you are trade Apple shares and other investments.
Commissions, for reference, are fees based on trades you make. They can amount to a flat per trade fee like a fixed dollar amount, or even a percentage of the trade value.
Whether you trade penny stocks on Robinhood or Webull for minimal money or trade whole shares of Berkshire Hathaway, you will need to understand the unavoidable fees charged in some instances.
These fees may vary by brokers. Be sure to check the fine print if these costs to invest appear too great or affect your overall investment decision. They should be very minor and not dramatically impact your inclination to invest in a stock or not.
How to Buy Apple Shares in South Africa, India and UK
If you live in South Africa, India or the UK and think Apple is a great company, you might find it difficult to buy stock in the company without using Contract For Differences (CFDs), or a financial arrangement made using financial derivatives that settle differences between open and closing trading prices with cash.
If you want to buy shares of Apple in South Africa, India or the UK without using CFDs, you can use a Firstrade account.
You simply need to setup your account, get it approved, fund it and find the stock within the app to buy.
Best Trading App for Beginners
Firstrade | Trade + Invest With $0 Fees
4.5
Commission-free trading.
- Firstrade is a low-cost leader in trading stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and options. In addition to standard commission-free offerings of stocks, ETFs, and options, Firstrade charges no options contract fees, and offers free trading of mutual funds as well.
- Also trade cryptocurrency and bonds on Firstrade.
- Beginners can get up to speed with Firstrade's robust education center, which offers written and video lessons covering everything from the basics of stocks to advanced options concepts.
Pros:
- Very good selection of available investments
- Commission-free mutual funds
- No options contract fees
Cons:
- High margin rates
- Below-average customer support
How to Invest $50 in Apple
If you’d like to invest $50 in Apple, you’ll need to use a fractional shares trading app to make your purchase. Some of the best fractional shares apps to buy the stock include:
How to Buy Apple Stock Directly
If you’d like to buy Apple stock directly, sadly, you’re out of luck. You cannot purchase Apple stock directly through the company.
Instead, you must purchase it through just about any brokerage firm, including the online brokerage services listed above.
These services listed won’t charge trading commissions for buying and selling Apple stock.
How to Reduce Risk in Stock Trading
Investing in stocks comes with inherent risks. This holds true for Apple stock as well as any other investment traded on stock exchanges.
Consider reviewing the following tips to reduce the risk in stock trading for your portfolio.
→ Avoid the Investing Scams
The risk involved with investing in stocks is not just related to the price of shares. Investors also need to be on guard against scams that may come their way during this time.
Many people look to take advantage of the current investment climate by promising returns that they cannot deliver.
Investors should never buy into any offer that seems too good to be true or seeks upfront fees without explaining how those funds will be used.
To avoid scams, investors need to know what their risk tolerance is and invest no more than the amount of money they are willing to lose.
When considering which broker to use, consider the following brokers above. All of these have millions of active users and have stringent cybersecurity protections.
Further, they offer secure investments that trade openly on exchanges, allowing further protections of your money from theft or fraud.
→ Diversify Your Portfolio
Investing in a single stock carries significant risk. When purchasing shares of stock, consider diversifying into multiple investments simultaneously.
If you choose to buy Apple stock, make sure you also purchase other suitable investments to balance out your portfolio.
If you have a diversified portfolio, your risk will be spread out amongst the various investments which can help minimize losses.
As an example, if one of the stocks in your portfolio suffers from a downturn, then it may not affect all other holdings as much because they are less concentrated.
This is known as “concentration risk” and can dramatically impact your portfolio without proper investing strategies and risk mitigation precautions in place.
Bottom Line on How to Buy Apple Shares
After this summary of how to buy stock online, you should have a clear sense of how to proceed buying this income generating asset.
Buying Apple stock is as simple as following these five steps:
- Finding a good broker
- Opening your account
- Funding the account
- Buying the shares
- Reviewing your position regularly
The basics of online stock trading is not difficult to understand. Use this guide as a step-by-step process for buying stocks with trusted brokers from the convenience of your computer or smartphone.
Further Reading:
