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. Facebook stock might have been one of your top choices when it comes to buying shares in a growth company.
Investing can be seen as a complex subject, but there are ways to make your investments more accessible. Many free stock trading platforms simplify the investing process and have democratized access through the elimination of stock commissions.
That means you can buy one share at a time without having to fork over a per-trade commission. Some apps will allow you to set aside money regularly to buy fractional shares, lowering your barrier to investing in these growth stocks even more.
Today, you can buy shares in companies like Facebook fully online through low-cost (or free) brokers.
While I do not specifically advise you to buy Facebook shares of stock, this article explains how to buy stocks, using the company as an example.
If you want other stock recommendations, I suggest subscribing to some:
I would also consider conducting your own stock research and using stock analysis websites to vet any investments recommended by these services. Likewise for Facebook stock to see if its risk profile and investment objectives meet your broader investment portfolio goals.
This article does not constitute individualized investment advice under any circumstance.
Overview of Facebook
Facebook is a social media site that was originally created by Mark Zuckerberg and co-founded a college, Harvard University. The website has grown to be one of the most popular websites in the world with almost three billion monthly active users as of May 2021.
Facebook is free for individuals and allows people to create their own profiles, post images and video. It also offers a platform for users to interact with others through comments on the profile posts or by sending direct messages.
The website has grown in popularity because it allows people to connect with family members they have lost touch over time as well as reconnecting with old high school friends. Facebook is a place where people interact with each other.
Over the years, Facebook has acquired several related tech companies like WhatsApp, Instagram and Oculus VR.
The company continues to maintain a strong position in the social media market while looking to expand into ecommerce through its rich platform offerings.
Facebook monetizes its online properties by displaying ads on its website.
The company offers a variety of ad sizes and placements to help businesses promote themselves through Facebook properties.
Facebook has also begun investing in live video with the launch of Facebook Live which allows users to broadcast events as they happen while simultaneously interacting with viewers who can ask questions or comment along the way.
Live videos will be another outlet for users to engage with others and advertisers to find potential customers. The company competes with Google in the display advertising market.
If you’d like to buy Facebook stock, you’ll need to find an online broker that gives you the ability to purchase the stock through the NASDAQ stock market exchange.
However, this does not mean Facebook is a stock worth buying. You will need to decide for yourself if Facebook is a good stock choice for your individual investing situation.
Let’s have a look at the steps needed to buy Facebook stock now!
How to Buy Facebook Shares of Stock – Steps to Follow
After you’ve decided buying Facebook is right for you, you’ll need to know where to start looking to invest in the company. If you’re considering buying shares in Facebook, it’s important to consider what lies ahead.
Buying Facebook stock and other companies, index funds or investments is a straight forward process.
→ Step 1: Find a Good Online Broker
When looking for a good online broker, you’ll first want to consider:
- Which markets the broker can access for trading (not all brokers can buy and sell stocks on the NASDAQ)
- 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
The best investing apps for beginners focus on simplicity, functionality, educational and customer support and cost. 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 stocks from 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 ($31.25 value) |
 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 |
→ Step 2: Open Your Brokerage Account
After finding your online broker, you must open an account to begin trading. Opening an account with an online broker is much like opening a regular bank account, and it typically requires that you go through your computer or the company’s website.
Depending on the broker, your location and the rules required for opening a new investment account, it can vary in time required to open your brokerage account.
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 Facebook, 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.
→ Step 4: Buy Your Shares of Facebook
Now that you’ve found your broker, opened an account and deposited money, you’re ready to begin investing in stocks like Facebook.
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 Facebook Position Over Time
Once you’ve bought your Facebook stock alongside other suitable investments, you should use the best portfolio management 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 ($31.25 value) |
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 Facebook 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 unavoidable fees when you trade Facebook 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 Facebook Shares in South Africa, India and UK
If you live in South Africa, India or the UK and think Facebook 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 Facebook 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.
Full list of available countries for Firstrade:
| Firstrade Supports the Following Countries | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Belgium | China | Czech Republic | Denmark |
| Finland | France | Germany | Hong Kong | India |
| Ireland | Israel | Italy | Japan | Korea, Republic of (South) |
| Macau | Malaysia | Mexico | New Zealand | Norway |
| Philippines | Poland | Portugal | Singapore | Spain |
| Sweden | Taiwan | Thailand | United Kingdom | United States |
| Other Useful Content: | ||||
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.
- Very good selection of available investments
- Commission-free mutual funds
- No options contract fees
- High margin rates
- Below-average customer support
How to Invest $50 in Facebook
If you’d like to invest $50 in Facebook, 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 Reduce Risk in Stock Trading
Investing in stocks comes with inherent risks. This holds true for Facebook 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 Facebook 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 Facebook Shares
After this summary of how to buy Facebook stock online, you should have a clear sense of how to proceed.
Buying Facebook 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.
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