To begin, you might look at playing the stock market as though you were playing a game of Monopoly. That's right; for playing the stock market 'game' is not unlike playing a game of Monopoly. There are definite comparisons and parallels.
In Monopoly there are a Boardwalk, a Marvin Gardens, Utilities, Railroads, etc. In the stock market you have the same type of properties (stocks), as in the game of Monopoly. For example, a Boardwalk may be a GE; a railroad, a CSX Corp.; Duke Energy, a utility. The rent a player collects in Monopoly could be compared to the dividends collected by a shareholder in the stock market. How much rent collected in Monopoly would depend on the property owned and how many houses are owned on the property. In the stock market game this would translate into which company is owned and how many shares of each company is owned.
To win the game of Monopoly a player will need to own properties (three of the same color) before building houses and, eventually, a hotel to attain that comfortable, worry-free income that the player knows will come. (The game is not won by selling the properties you own to your opponent, even at twice the price paid.) The game is won by building houses on the properties owned and collecting that worry-free rent.
Taking this approach in the stock market game, you would not win in the stock market by selling your shares owned, but by adding to those shares owned, so every "rent" (dividend collected) would be higher than the previous "rent" collected. This would be accomplished by holding on to those shares owned, and by having the dividends of each company owned rolled back into more shares each quarter. (This would be compared to building houses on the properties you own in the game of Monopoly.)
In Monopoly three properties of the same color could translate in the stock market game as having three properties (owning three different companies) that pay their dividends, one in January, the 2nd in February, and the 3rd in March. This would give the player in the stock market game a dividend every month of the year. To aid in the worry-free "rent" collected, the companies owned would have a history of raising their "rent" (dividend) every year. Owning one house on a property in the game of Monopoly could be compared to owning one hundred shares of stock in the stock market 'game'. A hotel would translate into 500 shares of a company's stock.
There are opponents in the stock market game, just as there are in the game of Monopoly. An opponent in the game of Monopoly is anything that takes money away from you (remember those fees you sometimes had to pay from those pesky Community Chest cards?). In the stock market game the opponents are also anything that takes money away from you ? taxes, credit card payments, commission-fees, fast cars, booze, etc.
To eliminate any of these opponents in the stock market game will aid the investor in accumulating more shares for even higher dividend collecting "rents". All dividends on qualifying dividend-paying stocks are now 85% tax free, eliminating one tax opponent in the stock market game. And, did you know you could eliminate another opponent ? those pesky stock commission fees to stockbrokers? All stocks purchased can be purchased commission-free, without the need of a stockbroker.
How much money do you need to begin a stock market investment game, played like the game of Monopoly?
As little as 100 dollars can be invested commission-free into a company to start collecting those ever-increasing cash dividends.
You have permission to this article either electronically or in print as long as the author bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (typos excluded). Please provide a courtesy e-mail to charles@thestockopolyplan.com telling where the article was published. (Word Count 679)
For more excerpts from the book 'The Stockopoly Plan- Investing for Retirement' visit: http://www.thestockopolyplan.com
Charles M. O'Melia is an individual investor with almost 40 years of experience and passion for the stock market. The author of the book 'The Stockopoly Plan'; published by American-Book Publishing. The book can be purchased at http://www.pdbookstore.com/comfiles/pages/charlesmomelia.shtml
local house cleaners Park Ridge ..After the publication of the first part of this two... Read More
Someday you may want to retire and continue to live... Read More
It looks like we have now entered a new bull... Read More
With the internet such a huge part of our daily... Read More
I have a 2-car garage. There are nice shelves on... Read More
Unfortunately, most of you who are reading my column are... Read More
Now that you have some money burning a hole in... Read More
Wall Street has been preaching for years and years to... Read More
Success in small cap & micro cap stock trading like... Read More
First let's see what protectionism is. According to Mr. Webster... Read More
Investing in long-term financial vehicles give you the most gains... Read More
If you want one.And I don't recommend any broker with... Read More
Every successful trader has a winning system. There are of... Read More
If you were to find that you had some severe... Read More
It has been said that low cost or even free... Read More
There are many important things you need to know to... Read More
Well maybe that's overstating it a little, but it's certainly... Read More
I love roller coasters. The steeper the better. High and... Read More
Three little pigs went to the market to stock up... Read More
With the stock market stubbornly refusing to settle down and... Read More
Just about everything you have been told about Social Security... Read More
I read a comment by a forum member on another... Read More
The stock market has been going up for more than... Read More
Because you don't feel too sure about which stock or... Read More
Recently I watched my favorite football team lose a vital... Read More
move out cleaning service Glenview ..People are always asking me when should I sell my... Read More
There are so many kinds of work that needs to... Read More
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a... Read More
Dollar cost averaging is one of the most popular ideas... Read More
Before we get into all the good news out there,... Read More
It seems that every day I turn on the TV... Read More
The basis of diminishing return discussions surround such simple notions;... Read More
Any online investor / trader seeks an excellent off or... Read More
You remember (they show it on TV every year) the... Read More
There is so much involved in developing peak performance, that... Read More
Day trading is all about making buy and sell decisions.... Read More
Before you embark upon a journey of trading stocks or... Read More
After finding the price of a particular stock, usually the... Read More
During our travel down life's path we come to many... Read More
All of the talking heads have been telling us that... Read More
Economists know more about how the fragments of society work... Read More
We are already in it, but you can't see it.... Read More
We need a rabbit!This was a pretty horrible week for... Read More
I receive emails from Morningstar. This company provides statistics and... Read More
It depends on your level of understanding of the market... Read More
Sometimes the best way of lowering exposure to risk is... Read More
What account size do I need?How much money can I... Read More
Reduce your investing and stock market risks by:Setting your sights... Read More
Picture one of those clubs where only the real heavyweights... Read More
For years investors have been taught to look into the... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |