>>1265796
>1. How do I invest without a stock broker
unless you have, lets say ~8 digits, you can't. and eve nten there are a lot of caveats and asterisks. so really you can't ever.

>2. How much can I reasonably make with 30,000 in investments per year?

you should be very content if you get 10 - 20% returns, and just generally happy if you beat or match the S&P 500. but who the fuck knows. could be -100%, could be +100-200%.

>>1265811
>unless you have, lets say ~8 digits, you can't. and eve nten there are a lot of caveats and asterisks. so really you can't ever.

Can't I just get a program and start buying stocks?

>you should be very content if you get 10 - 20% returns, and just generally happy if you beat or match the S&P 500. but who the fuck knows. could be -100%, could be +100-200%.

What about just getting dividens rather than buy/trading stock directly.

>>1265824
>Can't I just get a program and start buying stocks?
the program is just the interface of a brokerage.

>What about just getting dividens rather than buy/trading stock directly.

you still have to hold the stocks to receive dividends, so you are still exposed to the risk that the stocks go down.

>>1265811
>unless you have, lets say ~8 digits, you can't
why that? what is the point of these brokers? what do they do that I can't by myself?

Not that I'm having doubts or anything, I just wanna know how this works

>>1265887
>what is the point of these brokers?
They're accredited to buy and sell securities, meaning they've undergone training to ensure they have a basic level of competence regarding financial markets and handling other people's money. Series 7 qualified at the least.
You aren't.

>>1265900
Yet it's the client who buys in the end.
I still don't get what they're actually doing "for me".

>>1265905
>what they're actually doing "for me".
Putting you together with the person who wants to buy whatever instrument it is you're selling, or vice versa.

>>1265905

so lets say company A has 100 million shares of stock they want to sell to investors. how do they allocate it? theoretically, if 100 millino people each wanted a single share, that'd be possible, but the paperwork, documentation, and actual logistics of making sure everyone gets a stock is a costly and time consuming process. therefore, company A, when listing a stock, will usually go to a large bank - or underwriter - who will buy the shares at a slight discount, and then take care of the selling to final investors themselves, because they have the infrastructure and logistics to do it. this is called an IPO, and thats a large part of what companies like goldman sachs, morgan stanley, etc. do.

now that the stocks are distributed to the investors, how do investors who want to buy and sell more shares do that? the company isn't responsible for any of it, and you just have a lot of people holding stocks in all corners of the world. this is where brokerages come in - a brokerage is essentially a place that gathers information on who owns what, and when people want to buy and sell, they will go to a brokerage to find a counterparty for the transaction, as opposed to, say, running around the street saying "WHO HAS COMPANY A SHARES? SELL ME SOME!!" (which, theoretically, is something you can do - see private transactions, PIPE, etc., for related/similar deals). the brokerage is connected to the stock exchange, which has many different brokerages and market makers there to help facilitate the buying and selling of securities.

this is SUPER simplified btw. don't quibble on details.

>>1265887
private transactions, mainly, which have varying and highly situational regulatory requirements and generally require the involved parties to be of substantial wealth and "financial sophistication." it carries a lot of extra baggage and most people, even large hedge funds/institutions, prefer to go through a brokerage(s) - say, goldman sachs - to do their transactions.

>>1265905
Not quite. Your broker will tell you if something is a shitty investment (assuming you have a worthwhile broker) and steer you into a more profitable investment. If you think you know more than them then set up an eTrade account and start making millions you wolf of wallstreet wannabe queer.

>>1265928
etrade -is- a broker. brokers come in many flavors and levels of involvement and such.

>>1265940
i'm a broker too
i broke legs

>>1265918
thanks alot, you explained it in a way i understood.

>>1265928
chill out, i just asked a question. i never said that i knew anything better than anybody

As a Canadian, what broker should I go for then?

>>1266045
TD waterhouse is quite good