In order to buy any stocks, you'll need a brokerage account. There are tons of "discount" brokerages online, many of which you might of heard of, including eTrade, with the cute babies in the commercials.
To find the perfect broker for you, think about how much you would want to pay for the privilege of investing (known as a commission fee to the brokerage) and how important customer service is to you. You'll also want assess the amount of cash you have available to begin.
The last step is where a lot of women I know get hung up: account minimums. I know shelling over $500, $1,000, or more can be an extremely daunting thought. Don't be intimidated by it. Think about how you're building security for yourself; security is worth far more than any account minimum.
That said, you may be in a situation in which it is virtually impossible for you to save more than $20 per paycheck (I've been there, too). There's a brokerage out there for you, too.
Below is a chart giving some details about some well-known online brokerages. Poke around their websites and see which one you might want to invest with. I speak very highly of Schwab, but brokers aren't one size fits all.
Once you've chosen a broker, stay tuned. The fun is just beginning...
* Why is a low price per trade important? Aside from the obvious of lower prices generally being better, commission fees eat at your overall returns. So, if you decide to buy a stock for $10, and the commission fee is $5, your return will be $5 lower. In other words, you've only bought $5 of the stock. When you sell it, that'll be another $5, leaving you with no returns (except if the price of the stock went up). So pay close attention to fees!
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