Best Stocks For Beginners: How To Pick Your First Stocks In 2024

Starting investing in stocks can be an exciting yet daunting experience, especially if you’re a complete beginner. With over 5,000 publicly traded companies to choose from, narrowing down the best stocks to buy can be overwhelming.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through how to pick the ideal stocks for beginner investors to help you start your investment journey on the right foot.

How To Choose The Best Stocks To Invest In As A Beginner

Focus on Large, Reputable Companies

The best stocks for beginner investors are large, reputable companies that have been around for decades, operate profitably, and have a history of steady growth.

Specifically, some types of stocks beginners should focus on include:

• Blue Chip Stocks: These industry-leading companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Johnson & Johnson are household names with global competitive advantages and long track records of success.
• Dividend Stocks: Companies like Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Verizon pay regular dividends that produce income for shareholders. This helps buffer stock price volatility.
• Consumer Staples: Food, beverage, household goods, and personal products companies tend to perform consistently as they provide products customers always need. Stocks like Pepsi, Clorox, and Colgate-Palmolive fall into this stable category.
• Index Funds: Rather than picking individual stocks, index funds provide instant diversification by holding baskets of stocks that track major indexes like the S&P 500. Vanguard and iShares offer some of the most popular index funds.

Understand the Company’s Business

It’s vitally important to have a basic grasp of how a company actually generates revenue and profits before you invest. You want to pick easy-to-understand businesses rather than complex operations.

If you don’t comprehend how the company functions or what factors impact its stock price, you won’t know when to buy or sell effectively. Analyze the company’s industry, competitors, leadership team, products and services before deciding if it meets your investing criteria.

Research Historical Stock Charts

Study historical price performance and trading volumes before adding a stock to your portfolio. Platforms like Yahoo Finance and MarketWatch provide free stock charts going back decades so you can evaluate past returns through various market environments.

Favor reliable companies whose stock prices steadily rise over longer periods of time rather than extremely volatile equities subject to quick price swings. Slow and steady growth is ideal for beginners.

Use Paper Trading Accounts To Gain Experience

One smart strategy is opening a paper trading account with an online brokerage platform. Paper trading allows you to place imaginary stock trades using fake money to practice analyzing markets and assessing risk before investing actual capital.

Platforms like ThinkorSwim by TD Ameritrade feature robust paper trading tools help beginners learn the ropes safely.

5 Best Stocks To Buy For Beginner Investors

Here are 5 of the best stocks for novice investors to consider buying to yield a balance of growth and stability in their portfolios:

1. Apple (AAPL)

The world’s most valuable public company, Apple is a blue-chip stock tech staple suited for beginner investors. Supported by iconic products like the iPhone, Apple has produced excellent returns for decades thanks to industry-leading innovation and zealous customer loyalty.

While Apple stock has achieved meteoric growth already, analysts still expect expansion initiatives into fast-growing markets like video streaming, financial services, autonomous vehicles and IoT health to keep driving profits higher.

2. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)

With its diversified business model spanning pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer packaged goods, Johnson & Johnson is about as stable and low-risk as they come in the stock market.

J&J’s recession-proof offerings in areas like health, hygiene and medicine lead to steady earnings and dividends, making it an ideal long-term hold. The company recently announced a $5 billion stock buyback program signaling management’s confidence.

3. Coca-Cola (KO)

Coca-Cola is synonymous with classic American consumerism. Warren Buffett has called Coca-Cola stock, with its sweet dividends, one of his favorite long-term picks for good reason.

While Coke doesn’t provide flashy growth, its consistent demand and aggressive global expansion efforts into high-potential markets make it a reliable addition for any starter portfolio.

4. Walmart (WMT)

Big box discount retailer Walmart is virtually guaranteed to stay firmly in business thanks to economies of scale and mastery of global supply chain logistics other companies can’t match.

Offering everyday items shoppers across socioeconomic demographics always want, Walmart keeps costs low and stock prices stable. The imminent growth of Walmart’s e-commerce capacities poses huge upside too.

5. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

For broad market exposure right off the bat without having to handpick companies, Vanguard’s S&P 500 ETF tracks the 500 largest U.S. public companies.

With rock bottom fees, VOO is full of the stocks mentioned above and mixes in technology leaders like Amazon and Google that should keep powering greater index returns over long periods.

What Is The Best Platform To Buy Stocks For Beginners?

The best stock trading platforms for beginners offer $0 minimum account balances, user-friendly mobile apps, paper trading capabilities, comprehensive educational resources, and low fees.

Based on these criteria, some top stock trading platforms for novice investors include:

Make sure to compare each broker’s specific commission fees, tools, research capabilities and platform interfaces before deciding.

How Much Money Do I Need To Invest In Stocks? Can I Start Small?

Many online brokers now allow you to open accounts and buy fractional shares of stocks without any minimum dollar amount. This means technically you can invest with tiny amounts starting at just $1.

Building a diversified portfolio does take significant capital. But dollar cost averaging into the stock market consistently by investing bits of any extra cash over time is wise. Regularly contributing what you can allows compound growth to work its magic long-term.

Apps like Acorns and Stash even automate micro-investing spare change from your everyday purchases into ETF portfolios. So yes, you absolutely can start small if needed.

Stock Market Investing Tips For Beginners

Here are some vital stock market basics to remember as a beginner:

• Focus on the long-term – Stocks are best for goals 5-30+ years away. Ignore daily price swings, and hodl quality picks for years.
• Reinvest dividends – DRIP programs automatically buy more shares so your ownership stake and payouts keep expanding exponentially.
• Cost average – Regularly put portions of any extra savings into the market over time to smooth out average costs.
• Understand tax implications – Utilize retirement accounts to shield earnings from taxes dragging down compounding.
• Diversify globally – Balance domestic and international stocks to participate in global growth and hedge geopolitical risk concentrated in any one country.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best stock for beginners in 2024?

For 2024, some ideal stocks for beginners include reliable giants like Apple, Microsoft, Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, and Vanguard index funds for diversity across sectors and regions.

What stocks should a teenager buy?

Good starter stocks for teenagers to consider include Nike, Netflix, Disney, Starbucks and other brands they know and love with long growth runways ahead. An S&P 500 index fund like VOO to gain broad diversified market exposure is ideal too.

Can a beginner make money in stocks?

Yes, with the right strategy focused on gradually building a diversified portfolio around quality, stable companies and funds while harnessing the power of compound growth over decades. Patience and avoiding reactionary investing around market swings separates successful amateurs from losses.

What stocks are beginner friendly?

Beginner friendly stocks include established blue chip companies with wide competitive advantages or moats in their industries. Household names operating profitably for decades with clear business models producing recession-resistant offerings are prime starters.