How to start investing with fractional shares | Plynk (2024)

You don’t need to invest hundreds of dollars to own a slice of your favorite company.

May 18, 2023

How to start investing with fractional shares | Plynk (1)

Until recently, the only way you could invest in a stock was if you had enough cash to buy an entire share of stock and pay transaction fees. With Plynk, you can invest in a stock (or exchange-traded fund or mutual fund) with as little as $1 by buying a "fractional share."

Fractional share investing

With fractional share trading, you can buy a small slice of a company’s stock, rather than buying a whole share. That can make it easier to start investing since the stock for some companies can trade for hundreds or even thousands of dollars per share.

Imagine a company whose stock costs $50 per share. With fractional share trading, you can still invest in that company without spending the full $50—even if you invest $1 or $5, you still own a piece. Over time, as you have more cash available you can buy additional stock to build your investment portfolio even more.

Other ways buying fractional shares of stock can help you start investing

Beyond being able to purchase stock for as little as $1, there are also other reasons buying fractional shares may be convenient.

Fractional shares let you invest a specific dollar amount instead of purchasing a certain number of shares. For example, let’s say you have $60 to invest and the stock price for that company that interests you is $50. In the past you could buy one share and have $10 left over, but with fractional shares you can simply buy $60 worth.

Additionally, fractional shares allow you to diversify your portfolio (spread your investments around to reduce risk) without having to put a lot of money into it. If you’d like to own stock in a variety of companies, you no longer need hundreds or thousands of dollars to do it—you can use that $60 to buy fractional shares of several different companies.

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Before investing, consider the mutual fund or exchange-traded products' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact the Plynk Team or visit the PlynkTM app for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

Keep in mind that investing involves risk. The value of your investment will fluctuate over time, and you may gain or lose money.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Screenshots provided are for illustrative purposes only. Securities and Cryptocurrency mentioned are provided as examples and do not constitute an endorsem*nt or a recommendation.

Cryptocurrencies are volatile and highly speculative, may be subject to market manipulation and liquidity constraints, and you may lose the full value of your investment. You should carefully consider your financial circ*mstances and risk tolerance before trading crypto. None of the legal protections associated with your brokerage account at DBS (such as the protections under the Securities Investor Protection Corporation [SIPC]) apply to your crypto assets. Crypto assets are also not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

For a full discussion of the risks involved when trading crypto, please see Risks of Trading Cryptocurrency.

The information herein is not intended to serve as a basis for any investment decision or recommendation. Digital Brokerage Services LLC does not provide financial or investment advice, and you should conduct your own due diligence and analysis based on your specific needs.

The Plynk® app provides access to two different types of accounts, brokerage and crypto. Brokerage accounts and related information and services are provided by Digital Brokerage Services LLC (DBS), member of FINRA, opens in new window and SIPC, opens in new window. 499 Washington Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07310. Crypto accounts and related information and services are provided by Paxos Trust Company (Paxos), a New York State-Chartered limited liability trust company (NMLS #1766787).

*Commission-free applies to U.S. equity trades, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and Mutual Funds (MFs) for Digital Brokerage Services LLC (DBS) retail clients. Expenses charged by investments, interest charges, or other expenses for transactions still apply. See brokerage fee schedule for details. Separate expenses for crypto apply. See crypto fee schedule for details.

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How to start investing with fractional shares | Plynk (2024)

FAQs

How to invest in fractional shares? ›

In order to buy fractional shares, you will need to open an investment account through either an online broker or a robo-advisor. The main difference between the two is whether you want to have full control over which fractional shares you are investing in, or if you want to have a more hands-off approach.

Are fractional shares good for beginners? ›

Fractional shares open up opportunities for investors to build a smart, diversified portfolio, even when they're just starting out, or following a cost averaging approach.

Is there a downside to fractional shares? ›

There are no major drawbacks to fractional shares. But it is worth taking into account the fact that this does not really increase profit potential by itself. A larger investment in a single share that goes up in value is of more benefit than a smaller one in multiple stocks that do not go anywhere or that go down.

How much money can you make with fractional shares? ›

Dividends: Just as fractional stocks represent a portion of a full share, if you own fractional shares, you'll get the portions of stocks' dividends. So, if a payout is $0.50 per share, and you have half of a share, you'll receive $0.25 as a payout.

Can you cash out fractional shares? ›

Cash in lieu of fractional shares is a type of payment that investors get for the sale of fractional shares. This tends to happen after a company restructures stock with a stock split, a merger or acquisition and a spin off. If you get a payment outside of a 401(k) or IRA plan, you will have to pay capital gains.

Is it profitable to buy fractional shares? ›

By utilizing fractional shares, beginners can make small investments in the stock market with significantly more growth potential even with average market returns versus savings accounts that typically don't even match inflation.

Do you pay taxes on fractional shares? ›

For the purpose of taxes, fractional share rewards are considered in the same way as all of your other investments in your Public account. What that means is that if you sell your free slices of stock and realize a capital gain, that must be reported as taxable income.

Which type of share is best for beginners? ›

Top 10 Best Stocks For Beginners with Little Money in 2024
  • Comfort Intech Ltd. ...
  • Seacoast Shipping Services Ltd. ...
  • Virgo Global Ltd. ...
  • Indian Infotech & Software Ltd. ...
  • Swiss Military Consumer Goods Limited. ...
  • Dish TV India. ...
  • Suzlon Energy Ltd. ...
  • Reliance Industries. Reliance is a major company in the stock market.

Is it hard to sell fractional shares? ›

The only way to sell fractional shares is through a major brokerage firm, which can join them with other fractional shares until a whole share is attained. If the selling stock does not have a high demand in the marketplace, selling the fractional shares might take longer than hoped.

Which broker is best for fractional shares? ›

5 Best Brokers for Investing in Fractional Shares
  1. Fidelity. Fidelity is one of the country's biggest traditional brokerages. ...
  2. Robinhood. Robinhood offers online commission-free investment services and is especially known for its intuitive mobile app. ...
  3. Charles Schwab. ...
  4. Interactive Brokers. ...
  5. Webull.
6 days ago

Do I get dividends from fractional shares? ›

Fractional shares allow you to invest in stocks based on a dollar amount, so you may end up with a fraction of a share, a whole share, or more than one share. Do fractional shares pay dividends? Yes, proportionate to the percentage of the share you own.

Is buying fractional shares smart? ›

By offering fractional shares, brokerages allow investors to gain exposure to a diversified portfolio of assets within an ETF without having to purchase a full share, which can be particularly beneficial for those with limited investment capital.

Is it better to buy whole shares or fractional shares? ›

Fractional shares are important because they eliminate two major pain points for investors, especially newer investors or people who typically invest relatively small amounts of money at a time. First, it allows investors to put all of their money to work at once.

What happens to fractional shares when you sell? ›

In most cases, as an investor you'll work through a middleman (usually a brokerage firm) to sell fractional shares. The firm may take your fractional share and bundle it together with others until it has a whole share to sell, or it may resell your fractional share to someone else who wants it.

Which stocks to buy in 2024? ›

Let's look at the long term investment stock companies that you might be interested in investing in.
  • Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. ...
  • Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. ...
  • Divi's Laboratories Ltd. ...
  • ITC Ltd. ...
  • Bajaj Finance Ltd. ...
  • HDFC Bank Ltd. ...
  • Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. ...
  • Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.
May 30, 2024

Can you buy fractional shares on public? ›

Public makes fractional share investing fee-free and available for many companies and ETFs.

Does Robinhood let you buy fractional shares? ›

On Robinhood, investors can buy fractional shares of stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with as little as $1. Stocks worth over $1.00 per share, and which have a market capitalization of more than $25 million, are eligible for fractional shares on Robinhood.

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