Investing in stocks is one of the best ways of if your goal is to achieve the goal of capital appreciation through the highest returns from the market. New investors are often in a dilemma to buy shares online because the knowledge is limited and they don’t want to make any mistake which can cause any bad mark to their portfolio. However, with proper knowledge and perseverance, you can also do stock trading online as it is considered as one of the most profitable investments to build one’s investment portfolio in a healthy manner.
What are Shares?
Before delving deeper into how to buy shares in India for beginners, it might be helpful to understand what are shares and why you should buy them. It is one of the best ways to invest and grow your capital with good profits. If done well, stocks can outperform many other investible instruments in returns.
Also, there are a few other benefits of buying shares apart from great returns. Firstly, you become the owner of some of the stocks of the company, if the company performs well, you receive bonuses in the form of additional shares or dividends and so on. The reason being shares of a company is a part of their ownership, owing to which, the shareholders have a right to partake in the profit (and loss) of the company and a right to vote in the shareholder meetings.
Before you can buy shares online, make sure that the company is listed on the stock exchanges. There are two exchanges in India where you can buy shares online from either the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) or the National Stock Exchange (NSE). You can buy or sell the shares online. In this article, we will take you through all the necessary details on how to buy shares online for beginners.
How to buy shares in India for Beginners?
- Get a PAN card
A Permanent Account Number (PAN) is the very first step towards any trading activity in the stock markets. As per the government regulations, you must produce your PAN before making any financial transactions. PAN is a 10-digit unique alphanumeric number allotted to you also acts as a valid identity proof. PAN is used by the government to assess your tax liability.
- Open a Demat Account
Before purchasing shares online, it’s mandatory to have a Demat Account. A Demat account, short for a Dematerialized account, is the type of account where the physical shares held by you are dematerialized/converted in an electronic format. On opening an online Demat Account, you will be provided with a unique Demat Account number. This number has to be mentioned while buying or selling shares.
A Demat Account just like your bank account, where you can deposit and withdraw money. The number of shares bought or sold is credited or debited in your account accordingly.
Here, you must remember that you can only open a Demat Account with a Depository Participant (DP). A DP can either be registered with National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) or Central Securities Depositories Limited (CSDL), or both. Talking about how to purchase shares online, you can take the help of online mobile apps that are easy and convenient and also act as a DP so that it takes minimum effort for you to open a Demat account and start trading.
- Trading Account
As mentioned in the previous point, opening a trading account is necessary for every subsequent transaction (be it purchase or sale of shares). With the help of a trading account, you will be able to keep a track of these transactions from the statements you would receive periodically.
- A Bank Account
Even after having a Demat and trading account, you won’t be able to purchase shares online without having a bank account. Your Trading Account links your Demat Account with your bank account.
If you want to purchase shares online, you need to make the requisite order through your Trading Account. The DP/broker will then forward the transaction for settlement in the stock exchange. Post settlement, the shares will be transferred to your Demat Account within two working days, the necessary charges, or purchase costs will be debited from your bank account accordingly.
- Get your Unique Identification Number (UIN)
Getting a UIN for investors has been made compulsory by SEBI to create a database of all Market Participants and investors. You can obtain a UIN through Point of Service (POS) agents appointed by NSDL.
One point, however, to note here is a UIN is only required when you are trading in the capital of Rs 1 lakh or more. If you want to buy less online shares below Rs 1 lakh, you don’t require UIN.
On a closing note
If you follow all the five steps mentioned above, you are now all set to purchase shares online. Once you place a purchase order, it will be matched with a similar sale order in the stock exchange. After settlement, your Demat Account will be credited with the number of shares purchased.
Thus, for purchasing shares online, you have to follow SEBI-mandated rules. The best way to buy shares online is to choose a trusted financial partner for trading in stock markets. You can take the help of family or friends who are investing for a long time or have a sound market of how the market works.
