<prompt> Human: Please? What should I know when buying stock for the first time?Edit: So, I realize I should have been more thorough in the original post. Im looking to purchase stock as a long-term investment, and intend to invest in stock that is a winner. I.E. Apple, Google, Facebook; in my opinion, stocks that have excellent upsides with minimal risk. Ill probably be buying piece by piece, at most 2 pieces at a time, so low transaction fees would be terrific every penny counts. By micro amounts, I mean 200 at a time. Id rather invest my money this way so that if I do lose money, I have no one to blame but myself; not some mutual fundWall St.  <response>: Mutual funds or ETFs are the way to go. That way you automatically get a diversified portfolio. Read the wiki on investing 