what is a direct stock purchase plan dspp 
a direct stock purchase plan dspp is a program that enables individual investors to purchase a company s stock directly from that company without the intervention of a broker some companies that offer dspps make the plans directly available to retail investors while others use transfer agents or other third party administrators to handle these transactions such plans offer low fees and sometimes the ability to purchase shares at a discount not all companies offer dspps and such plans may come with certain restrictions about when an individual may purchase shares dspps have lost some of their appeal over the last two decades as investing through online brokers has become less expensive and more convenient though dspps still offer an advantage for the long term investor who doesn t have much money to get started 