If you want to invest in a high-priced stock but don’t want to put all of your money into one firm, consider fractional trading, which are offered through a few online brokerages or through best stock tracking software.

Fractional shares allow you to buy stock based on a dollar amount rather than the price of a whole share, which may be especially useful if you are trading with limited cash but want to develop a well-diversified portfolio.

Let’s take a closer look at fractional trading and the advantages of purchasing and selling fractional shares.

What Is A Fractional Share?

A fractional share is explained by the operation of stocks, which are an equity investment that symbolizes part ownership in a company and rights you to a portion of the company’s earnings and assets. When you purchase a share of a firm’s stock, you are purchasing ownership in a publicly listed corporation, and a fractional share is a fraction of one share of stock.

Take, for example, a firm that issues 100 shares, and if you buy one, you own one-hundredth of all outstanding shares. However, in fractional trading, you do not have to purchase a whole share because you can buy half a share or a fifth of a share and own 0.5/100 or 0.2/100 of all outstanding shares.

Dollar-based investment refers to the practice of purchasing a fractional share, in which you select the amount of money you want to invest in a firm, such as $20, and acquire the number of shares that correspond to your spending capacity.

Furthermore, many brokers that provide fractional shares also offer commission-free trading and swing trading stocks, which means you won’t have to pay any transaction fees when buying or selling your half shares. This is because if you have to pay a commission to purchase a partial share, the transaction isn’t worth it because you need to generate a significant rate of return on your partial share to offset trading costs.

Why Buy Fractional Shares?

Traditional shares have several entrance hurdles because certain stocks are quite expensive, and as an investor, you may give up before investing. However, fractional shares aim to decrease that barrier to entry, allowing you to buy a stake in a company with any amount of available cash. Here are some of the benefits of purchasing a fractional share rather than the entire shares of a corporation.

1. Fractional shares are affordable

With fractional shares, you can create a portfolio that you previously couldn’t afford. Let’s say a stock is $3,000 per share, which means you need at least $3,000 to add it to your portfolio, and if you want more than one share, you must pay in $3000 increments.

However, fractional trading allows you to purchase as much stock as you can afford, whether it’s $5, $50, or $500.

2. Fractional share builds a diversified portfolio

Some of today’s most popular stocks are also some of the most costly, and constructing a diverse portfolio with just a few shares may need tens of thousands of dollars in initial cash.

For example, assume you have $6,000 to invest, and you can use fractional shares to assign a portion of your money to any firm in which you want to invest. If it’s 10%, it means you can invest $600 in ten different firms regardless of share price, allowing you to develop a more diverse portfolio, which is difficult to achieve when investing a big sum in a single company.

3. Fractional shares make the most out of your investment

When you make a regular monthly payment to an investment account, it is not required to acquire exactly the same quantity of stocks with each contribution.

However, with fractional shares and a Dollar-cost-averaging technique, you can invest the entire amount of money that you deposit into your investing account on a weekly or monthly basis. A portion of your funds may have been in your account before there was enough to purchase a full share due to the lack of fractional shares.

Let’s say you contribute $100 per month and the stock you want to invest in is trading at $55; you’ll be able to buy only one whole share, and You’ll also be leaving $45 in uninvested funds in your brokerage account if you don’t have the option for fractional shares.

Who Can Buy Fractional Shares?

Fractional share trading democratizes the market, allowing everyone to engage, but the fractional share technique is popular among younger generations who want to get involved but find regular investing intimidating.

Furthermore, the stock market is intimidating, and putting your hard-earned money into it can be frightening, so why not begin with modest fractional share investment, which allows new investors to participate in the stock market with no fees and little cash?

As a result, fractional share trading is a great way to get your feet wet in the stock market without risking your life savings, as fractional shares are a low-risk, hands-on approach to learning about investing.

Important Facts About Fractional Trading

Many investors are concerned that owing only a fraction of a share will revoke certain privileges associated with certain equities, such as dividends, cash, or stock distributions. This is not true, because if you purchase a fractional share of a dividend-paying corporation, you will still be entitled to the dividend payout.

However, your dividend will be proportional to the number of shares you own, and trading fractional shares is subject to certain criteria and limitations.

Takeaway

Fractional share investing has democratized the stock market, making it easier than ever to own your favorite shares of a specific company. This technique is less expensive and more adjustable, making it appealing to new investors. You can buy highly priced shares in fractions with no commission fees and all the benefits by using fractional shares.

FAQs

1.  Is it possible to buy dividend stocks in fractional shares?

Yes, you can acquire fractional shares of dividend stocks; but, the amount of dividends you receive will be proportional to how much of the share you possess. So, if you invest $25 in a firm that pays a dividend of $1 per share, your dividend will be only 25 cents.

2.  Can I acquire fractional shares of exchange-traded funds?

Yes, ETFs are accessible as fractional shares through various brokers. In contrast to traditional index funds, which can only be bought and sold at a set price at the end of the day, ETFs are index funds that may be traded like stocks throughout the day. A single ETF may quickly (and considerably) diversify your portfolio. Purchasing numerous ETFs in fractional shares adds another layer of diversification.

3.  Are the rules for fractional shares the same for all brokers?

Because fractional shares are a relatively new offering, each broker may handle them differently, so it’s vital to read the fine print for each to discover what’s available. Fidelity, for example, provides fractional shares for nearly any company listed on a major market, whereas SoFi Active Investing offers a limited selection of equities and ETFs.