are usually required to verify your identity and residency.

Once you have completed your registration, it normally takes another day or so for your account to be verified, although at some brokers this process can take up to three days or even more. Some locally-focused brokers may even require overseas clients to send documents by mail, making the process more cumbersome. But once your account is verified, you’re all set to start investing!

3. Fund your account

So your trading account has been verified; the next step is to fund it – in other words, to deposit money that you will then use for buying stocks. Some brokers require a minimum deposit when you open your account, but most brokers do not have such a requirement, allowing you to take your time before committing any funds.

All brokers will allow you to deposit or withdraw funds via bank transfer; an easy, usually free, though not always super-fast method. Withdrawing money to your bank account can take as long as three days.

Many brokers also let you deposit (though not withdraw) funds using credit or debit cards. A few will also accept so-called electronic wallets such as PayPal, Apple Pay, Skrill or Neteller. The biggest benefit of cards and e-wallets is that transactions take place instantly, allowing you to start investing – or reap the proceeds of a successful stock sale – right away.

4. Find and buy stocks

You may already know which stock(s) you want to buy; if not, it’s worth checking out the research section of your broker, which often includes trading ideas and recommendations by in-house experts or third-party analysts. Alternatively, you can do a bit of research on your own, and check the selected stock’s earnings multiples, or read up on industry news.

Once you have settled on a stock, it’s easy – just