Investing in Stocks and The Game of Monopoly

To begin, you might look at playing the stock market as though you were playing a game of Monopoly. That's right; for playing the stock market 'game' is not unlike playing a game of Monopoly. There are definite comparisons and parallels.

In Monopoly there are a Boardwalk, a Marvin Gardens, Utilities, Railroads, etc. In the stock market you have the same type of properties (stocks), as in the game of Monopoly. For example, a Boardwalk may be a GE; a railroad, a CSX Corp.; Duke Energy, a utility. The rent a player collects in Monopoly could be compared to the dividends collected by a shareholder in the stock market. How much rent collected in Monopoly would depend on the property owned and how many houses are owned on the property. In the stock market game this would translate into which company is owned and how many shares of each company is owned.

To win the game of Monopoly a player will need to own properties (three of the same color) before building houses and, eventually, a hotel to attain that comfortable, worry-free income that the player knows will come. (The game is not won by selling the properties you own to your opponent, even at twice the price paid.) The game is won by building houses on the properties owned and collecting that worry-free rent.

Taking this approach in the stock market game, you would not win in the stock market by selling your shares owned, but by adding to those shares owned, so every "rent" (dividend collected) would be higher than the previous "rent" collected. This would be accomplished by holding on to those shares owned, and by having the dividends of each company owned rolled back into more shares each quarter. (This would be compared to building houses on the properties you own in the game of Monopoly.)

In Monopoly three properties of the same color could translate in the stock market game as having three properties (owning three different companies) that pay their dividends, one in January, the 2nd in February, and the 3rd in March. This would give the player in the stock market game a dividend every month of the year. To aid in the worry-free "rent" collected, the companies owned would have a history of raising their "rent" (dividend) every year. Owning one house on a property in the game of Monopoly could be compared to owning one hundred shares of stock in the stock market 'game'. A hotel would translate into 500 shares of a company's stock.

There are opponents in the stock market game, just as there are in the game of Monopoly. An opponent in the game of Monopoly is anything that takes money away from you (remember those fees you sometimes had to pay from those pesky Community Chest cards?). In the stock market game the opponents are also anything that takes money away from you ? taxes, credit card payments, commission-fees, fast cars, booze, etc.

To eliminate any of these opponents in the stock market game will aid the investor in accumulating more shares for even higher dividend collecting "rents". All dividends on qualifying dividend-paying stocks are now 85% tax free, eliminating one tax opponent in the stock market game. And, did you know you could eliminate another opponent ? those pesky stock commission fees to stockbrokers? All stocks purchased can be purchased commission-free, without the need of a stockbroker.

How much money do you need to begin a stock market investment game, played like the game of Monopoly?

As little as 100 dollars can be invested commission-free into a company to start collecting those ever-increasing cash dividends.

You have permission to this article either electronically or in print as long as the author bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (typos excluded). Please provide a courtesy e-mail to charles@thestockopolyplan.com telling where the article was published. (Word Count 679)

For more excerpts from the book 'The Stockopoly Plan- Investing for Retirement' visit: http://www.thestockopolyplan.com

Charles M. O'Melia is an individual investor with almost 40 years of experience and passion for the stock market. The author of the book 'The Stockopoly Plan'; published by American-Book Publishing. The book can be purchased at http://www.pdbookstore.com/comfiles/pages/charlesmomelia.shtml

shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

The FBI has issued a warning that scammers are impersonating doctors, police and banks using spoofed numbers as "smishing" texts surge nationwide.
Communities with unreliable internet service stand to gain after Amazon's Project Kuiper launched its first full batch of satellites into orbit April 28.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says unsubscribing from spam might actually backfire. Learn when to avoid it and stop junk effectively.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how the first nonstop beating heart transplant, called zero ischemic time, at Taiwan hospital changes surgery.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson: FBI warns of "time-traveling" hackers.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about a soft, vine-like robot called SPROUT that aids safe survivor rescues in collapsed buildings.
Health insurance giant Blue Shield of California confirmed it had been sharing private health data of 4.7 million users with Google for three years without even realizing it.
Delta and JetZero’s blended wing body aircraft marks a meaningful step toward a cleaner, quieter and more efficient future for air travel.
Recent reports show many common passwords can be cracked in literally seconds. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how to strengthen your passwords.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Iron, a robot that stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 154 pounds, combines advanced artificial intelligence with human-like movement and exceptional vision.
Hertz, the rental car giant, recently confirmed that customer information was exposed through a cyberattack on one of its software vendors.
There are a number of features with AirPods you may or may not know about to take your listening experience to the next level. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.
These 35 Chrome extensions have privacy and security concerns. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says to delete them now.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says 329,000 mph fusion rocket promises to be fast, disruptive and enable deep-space missions.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a new autonomous AI is a game changer that also raises privacy risks. Is your data safe?
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says robots and drones are revolutionizing fruit farming with faster picking and smarter handling.
Landmark Admin revises May 2024 cyberattack scope to show twice as many people were affected. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to help stay safe from an insurance data breach.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Yamaha’s hydrogen outboard motor could revolutionize boating with zero emissions.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to memorialize or remove a deceased loved one’s Facebook account and protect their digital legacy from misuse or scams.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says an Apple Watch saved psychiatrist Amanda Faulkner by detecting deadly leukemia early.
Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly targeting the most vulnerable, especially nursing homes and the personal data of their residents. Kurt the CyberGuy has safety tips.
Infected USB flash drives can spread malware among multiple organizations in ways that can easily bypass traditional security systems.
With a fully automated warehouse system and AI-powered robots, Ocado's Hive picks, packs and delivers grocery store orders in just a few minutes.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Mutual Funds

Outlined below are some of the advantages and disadvantages of... Read More

Trade Stocks for Real

I read a comment by a forum member on another... Read More

Cash Is A Position

I go to the Money Show every year to visit... Read More

A Penny for Your Stocks

According to Investopedia Inc. the penny stock market has seen... Read More

Defining a Long-Term Investment in the Stock Market

For some "long term" would mean holding a stock position... Read More

Option Trading Basics

Options trading can increase the profits you make when trading... Read More

The 1% Solution

You probably know the story of Sherlock Holmes and the... Read More

Trading Baskets II: The Crapolio, A Roll of the Dice in the Stock Market

In a previously written article, we expanded the use of... Read More

Dividends

When is a dividend not a dividend?The latest thing "conservative"... Read More

The Shadow

The Shadow knows. There used to be a radio program... Read More

401K-itis

Are you one of those many people who dread reading... Read More

When Should I Sell?

People are always asking me when should I sell my... Read More

A Triple Dipper: How to Make 3 Profits on 1 Stock Trade

This is a rather simple strategy with which I am... Read More

Trading For A Living - Part 1

There can't be many traders who haven't at least considered... Read More

Mutual Funds: The Modern Den of Thieves!

Mutual funds were created with the idea that one person... Read More

Attitude Is [Almost] Everything

I often play a little game with myself when I... Read More

Advisory News Letters

Several times each month I am solicited by various market... Read More

Humpty Dumpty the Stock Market Falls Down

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and all the King's... Read More

Selling Strategies - Setting a Stop Loss

Sometimes the best way of lowering exposure to risk is... Read More

Fake Money

Reach in your pocket and take out that big roll... Read More

Protect Your 401K

Checked your 401K lately? Going back to about a year... Read More

3 Components Needed for Beating the Market

Time to look back2004 is over, now we are in... Read More

This Market Is Different

All of the talking heads have been telling us that... Read More

Commoditizing the world

Let's discuss commodities; with the latest Enron situation, it is... Read More

Some Good News for A Change

Before we get into all the good news out there,... Read More

Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..