About shares
Shares are issued by companies and provide you with a level of ownership based on how much money you invest.
Shares of public companies can be readily bought or sold on stock exchanges through a stockbroker.
When you buy a company's shares directly, you're buying a financial interest in its potential growth.
The value of your investment is determined by the company's share price, which generally will move up and down on a daily basis depending on a range of factors.
You may also receive ongoing income payments if the company chooses to pay dividends.
There are more than 2,000 companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) alone, with the top 300 listed companies making up most of the market's total value.
How do I buy direct shares?
You can invest in the top 300 ASX direct shares by opening a Vanguard Personal Investor Account.
You can simply transfer money into your Vanguard Cash Account from your bank to make one-off investments from just $500.
Once you’re ready to invest, login to your account and click on ‘Products’, then select ‘Shares’.
Type in the name of the company (or its ASX code) you’d like to invest in, then click ‘Invest’.
Direct shares can be bought during ASX market trading hours (10am to 4pm AET) in two ways. You can either buy them at the current market price of the share at the time of the trade, or you can choose the maximum price (limit) you're willing to pay.
A limit order trade will only be filled when or if your chosen price is reached. The same steps apply when selling direct shares.
There is a $9 flat brokerage fee per trade on direct shares available on Vanguard Personal Investor.
Shares can also be bought and sold on the ASX through other online stockbroking platforms.
Benefits of shares
Growth potential
Income potential
Liquidity
Other investment options
Managed funds
Exchange traded funds (ETFs)
