For years I've dabbled in smaller stock games, buying small percentages and pooling money into different stocks than buying the whole dang thing, and mostly out of fear of the stock market and my conservation efforts. Brokerage fees kinda scared me, too. It's kinda been an interesting ride since then, because I would always withdraw when I lost a few cents because it was unlikely I would gain them back if I continued.

I looked into stock trading applications and accounts but had neither the funds to put in nor the faith that I could attempt to make a few cents back if I lose them. Using other applications like Stash or Acorn, who advertised using your spare change to help you set and grow your investments, did not do exactly as they advertised within the year and a half I used both of them. I cut all of my small losses and stayed away from conservative micro-trading for a while.

Enter Robinhood, a fairly new app that shook the trading world the instant it came up. Valued at $1.3 billion in April 2017, this application has hovered around since it's inception in December of 2014 with $176 million in present funding. I didn't hear about this application until I read a Business Insider article in June, and didn't download the app until the first week of July when I knew exactly how much I would be earning a week from my job. I'd put $20 every week, and if there was a promising small stock I wanted to grab, I'd add money right there and grab it. Great thing is that I started with $20!

Right now, my portfolio is vastly diverse and getting more diverse every week, including a purchase of two shares of Netflix today because of their publicized Q2 earning report and the good 52-week record it's had. Because of not having to pay brokerage fees through the application, I've finally broken through my more conservative side and started getting into the market for real.

"I started with $20!"

The first stock I bought into was Ford. Valued at $11.83 when I bought it, it has proven to be a rather stable stock with low volatility, which is perfect for me when I want to get the sense of preservation if my other shares in other companies fall through just slightly. The second was Santander Group, but because of it's horrible short run I had with it, I had to sell it and inject $1 to buy a share of Fitbit because I am hoping it's new watch hits the nail on the head. I feel that I may buy more, gearing up for a short-term sell once the product comes out because I feel that it's gonna be successful.

This application has a great interface and the accessibility is astounding. You may see some things about Robinhood Gold, which is a monthly payment plan so you can do after-hours trading and such, but with the basic free account, I've personally been able to do a lot. The application turns a beautiful seafoam green if you are gaining, and turns a bright red when you are losing, which actually helps make you more aware of what's happening in the market, but hopefully it doesn't entice you to haphazardly sell your shares in panic, tossing your phone out the window.

"I feel that it's gonna be successful."

The things about this app I love the most (besides not having any brokerage fees), is that it automatically includes a watchlist for the more public companies on your dashboard and a news feed that includes live reports of those stocks. The dashboard is updated live with the market, which helped me in two instances that I had to time a sell to buy a stock on a low that was projected high. That was a little more advanced move on my part than what I would ever expect!

Now a little more information about the application:

You would assume that Robinhood is a company that does not have any way to make money and continue it's existence, but you couldn't be further from the truth. This company has found some big investors, which include Google and Andreessen Horowitz. They get injection funds from many notable firms that helps them continue the commission-free trading. They also have a gold program that allows after-hours trading and other incentives, which allows more revenue to get to the company from more serious investors. I may even invest in the program if I get more serious.

The coolest thing about this app (and I may be reiterating here) is that I plan to go for the long haul. I'm going to put a small amount in each week to buy more small stock or grab some big ticket shares in larger companies. If I keep it up, my portfolio will be exceptionally diverse and well-funded. Think about it: if I started out with $20 and put $20 more a week, I'll have $520 in my portfolio by the end of the year, or EVEN MORE if I get lucky!

Basically, this application has helped me get into a more casual relationship with stock trading, and if you've ever been interested, I recommend you guys check it out!