For the average Joe, buying a Tesla might be a huge no-no, but, in many ways, buying a piece of the company is now easier than ever. On Monday, the EV conglomerate joined ranks with the most powerful companies in the stock market, debuting the S&P500.
So, what does an investor gain from this?
The S&P500 tracks the stock performance of the top 500 companies in the United States. After a truly rocky yet remarkable year, Tesla has finally made the cut. Alongside the rising demand for EVs, the automaker celebrated five consecutive profitable quarters, causing its share price to skyrocket by over 730% in the last year. The otherwise volatile stock now has a shot at credibility, thanks to the inclusion.
Not impressed yet? Well, you’d be surprised to know that the only companies currently with a larger weight, over Tesla’s 1.69% weighting, are Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple. If you thought it’d just snuck into the bottom of the list, think again.
How to invest in the company?
Truth be told, no one has $700 lying around after the rollercoaster of a year that was 2020. Luckily, though, there are several means of acquiring fractions of shares. For example, the Robinhood app allows users to invest as little as $1 in companies like Tesla. Better yet, the app doesn’t charge commissions or fees either.
However, if you don’t want to put all your eggs in the mechanized basket, so to speak, investing in a company as part of a diversified portfolio is always an option.
How to invest in the S&P500?
If you want a piece of the mammoths that sit on the S&P500, you can invest in an EFT or single index tied to it without having to purchase stocks worth hundreds. Slices of all 500 companies are acquired by these funds, which try to mimic the performance of the index. However, note that not all funds have acquired Tesla stocks yet.
You can even acquire a piece of these heavyweight companies with some loose change. You can even use the Acorn app to help you round your credit or debit card purchases to the nearest dollar and invest the spare change.
Wrapping It Up
Investing in the stock market might seem like a daunting task, but, truth be told, it’s not all that difficult. However, if you’re not comfortable going about the process yourself, you can always enlist the help of a financial advisor.
