🔧 Make Your Own Machine: Part 1: What Even Is a Stock?

Let’s start at the very beginning. You’ve heard people say “I bought some stock,” and maybe you nodded like you knew what they meant… but deep down you were thinking:

“Is that like buying a piece of paper? Or betting on something? Or just a grown-up version of Monopoly?”

Here’s the truth:

📈 A Stock Is a Slice of a Real Company

When you buy a stock, you’re literally buying a piece of a real business. Not a lottery ticket. Not a crypto token. A business.

Buy one share of Rumble? You own a tiny sliver of the actual Rumble company.
They make money? You (kind of) benefit.
They go bankrupt? Well… you’re going down with the ship.

It’s ownership, plain and simple.

🥩 Imagine It Like a Steakhouse

Let’s say your buddy owns a steakhouse. He wants to grow, so he offers you the chance to buy a slice of it.

If you do:

You now own part of the steakhouse.
If business is good, your slice is worth more.
If it tanks, your slice gets you some sad leftover sirloin and a paper napkin.

That’s what buying stock is — but instead of a steakhouse, it’s companies like Rumble, Apple, or some sketchy biotech firm promising to cure aging with seaweed (don’t do it).

💡 So Why Do People Buy Stocks?

Because good companies tend to grow over time.

If you buy shares in a strong business:

The share price can go up (you make money if you sell higher than you bought).
Some companies pay dividends (tiny payouts just for holding the stock).
And if you’re like me, you can sell options on your shares to make even more income (we’ll get to that).

🧠 Bottom Line

Buying stock = buying a piece of a business.
Not a gamble. Not a get-rich-quick trick.
You’re investing in something real.

That’s Step 1. In the next post, we’ll talk about how to actually buy a stock You don’t need a fancy suit or a Wall Street advisor. You just need a free app like Robinhood (I’ll even give you a link for a free stock in a sec).

And eventually, I’ll show you how to make money on your stock every single week, even if the price doesn’t move.

Want to add your own personal line here, like “This is the same thing I explained to my buddy last month,” or should I just keep the clean instructional tone moving forward?

👉 Up Next: [Post 2: What’s a Brokerage (and How Do I Pick One)?]
Ready to dip your toes in?
Sign up for Robinhood with my link and we’ll both pick a free stock:
🎁 https://join.robinhood.com/ryanr886

No pressure — but free is free. And I’ll walk you through the setup in the next post.

I’ll walk you through how to set it up in the next post.