The stock market can be a quick way to bankrupcy, and equally a fast method to earn additional income, depending on your skill and luck. penny stocks are usually less than $1 each to buy, providing a cheap entry to the stock market and hence involve little risk to the amateur invester. Stocks and shares represent the worth of a company as indicated by the price of each share. These shares are traded, ie bought and sold, by individuals (investers) as an investment in that company. Investers normally fall into three groups. - amateur investers who own a small number of shares - large investers who control a considerable quantity of shares - investers with an interest in becoming a malority shareholder and hence a controlling influence on the company. There is money to be made in stocks and shares but a lot of money can also be lost.