So far, these plans have been the Drip Port's sole investment vehicle, and they've served us exceptionally well. More than 1,200 companies offer dividend reinvestment or direct stock purchase programs, whereby you buy stock direct from the company, typically at zero commission . These plans usually mean that you can invest whatever money you can and buy partial shares, without any onetime cost or ongoing cost. Most of these plans also reinvest dividends without charge. To enroll in Drips, you typically need to be a registered shareholder of one share of the company's stock.
Plans vary, so get details on each company plan.
Some have fees, which should be avoided. Or, if you're really up on your knowledge, an investment strategy consisting of a handful of Drips alone could work well for you. You'll keep costs very low. In the past 18 months, two new services in particular have launched to offer low-cost investing. ShareBuilder has no minimum balance to start.