Our direct stock plans allow you to buy or sell stocks directly, eliminating the need to use or pay a broker for services. You may have to pay a fee for using the plan, so be sure to check the disclosure documents before enrolling. You must already have stock in the company or be employed there in order to participate. If you want to invest a specific dollar amount instead of paying the full share price, some plans require minimum investments or require you to maintain certain minimums in your account.

As a rule, DSPs won’t permit you to purchase or sell your securities at a specific market price or at a specific time. Instead, the company will buy or sell shares for the plan at regular intervals — for instance, once a day, weekly or monthly — at an average market price. You can learn how a company sets its price and when it will buy and sell shares by looking at its disclosure documents. If the plan allows you to sell your shares, it may charge you a fee for doing so.