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Step-by-step guide to executing your very first stock trade using AI chat. No experience needed! ⏱️ Time: 30-45 minutes total 💰 Capital needed: $100-500 to start 📱🌐 Platform: Both iOS & Web 👤 Best for: Complete beginners 🎯 Skill level: Beginner (No experience required!)

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🎯 What You’ll Learn

By the end of this workflow, you’ll have:
  • ✅ Connected a brokerage or paper trading account
  • ✅ Asked AI for a beginner-friendly trade idea
  • ✅ Executed your first real trade from chat
  • ✅ Set a price alert to know when to sell
  • ✅ Understood the complete trade lifecycle
This is your first step from “I want to trade” to “I just made a trade!”

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📋 What You Need Before Starting

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1. Ape AI Account

  • Downloaded the app (iOS) or signed up (Web)
  • Completed onboarding
  • [Quick Start Guide →](../../Getting Started/quick-start-ios)

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2. Choose Your Path

Path A: Paper Trading (Recommended for First Time)
  • Pros: No real money risk, learn safely
  • Cons: Not real profits (but also not real losses!)
  • Best for: Complete beginners who want to practice
  • [Set up Paper Trading →](<../Pre-Investor/Getting Started/paper-trading-practice.md>)
Path B: Real Money (Small Amount)
  • Pros: Real profits, real learning
  • Cons: Real losses possible
  • Best for: Confident beginners with $100-500 to risk
  • Recommended: Start with $100-200 max

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3. Connected Brokerage

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🚀 Step-by-Step: Your First Trade

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Step 1: Enable Trading from Chat (5 minutes)

📱 iOS:
  1. Open Ape AI app
  2. Tap Profile icon (top left)
  3. Tap Settings
  4. Find “Trading Permissions”
  5. Toggle ON
  6. Confirm with Face ID/Touch ID
  7. You’ll see: “Trading from chat enabled ✓”
🌐 Web:
  1. Open app.askape.com
  2. Click Profile icon (top right)
  3. Click Settings
  4. Go to “Integrations” tab
  5. Enable “Execute Trades from Chat”
  6. Confirm
  7. You’ll see: “Trading enabled ✓”
Why this step? Safety! We want you to explicitly allow trading so you never place accidental orders.

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Step 2: Ask AI for a Beginner Trade Idea (10 minutes)

Open Chat and ask:
“I’m a complete beginner. Suggest a simple first trade for me with $200.”
AI Response Example:
“Great choice to start small! Here’s a beginner-friendly first trade: Stock: Apple (AAPL) Current Price: 268 **Trade Type:** Buy 1 share **Cost:** \~268 Why Apple:
  • Stable, well-known company
  • Less volatile than most stocks
  • Good for learning
Simple Plan:
  • Buy: 1 share at market price ($268)
  • Target: Sell at 280(+4.5280 (+4.5% gain = 12 profit)
  • Time: Hold for 1-4 weeks
  • Risk: Low - Apple rarely drops more than 5-10%
What you’ll learn:
  • How to place an order
  • How to track a position
  • How to sell for profit
Would you like me to help you execute this trade?”
Important: AI chooses simple, stable stocks for beginners - usually large companies like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon.

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Step 3: Understand What You’re Buying (5 minutes)

Before buying, ask AI to explain:
“Explain Apple stock to me like I’m 5 years old”
AI Explanation:
“Apple Stock (AAPL) Explained Simply: What is it? When you buy Apple stock, you own a tiny piece of Apple Inc. (the iPhone company). How do you make money? If Apple does well → Stock price goes up → You sell for more than you paid → Profit! Example:
  • You buy 1 share for $268
  • Apple releases great product
  • People buy more iPhones
  • Stock goes to $280
  • You sell for $280
  • You made $12!
Risk:
  • Stock can go down too
  • If drops to 250,youlose250, you lose 18
  • That’s why we set a ‘stop’ to limit losses
Make sense? Ready to buy your first share?”
Take your time here. Don’t rush into a trade you don’t understand.

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Step 4: Execute Your First Trade! (5 minutes)

This is it! The exciting part. You’ll see an “Execute Trade” button below AI’s trade recommendation.

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📱 iOS - Place Your First Order:

  1. Tap “Execute Trade” button
  2. Order Preview Screen Appears: 
    Buy Apple Inc. (AAPL)

Action: Buy
Quantity: 1 share
Price: $268.00 (market)
Type: Market Order

Estimated Cost: $268.00
Your Buying Power: $10,000 (paper) or $X (real)

[Adjust]  [Cancel]  [Place Order]
  3. Review Everything:
    • ✅ Stock: AAPL (correct)
    • ✅ Quantity: 1 share (start small!)
    • ✅ Price: $268 (reasonable)
    • ✅ You can afford it
  4. Tap “Place Order”
  5. Authenticate:
    • Face ID or Touch ID prompt
    • This confirms “Yes, I want to buy this”
  6. Order Placed! 🎉 
    ✅ Order Filled

Bought 1 share of AAPL at $268.00

[View in Portfolio]
  7. AI Confirms:
    “Congrats! 🎉 You just bought your first stock! You now own 1 share of Apple at 268.Let′ssetupapricealertsoyouknowwhenithitsyourtarget(268. Let's set up a price alert so you know when it hits your target (280).”

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🌐 Web - Same Process:

  1. Click “Execute Trade”
  2. Review order details
  3. Click “Confirm & Place Order”
  4. Authenticate with password/2FA
  5. Order placed! ✅
Feeling: You might feel nervous or excited. That’s normal! You just became a stock owner.

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Step 5: Set a Price Alert (5 minutes)

AI will guide you:
“Now let’s set a price alert for $280 (your target). This way you’ll know when Apple reaches your sell price.”
📱 iOS:
  1. Go to Portfolio tab (bottom navigation)
  2. You’ll see: AAPL - 1 share
  3. Tap on it
  4. Scroll down to “Set Price Alert”
  5. Enter $280
  6. Tap “Set Alert”
  7. Done! ✅
🌐 Web:
  1. Click Portfolio (left sidebar)
  2. Find AAPL position
  3. Click “Manage” → “Set Alert”
  4. Enter $280
  5. Save
  6. Done! ✅
What happens now?
  • When AAPL reaches $280, you get notification
  • Then you can decide to sell for profit
  • No stress, no constant checking!

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Step 6: Track Your First Trade (Daily Check-In)

Every day, check your position: Ask AI:
“How’s my Apple stock doing?”
Day 1 - AI Response:
“AAPL Update:
  • Your entry: $268
  • Current price: $269.50
  • Gain: +$1.50 (+0.6%)
  • Status: Small gain, normal fluctuation
  • Target: 280(280 (10.50 away)
  • Keep holding!”
Day 5 - AI Response:
“AAPL Update:
  • Your entry: $268
  • Current price: $272
  • Gain: +$4 (+1.5%)
  • Status: Moving toward target
  • Target: 280(280 (8 away)
  • Patience! On track.”
Day 12 - Alert Goes Off!
”🔔 AAPL reached $280!”
Ask AI:
“AAPL hit $280. Should I sell?”
AI:
“Yes! Your target hit. Time to take profits! Here’s your result:
  • Entry: $268
  • Exit: $280
  • Profit: $12 (+4.5%)
  • Hold time: 12 days
Ready to sell?”

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Step 7: Sell for Profit (Your First Win!)

Execute your first sale: In Chat, say:
“Sell my Apple stock”
AI confirms setup:
“Selling 1 share of AAPL at market price ($280)”
“Execute Trade” button appears again 📱 iOS / 🌐 Web:
  1. Tap/Click “Execute Trade”
  2. Review: 
    Sell Apple Inc. (AAPL)

Action: Sell
Quantity: 1 share
Price: $280 (market)

Estimated Proceeds: $280
Your Profit: +$12

[Place Order]
  3. Place Order → Authenticate
  4. Order Filled! ✅
AI celebrates with you:
”🎉 Congrats! You just completed your first trade! Trade Summary:
  • Bought: $268
  • Sold: $280
  • Profit: $12 (+4.5%)
  • Hold time: 12 days
You’re officially a trader! 🚀 Want to try another trade?”

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📊 What You Just Accomplished

Your First Trade Checklist:
  • ✅ Enabled trading from chat
  • ✅ Asked AI for trade idea
  • ✅ Understood the stock you bought
  • ✅ Executed first BUY order
  • ✅ Set price alert for target
  • ✅ Monitored position daily
  • ✅ Sold for profit
  • ✅ Made money! (or learned in paper trading)
Skills Learned:
  1. How to use AI for trade ideas
  2. How to execute orders from chat
  3. How to track a position
  4. How to set alerts
  5. How to take profits
  6. Complete trade lifecycle
Time invested: 30-45 minutes total over 1-2 weeks Result: You’re no longer a beginner - you’re a trader! 🎉

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💡 Key Lessons from Your First Trade

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Lesson 1: Trading Takes Patience

  • Your trade took 12 days
  • You checked daily but didn’t panic
  • Patience paid off with +4.5% gain

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Lesson 2: Start Small Works

  • You only risked $268
  • Small gain ($12) but BIG learning
  • Now you understand the process

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Lesson 3: AI Makes It Easy

  • Found trade idea: AI
  • Executed order: 3 clicks
  • Tracked position: AI updates
  • Total hands-on time: 30 minutes

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Lesson 4: Price Alerts Are Key

  • Didn’t need to watch stock all day
  • Alert told you when to sell
  • Stress-free trading

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🎯 What to Do Next

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Your Next 5 Trades

Trade 2: Repeat same process with different stock
  • Ask: “Suggest another beginner trade”
  • Execute and track
  • Build confidence
Trades 3-5: Gradually increase
  • Trade 2: $200-300 (1 share)
  • Trade 3: $500 (2 shares)
  • Trade 4: $500-700
  • Trade 5: $700-1000
After 5 successful trades: You’re ready for intermediate strategies!

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Skills to Learn Next

1. Understanding Stop Losses 2. Reading AI Analysis
  • [Understanding technical terms →](<../Pre-Investor/Getting Started/understanding-assets.md>)
3. Position Sizing 4. Options Basics (After mastering shares)

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⚠️ Important Beginner Warnings

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Warning 1: Don’t Get Greedy

Problem: First trade makes 12,nexttradeyourisk12, next trade you risk 2,000 Solution: Increase slowly. Don’t jump from 200to200 to 2,000. Suggested progression:
  • Trades 1-5: $200-500
  • Trades 6-10: $500-1000
  • Trades 11-20: $1000-2000
  • After that: Scale based on success

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Warning 2: Losses Will Happen

Reality: Not every trade wins
  • Your first trade made +4.5%
  • Your 3rd trade might lose -2%
  • That’s normal!
Good traders:
  • Win 60-70% of trades
  • Lose 30-40% of trades
  • Still profitable overall

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Warning 3: Don’t Chase Hot Stocks

Temptation: See stock up 50% today, want to buy Problem: You’re buying at the top Solution: Stick to AI’s beginner recommendations (stable stocks) AI will suggest:
  • Apple, Microsoft, Amazon
  • Large, stable companies
  • Not meme stocks or crypto

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Warning 4: Paper Trading vs Real Money

If you started with paper trading:
  • Emotions are different with real money
  • First real trade: Use same small amount ($200-500)
  • Don’t assume paper success = real success immediately
Transition plan:
  • Paper: 5-10 successful trades
  • Real: Start with $200
  • Gradually increase as you prove consistency

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🚧 Troubleshooting

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”Execute Trade” Button Not Showing

Cause 1: Trading permissions not enabled
  • Fix: Go to Settings → Enable trading
Cause 2: AI didn’t give specific trade setup
  • Fix: Ask: “Give me exact entry price for AAPL”
Cause 3: Brokerage not connected

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Order Rejected

Possible reasons:
  1. Insufficient funds
    • Fix: Buy fewer shares or add funds
  2. Market closed
    • Fix: Wait for market hours (9:30 AM - 4 PM ET)
  3. Stock halted
    • Fix: Ask AI for alternative stock

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Filled at Different Price

Example: Ordered at 268,filledat268, filled at 268.50 Why: Market orders fill at current price (moves fast) Solution for next time:
  • Use limit orders
  • Set max price you’re willing to pay
  • AI can help: “Place limit order for AAPL at $268”

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Price Dropped After I Bought

Example: Bought at 268,nowat268, now at 265 (-$3 loss) Don’t panic! Ask AI:
“My AAPL is down $3. Should I sell or hold?”
AI Response:
“AAPL down 1.1% - normal fluctuation. Setup still intact. Your target is $280. Recommendation: Hold. Check again in 3-5 days.”
Key: Don’t make emotional decisions. Trust the plan!

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❓ FAQ

Q: Is $200 enough to start trading? A: Yes! Perfect amount for first trade. You can buy 1 share of many great companies. Q: What if I lose money on my first trade? A: That’s okay! As long as it’s a small amount ($200-500), it’s tuition for learning. Most traders lose on some trades. Q: How long should I hold my first trade? A: Whatever AI recommends (usually 1-4 weeks for beginners). Don’t sell after 1 day unless AI says to. Q: Can I trade on my phone? A: Yes! iOS app has all the same features. Q: Do I need to watch the stock all day? A: No! Check once in morning, once in evening. Let AI and price alerts do the work. Q: What if I don’t hit my target? A: Ask AI after 2 weeks: “Should I adjust my AAPL target or keep holding?” AI will advise. Q: Should I tell people about my first trade? A: Up to you! But don’t take advice from random people. Trust AI + your own research. Q: Can I trade multiple stocks at once? A: After 5+ successful single trades, yes. Start with 1!

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🎉 Celebrate Your Win!

You just:
  • ✅ Placed your first stock trade
  • ✅ Made your first profit (or learned in paper mode)
  • ✅ Joined millions of traders worldwide
  • ✅ Took control of your financial future
This is huge! Most people never take this step.

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What’s Next?

Continue Learning: Level Up: Join Community:
  • Share your first trade story
  • Learn from other beginners
  • Keep growing!
You did it! From zero to first trade completed. Now keep going - you’re a trader! 🚀📈💰