Stock market free bonus

However, issuing bonus shares takes more money from the cash reserve than issuing dividends does.

Huge forex bonuses

Also, because issuing bonus shares does not generate cash for the company, it could result in a decline in the dividends per share in the future, which shareholders may not view favorably. In addition, shareholders selling bonus shares to meet liquidity needs lowers shareholders' percentage stake in the company, giving them less control over how the company is managed. For internal accounting, a bonus issue is simply reclassification of reserves, with no net change in total equity, although its composition is changed. A bonus issue is an increase in the share capital of the company along with a decrease in other reserves.

Bonus issue

What is a bonus issue?

A bonus issue, also known as a scrip issue or a capitalization issue, is an offer of free additional shares to existing shareholders. A company may decide to distribute further shares as an alternative to increasing the dividend payout. For example, a company may give one bonus share for every five shares held.

Key takeaways

A bonus issue of shares is stock issued by a company in lieu of cash dividends. Shareholders can sell the shares to meet their liquidity needs.

Bonus shares increase a company's share capital but not its net assets.

Understanding bonus issues

Bonus issues are given to shareholders when companies are short of cash and shareholders expect a regular income. Shareholders may sell the bonus shares and meet their liquidity needs. Bonus shares may also be issued to restructure company reserves. Issuing bonus shares does not involve cash flow. It increases the company’s share capital but not its net assets.

Bonus shares are issued according to each shareholder’s stake in the company. Bonus issues do not dilute shareholders’ equity, because they are issued to existing shareholders in a constant ratio that keeps the relative equity of each shareholder the same as before the issue. For example, a three-for-two bonus issue entitles each shareholder three shares for every two they hold before the issue. A shareholder with 1,000 shares receives 1,500 bonus shares (1000 x 3 / 2 = 1500).

Bonus shares themselves are not taxable. But the stockholder may have to pay capital gains tax if she sells them at a net gain.

For internal accounting, a bonus issue is simply reclassification of reserves, with no net change in total equity, although its composition is changed. A bonus issue is an increase in the share capital of the company along with a decrease in other reserves.

Advantages and disadvantages of issuing bonus shares

Companies low on cash may issue bonus shares rather than cash dividends as a method of providing income to shareholders. Because issuing bonus shares increases the issued share capital of the company, the company is perceived as being bigger than it really is, making it more attractive to investors. In addition, increasing the number of outstanding shares decreases the stock price, making the stock more affordable for retail investors.

However, issuing bonus shares takes more money from the cash reserve than issuing dividends does. Also, because issuing bonus shares does not generate cash for the company, it could result in a decline in the dividends per share in the future, which shareholders may not view favorably. In addition, shareholders selling bonus shares to meet liquidity needs lowers shareholders' percentage stake in the company, giving them less control over how the company is managed.

Stock splits and bonus shares

Stock splits and bonus shares have many similarities and differences. When a company declares a stock split, the number of shares increases, but the investment value remains the same. Companies typically declare a stock split as a method of infusing additional liquidity into shares, increasing the number of shares trading and making shares more affordable to retail investors.

When a stock is split, there is no increase or decrease in the company's cash reserves. In contrast, when a company issues bonus shares, the shares are paid for out of the cash reserves, and the reserves deplete.

How to get free stocks: 7 ways to get free shares

Personal finance - janice friedman - december 13, 2018

How to Get Free Stocks - Way to Earn Free Shares

Here's how to get free stocks.

We are a participant in the amazon services LLC associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.Com and affiliated sites.

I love the explosive growth of micro-investing these days. People have no excuses to not get started investing anymore. Here is how to get free stocks by using these several mobile apps.

How to get free stocks: 7 ways to get free shares

Free stocks? That’s a thing? Yes. If you aren’t using these apps to get free shares, you are simply missing out. There’s simply no excuse for you to not start building your wealth through investing right now. You need to start investing today if you want to achieve financial freedom. What’s better than receiving free shares for you to start your journey in investing.

I’ve been using cashback apps plus these apps to save/invest everything I get. For example, any cashback I receive from my cashback apps, I reinvest into my robinhood portfolio.

As a dividend growth investor, I’m only concerned about low-cost fees (or zero commission fees) for investing and for accessibility for investing in stocks on the go.

In my book, dividend investing your way to financial freedom, I highlight why you need to focus on dividend growth stocks and low fees.

If you want to see what it takes to live off dividends, check out my dividend calculator that will help you create your own plan.

The dividend investing calculator is very simple to use and input your own assumptions. It literally only takes 5 minutes!

How to get free stocks

Following the emergence of the discount online stock brokerage firms in the late 1990s, more brokerage firms reduced their commission fee due to high competition among them.

Today, a majority of stock trading brokers charge a very low-cost and a few offer free commission stock trading accounts. A few have even gone a step further and offer free shares of stock to their investors to attract more investors.

One way to achieve financial independence is through buying and selling of stocks. With investments, you can either choose to become an active or a passive trader.

With active trading, an investor buys and sells shares actively for a profit. Passive traders, on the other hand, buy and hold stocks to benefit from capital gain or through dividends. But, did you know that you can earn free stocks and shares if you invest through a specific stock trading broker or app?

Yes. You can get from $5 to over $1,000 in free stocks from these accounts. There are numerous firms today that offer direct stock purchase plans with discounts.

Some few others give free stocks to anyone who sign-up or open an account with them. Let’s look at a few ways to get free shares of stocks.

In order to get free stock, you need to sign up for an app, cash back app or a brokerage account. This process usually doesn’t take much time at all and these apps offer the best opportunity for you to save and invest on auto-pilot.

7 ways to get free shares of stock

There is a list of companies and brokerages that will give you free shares of stock. Here are the best apps or ways to get free shares of common stock simply just by signing up.

1. Robinhood

Robinhood is hands down the best investing app for beginners. They offer a generous sign-up bonus of a free share of stock for a variety of companies.

With robinhood, if you sign up, they will give you a share of stock of apple, groupon, zynga, chesapeake and more. The robinhood referral program is best-in-breed. Free stock with robinhood is just a great way to start building wealth through investing.

The value of receiving a share from robinhood can vary from $3 to up to $300. What’s not to love about that?

I’ve been using robinhood to build my dividend portfolio of stocks. You can read my review of robinhood if you’d like more information.

Get free shares on robinhood simply by signing up for the app and depositing money.

2. Stockpile

Stockpile is one of the best stock gifting service apps available today. With stockpile, you can redeem $500 in your account like a gift. Stockpile also that offers new investors $5 in free stocks if you sign-up or create a free account via a bonus link.

With stockpile, you can gift yourself or your loved ones the gift of stocks in the same way you would buy a retail gift card. All you need is to create a free stockpile account to receive the $5 in free stock.

Stockpile gives you a chance to get $5 of your favorite stock such as apple, amazon, tesla, disney, snap and many more. The stocks are deposited into your new stockpile account, and you can easily redeem your $5 free stock bonus with no additional purchase requirements.

You only need to be a US citizen with a US address and a social security number to open an account with stockpile.

The fact that it gives an investor a chance to buy fractional shares, it means that you can spend even smaller amounts of money to get a share of your favorite company through stockpile.

Buying stocks via stockpile costs $0.99 which is far much less than most of its competitors. Also, selling stocks through stockpile also costs $0.99 each share.

Stockpile customer referral program was rolled out in december 2017. Everyone who wants to participate can join the referral program. Everyone who joins stockpile using your referral link gets a $5 bonus.

For every new member that you refer with your unique stockpile referral link, you receive $5 payment, which can be sent to you mainly via paypal. The new members who join receive $5 of free stocks for just creating an account with stockpile.

Stockpile referral rewards program has no limits, and thus you can refer as many people as possible.

Stockpile has a clean and fun to navigate user interface that can appeal even to young adults. It is thus a perfect platform to set-up a custodial account for your child or teenager to get them oriented in stock investments.

3. Webull

Webull is yet another platform that can earn you free stocks. It is a free commission investing app that lets you invest in stocks for free. You can receive from $3.00 to $1,000 in free shares from webull.

To get your free stocks, you need to sign-up or open a free account with webull and then wait for approval. You get a referral link with webull account once you open your webull account.

So, you can earn more free stocks if you share it with your friends. Your free stocks can accumulate up to $1000 worth of stocks. Isn’t that cool?

You can leave the stocks in your account and watch them grow. If you share your referral link, anyone who sign-up or open a webull account using your referral link also gets free stocks.

Some of the few requirements that you need to follow to be eligible to get the free shares of stocks is that you must be new to webull and you must use a referral link to join.

If you had opened an account with webull before, then you won’t qualify. Webull had an offer recently where they were giving out extra stock for the first-time deposit. So, it’s always good to be on the lookout for such amazing offers.

Use my link and get $3 to $1,000 in free stock from webull.

4. Acorns

Acorns also offer free stocks to new users who sign up for it. You can get up to $5 in free stocks from acorns plus you can earn more stocks from companies who buy your stock.

Some companies have partnered with acorns to offer you free stocks every time you buy their products.

Companies such as uber, casper, and amazon among others can deposit free stocks into your acorns account if you use their service and reach a certain monetary limit.

For example, for every $1 that you spend on amazon, amazon invests $0.03 in free stocks in your acorns account.

If you use uber, it invests $0.50 in your acorns account every time you use their app. When you buy a mattress, casper invests $75 into your acorns account. Some of these companies also have a cash back reward system. It is a double benefit to you.

To use the acorns account, investors pay a fee of $1 per month. It is a low cost compared to other investing app. Acorns is a micro-investors dream.

5. M1 finance free $10 bonus offer

M1 finance is one of my favorite investing platforms out there. Like robinhood, it’s completely commission-free.

You can invest in M1 finance pies that are a basket of hand-picked stocks, etfs, reits, etc. Or, you can choose an M1 finance pie that is created or followed by experts.

Like stockpile, M1 finance offers fractional shares investing. They automatically invest your money in your pie.

Think of M1 finance as a way to invest with a robo-advisor, but it’s fully customizable. And it’s completely free.

You get free shares by signing up and earning a $10 bonus by using my link.

You can read more about M1 finance in my review of the platform.

6. TD ameritrade bonus offer

TD ameritrade is one of the best commission-free etfs brokers’ account. It is an account that lets you trade stocks, options, futures and forwards and more.

Currently, it is running a promotion where it is giving investors up to $600 if an investor fund an account with at least $250,000.You can get 60 days of free trades and up to $600 cash bonus. It is an offer that is valid for new individual joint or IRA eligible accounts and brokerage accounts.

An investor can get from $100 to $2500 in bonus if they fund an account with $25,000 to $1,000, 000. There are specific requirements and eligibility criteria that one must meet to qualify.

You can also choose to earn a $200 referral bonus or 20 free online trades for making referrals. You can take advantage of such bonus offers to buy a few shares.

7. No-fee dividend reinvestment plans

This isn’t directly a free way to get shares. It’s somewhat indirect. Through the discounts over time, you essentially get free shares. A DRIP is a great way to build wealth over time.

It doesn’t come easy because you have to another way to earn free stocks is to take advantage of direct stock purchase plans offering discounts. One of the companies that provide discounts on drips is aqua america. It is one of the largest water utility companies in the US.

It is a dividend reinvestment, and direct stock purchase plan (DRIP) that provides investors with an economical and convenient way to buy the company common shares.

It lets the investors reinvest their cash dividends in additional stock shares at a 5% discount.

It does not charge investors any trading or commission fees for the purchase of shares, and it allows investors to buy fractional shares.

Conclusion on how to get free stocks

Free stuff is amazing. It’s even better when something you receive for free can increase in value into the future.

I hope this article has offered valuable insights on how to get free stocks and shares. Like making money from apps?

These 26+ apps will pay you real money for using or signing up for them.

Recommendation: if I were to sign up for two platforms, I’d suggest the combination of robinhood and M1 finance. Why?

Use robinhood for your actively managed portfolio where you can buy and sell stocks at your disclosure.

Then, use M1 finance as a way to be hands-free invested in the stock market completely commission-free. You can continually pour money into your account and let them do all the work from there.

If you need help deciding further with your apps, check out my investing apps guide. This is a thorough analysis of all the best stock market investing apps.

What do you think about getting free stocks? Please let us know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.

Use the resources about how to invest your money to start making money work for you:

Our guide to eliminate risk in the stock market

5 steps to live off dividends forever

How to start investing your money

Subscribe to the millionaire mob early retirement blog newsletter to find the best travel hacking tips, dividend growth investing, passive income ideas and more. Achieve the financially free lifestyle you’ve always wanted.

Join our community of over 3,000 mobsters seeking financial freedom. What are you waiting for?

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11 best new brokerage account promotions & bonus offers – january 2021

As a savvy investor, you’re no doubt aware dozens of banks and credit unions entice new business with account-opening promotions. Some reward first-time customers with bonuses worth hundreds of dollars just for opening an account and making qualifying deposits. The best land on our regularly updated roundup of the top new bank account promotions.

You’ve probably seen credit card issuers get in on the action too. Many of the best cash-back credit cards and travel rewards credit cards come with irresistible welcome offers, the best of which rival the most generous new bank account promotions.

If it’s been years since you switched brokerage firms or you’re entirely new to investing, you might be unaware america’s top self-directed and managed investment platforms also offer impressive new-account bonuses. Top-tier new brokerage account promotions dwarf the leading bank and credit card promotions — promising thousands to new customers bringing substantial assets to the table.

Best new brokerage account promotions (january 2021)

These are the best new brokerage account promotions from north america’s top online stock brokers for this month. All are subject to change, so check back often for updates.

Whichever you choose, pair your new brokerage account with a subscription to trade ideas, the most powerful paper trading and market research subscription around.

1. Acorns — $10 bonus

Open a new acorns account using the link below to earn a $10 credit. It’s that simple — no minimum deposit or balance required. You’ll receive the credit after completing your account registration.

Moving forward, acorns offers three attractively priced plans that support everyday money management, longer-term saving, and market investing:

Lite. For just $1 per month, take advantage of a powerful investing platform (invest) that allows you to invest spare change left over from everyday purchases (round-ups) and earn bonus investments from more than 350 found money partners.

Personal. For just $3 per month, acorns adds a tax-advantaged retirement account that updates regularly to match your goals and a checking account with 55,000+ fee-free atms worldwide and up to 10% bonus investments.

Family. For just $5 per month, you’ll get everything included in the lower-priced plans, plus early, a kid-friendly investment account featuring automatic recurring investments, exclusive bonus investments, family-centered financial advice, and potential tax savings.

2. Robinhood — up to $200 (or more) in free stock

Open a new robinhood account and to get up to $200 (or more) in free stock. Here’s how it works:

Apply for a new robinhood brokerage account and get approved.

Robinhood adds 1 free share of stock worth between $2.50 and $200 (or more) per share, chosen randomly from its inventory of settled shares.

You can hold the share indefinitely or sell it after 2 trading days.

Bear in mind that you may not receive the same stock as other applicants and your share’s value may fluctuate with market movements. Once open, use your account to trade stocks, etfs, and other market-traded instruments.

3. Webull — free stocks up to $3,700 total value & 3 months free level 2 advance (nasdaq totalview) subscription

Open and fund a new webull account with at least $100 to get up to four free stocks worth up to $3,700 in total. Participating stocks include google, facebook, procter & gamble, starbucks, kraft heinz, and snap.

Plus, sign up to receive a three-month level 2 advance (nasdaq totalview) subscription for free. Here’s how these promotions work:

Account opening bonus (2 free stocks)

Simply sign up and open a qualifying webull account to receive two free stocks valued between $2.50 and $250. You must complete the account opening process by the stated offer end date at the time you apply. This date is subject to change at webull’s discretion.

Deposit bonus (2 free stocks)

Make an initial deposit of $100 or more to your new account by the end of the offer period to claim two free stocks valued between $8 and $1,600 each per share.

Account opening bonus (nasdaq totalview subscription)

Sign up and open your account to receive a three-month level 2 advance (nasdaq totalview) subscription for free. After the promotional period ends, the standard subscription fee applies.

These offers apply only to webull cash and margin accounts.

4. Blockfi — up to $250 BTC bonus

Open and fund a blockfi interest account (BIA) for the first time and make qualifying deposits within the first 30 days of opening. In return, you could earn a special one-time bonus worth up to $250 BTC. The payout tiers work as follows:

$15 BTC: deposit $25 to $249

$20 BTC: deposit $250 to $999

$40 BTC: deposit $1,000 to $4,999

$75 BTC: deposit $5,000 to $9,999

$150 BTC: deposit $10,000 to $19,999

$250 BTC: deposit $20,000 or more

To ensure that you receive the bonus, you must maintain a crypto balance of $25 or greater through the 14th of the month two and a half months from your eligibility month (account opening month). Eligible payouts occur on a rolling basis on or about the 15th of every month.

5. Ally invest — up to $3,500 cash bonus

Open a new self-directed account with ally invest by march 31, 2021, and make a qualifying deposit of new money or assets to earn up to $3,500 bonus cash. The bonus thresholds are:

$50: deposit $10,000 to $24,999 in new funds or assets.

$200: deposit $25,000 to $99,999 in new funds or assets.

$300: deposit $100,000 to $249,999 in new funds or assets.

$600: deposit $250,000 to $499,999 in new funds or assets.

$1,200: deposit $500,000 to $999,999 in new funds or assets.

$2,500: deposit $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 in new funds or assets.

$3,500: deposit $2,000,000 or more in new funds or assets.

To qualify for the bonus, you must fund the account within 60 days of opening. Once ally invest credits the bonus to the account, the combined bonus and qualifying deposit (less any trading losses) must remain in the account for 300 days. Otherwise, ally invest reserves the right to revoke the bonus.

Deposited funds must come from accounts that aren’t ally or ally subsidiary accounts. You must fund the new account with a minimum qualifying deposit of $10,000 or more to qualify for the minimum cash bonus.

The bonus is available to U.S. Residents, excluding current ally invest account holders, and ally invest account holders who closed their accounts within 90 days of applying.

Account transfer fee credit

Separately, ally invest credits up to $150 in transfer fees charged by other brokerages when you complete a first-time account transfer totaling $2,500 or more. That credit hits your account within 30 days of the transfer.

For more information about ally invest’s taxable brokerage accounts and iras with commission-free trades, read our ally invest review. To learn more about ally bank, ally invest’s parent institution, check out our ally bank review.

6. Citi wealth management — up to $3,500 cash bonus

Open a new eligible citi personal wealth management account by june 30, 2021, and make a qualifying deposit of new money or assets to earn a cash bonus up to $3,500. The bonus thresholds are as follows:

$500: deposit $50,000 to $199,999 in new funds or securities.

$1,000: deposit $200,000 to $499,999 in new funds or securities.

$1,500: deposit $500,000 to $999,999 in new funds or securities.

$2,500: deposit $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 in new funds or securities.

$3,500: deposit $2,000,000 or more in new funds or securities.

To earn this bonus, you must do the following:

Open and enroll your new citi private wealth management account

Make the qualifying new money deposit within 2 months of account opening

Enroll the account into e-delivery of statements within 2 months of account opening.

Maintain the new funding at least through the end of the third month (statement cycle) after account opening.

Eligible funds must be new to citibank and can’t come from or be combined with funds from any other citi accounts. This offer is available to new citi private wealth management clients only.

7. M1 finance — up to $2,500 transfer bonus

Open a new M1 finance account and initiate an account transfer within 60 days of sign-up to earn a transfer bonus of up to $3,500.

Plus, get a free year of M1 plus (a $125 value) when you open a new account by jan. 31, 2021.

The bonus thresholds for the cash bonus are:

$40 bonus: transfer an account worth $10,000 to $19,999.99.

$75 bonus: transfer an account worth $20,000 to $49,999.99.

$150 bonus: transfer an account worth $50,000 to $99,999.99.

$250 bonus: transfer an account worth $100,000 to $249,999.99.

$500 bonus: transfer an account worth $250,000 to $499,999.99.

$1,000 bonus: transfer an account worth $500,000 to $999,999.99.

$2,500 bonus: transfer an account worth $1,000,000 to $1,999,999.99.

$3,500 bonus: transfer an account worth $2,000,000 or more.

Your new M1 finance account type must match your old account type. The offer isn’t valid on ACH deposits, wire transfers or direct 401k rollovers. Once the transfer is received, you’ll receive payment within 90 days.

8. E-trade — up to $2,500 cash bonus

Open a new E-trade securities nonretirement brokerage account by jan. 31, 2021, using the promo code ‘BONUS20’, to earn up to $2,500 bonus cash. The bonus thresholds are:

$25: deposit or transfer $5,000 to $9,999 in new money.

$50: deposit or transfer $10,000 to $24,999 in new money.

$200: deposit or transfer $25,000 to $99,999 in new money.

$300: deposit or transfer $100,000 to $249,999 in new money.

$600: deposit or transfer $250,000 to $499,999 in new money.

$1,200: deposit or transfer $500,000 to $999,999 in new money.

$2,500: deposit or transfer $1,000,000 or more in new money.

You must transfer or deposit new funds or securities within 60 days of enrollment. All deposited or transferred funds must come from accounts outside E-trade and remain in the account (less any trading losses) for at least 12 months.

9. Betterment — up to 1 year managed free

Get up to one year managed free when you open a betterment robo-advisor account and make a qualifying deposit within 45 days. Bonus thresholds are:

1 month free: fund your account with $15,000 to $99,999 within the qualification period.

6 months free: fund your account with $100,000 to $249,999 within the qualification period.

12 months free: fund your account with $250,000 or more within the qualification period.

You can’t combine this offer with any other promotions, and it’s available to U.S. Residents only.

For more about betterment’s benefits, check out our lists of the best high-yield savings accounts and cash management accounts on the market today.

10. Charles schwab — up to $500 cash referral bonus

Open a new qualifying charles schwab account with a qualifying referral from an existing schwab client to earn a cash bonus of up to $500.

To qualify, ask a friend or family member with a schwab account to send you their unique referral code. Then use the code to open a new schwab account with an initial deposit or deposits totaling at least $1,000. Make one or more qualifying deposits within 45 days of your account opening date, and you’ll receive your cash bonus about a week later.

Your bonus amount depends on how much you deposit during the 45-day qualifying period:

$100: deposit $1,000 to $24,999 in new money or assets.

$200: deposit $25,000 to $49,999 in new money or assets.

$300: deposit 50,000 to $99,999 in new money or assets.

$500: deposit 100,000 and above in new money or assets.

Once your account is open, monthly fees may apply. Multiple members of the same household may qualify for bonuses individually, as long as they open separate schwab accounts.

11. Nvstr — up to $1,000 cash

Open a new nvstr account using this link to earn up to $1,000 in cash. There’s no minimum funding threshold or other hoops to jump through — just open your account, and nvstr rewards you with $10 to $1,000 cash.

There is one catch: nvstr chooses your reward amount at random, and it’s impossible to predict how much you stand to receive. Once the bonus is in your account, you must make at least one trade within three months and keep the bonus funds on deposit for a full year.

The cash offer is available to new nvstr users on live trading accounts only. Simulated trading accounts aren’t eligible.

Final word

If you’re a satisfied investor, you’d be forgiven for feeling no urgency to switch brokerages. Why fix something that’s not broken?

But the prospect of earning hundreds or thousands of dollars in brokerage bonuses is often reason enough.

Most of these brokerages take pains to ensure their new-account bonuses qualify as easy money. In many cases, moving assets to a newly opened account requires little more than completing an account application and authorizing an electronic funds transfer or asset rollover, a process that’s quick and painless enough to complete in a spare 15 minutes.

Even if you’re not ready to take advantage of these brokerage account bonuses, it still pays to add a review of the top brokerage promotions to your due-diligence to-do list for whenever you’re ready to start investing on a new trading platform.

Bonuses

Double your funds bonus

Join upforex today and you can double your deposit with our exclusive deposit match promotion. With deposit match, we double your deposit up to a value of $5,000 when you sign up for a live account with upforex.

That means if you deposit $5,000 of your own money, we will match that with $5,000 of our money to immediately double your equity. All you need to do is register, choose your payment method and make your payment. It really is that simple.

Welcome bonus

Jump-start an exciting trading journey with upforex and explore our world-class services with the $100 welcome account.

New clients have the opportunity to trade with free trading funds, without having to make a deposit. The welcome account is very easy to open and the profit earned is yours to keep.

Enjoy a seamless trading experience with lightning-fast execution, while getting access to award-winning trading tools and resources.

High risk warning. Trading contracts for difference (cfds) on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for everybody. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to trade contracts for difference (cfds), you should carefully consider your trading objectives, level of experience and risk appetite. It is possible for you to sustain losses that exceed your initial trading capital and therefore you should not deposit money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with trading contracts for difference (cfds) and seek advice from an independent adviser if you have any doubts. Please refer to the summary risk disclosure. This site should not be regarded as an advertising or solicitation medium but an information distribution channel. Nothing on this site should be considered as an advertisement, offer or solicitation to use our services.

The site also contains links to websites controlled or offered by third parties. Upforex has not reviewed and hereby disclaims responsibility for any information or materials posted at any of the sites linked to this site. By creating a link to a third party website, upforex does not endorse or recommend any products or services offered on that website. The information contained on this site is intended for information purposes only. Therefore, it should not be regarded as an offer or solicitation to any person in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it would be unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation, nor regarded as recommendation to buy, sell or otherwise deal with any particular currency or precious metal trade. If you are not sure about your local currency and spot metals trading regulations then you should leave this site immediately.

You are strongly advised to obtain independent financial, legal and tax advice before proceeding with any currency or spot metals trade. Nothing in this site should be read or construed as constituting advice on the part of upforex or any of its affiliates, directors, officers or employees.

Capital trade LTD suite 305, griffith corporate centre kingstown st. Vincent & the grenadines

Definition: bonus shares are additional shares given to the current shareholders without any additional cost, based upon the number of shares that a shareholder owns. These are company's accumulated earnings which are not given out in the form of dividends, but are converted into free shares.

Description: the basic principle behind bonus shares is that the total number of shares increases with a constant ratio of number of shares held to the number of shares outstanding. For instance, if investor A holds 200 shares of a company and a company declares 4:1 bonus, that is for every one share, he gets 4 shares for free. That is total 800 shares for free and his total holding will increase to 1000 shares.

Companies issue bonus shares to encourage retail participation and increase their equity base. When price per share of a company is high, it becomes difficult for new investors to buy shares of that particular company. Increase in the number of shares reduces the price per share. But the overall capital remains the same even if bonus shares are declared.

Also see: stock split, stock, equity

What are bonus shares? Watch video.

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The pros and cons of a cash bonus vs. Stock bonus for top-level executives

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In a world of ever-increasing ways to incentivize employees, there are various methods for compensating top-level executives for their contributions above and beyond their day-to-day requirements. One thing is for certain, for decades there has been a tried and true way of telling employees that they deserve a little extra—that additional compensation is known as a bonus. We are all familiar with it. In fact, many of us can probably recall the time clark griswold in “national lampoon’s christmas vacation” was neglected his annual christmas bonus, with which he had planned to put in a pool for his family.

The idea of the bonus has been weaved throughout our cultural fabric for years, but there are actually two very distinct and different ways an employer can choose to distribute a bonus to its employees: a cash bonus or a stock bonus. As an executive, you may find yourself making a choice between these two bonus types, especially when joining a new company. That is why it’s important to understand the pros and cons of a cash bonus vs. Stock bonus, and how each might best fit your financial situation.

The carpenter team specializes in executive-level equity compensation planning. Schedule a complimentary consultation with us today.

Benefits and drawbacks of a cash bonus

To start, let’s take a look at the more traditional type of bonus, which is a cash bonus. First of all, it’s important to know how a cash bonus is taxed and viewed by the IRS. If you are paid your bonus as part of your regular wages, not otherwise indicated as a separate bonus payout, it is taxed at your normal income tax bracket through your payroll system.

If your bonus is clearly indicated as a bonus payout and separate from your normal income, your employer has the option to withhold a 22% flat amount or calculate individual withholding amounts based on your normal tax bracket.

Many executives, however, fall into a different category if they are compensated more than $1 million in bonus and other supplemental income sources. Any bonus amount over $1 million is subject to the higher of a 37% tax rate or the highest tax rate in that given year. On the positive side, any amount below $1 million is subject to the taxation mentioned above.

One of the major benefits of a cash bonus, as opposed to a stock bonus, is the avoidance of stock market risk that you incur when being compensated with company stock. This risk is also compounded if you already own a concentrated equity position of your employer’s stock.

On the contrary, a cash bonus does not give you the upside potential to generate wealth that the stock bonus offers. When considering a cash bonus vs. A stock bonus, you need to consider both the upside and the downside of potential returns. An experienced executive financial advisor can quantify this for you by weighing the risks and the rewards.

Advantages and disadvantages of a stock bonus

Now that we understand how a cash bonus is taxed, let’s take a look at the taxable incident a stock bonus can cause. The most common form of a stock bonus is a restricted stock unit (RSU). These are popular because many employers allow for the option to receive the stock units as shares of company stock or as a cash equivalent. If you choose to take the company stock option rather than the cash, you can expect to pay your normal income tax rate when the stock units become fully vested. Many employers will give you the option to withhold a certain number of shares to pay for the income tax due, and some even automate the process for you.

The variability comes when you choose to sell the shares of stock. If you sell the stock within the first year of vesting, you will pay a short-term capital gains tax rate. If you can wait longer than a year after the stock units are vested, then you can expect to pay a long-term capital gains tax rate, which is more favorable.

You also have the option, when the stock units are granted, to file an 83(b) election , which allows you to pay income tax on the market value of the stock when it is granted rather than waiting three years for it to vest. The major benefit enjoyed here is if the stock price rises within that time frame, you will have paid less in taxes up front than you would have if you waited until the price was up and the units were fully vested.

The major benefit of opting for the stock bonus vs. The cash bonus is that you get the chance to enjoy an increase in stock price over the next three years or so. Essentially, it gives your bonus the ability to grow over time as you wait until it is fully vested. The downside to this strategy is that you are exposed to market risk and could have potentially been paid more up front in a cash bonus if the share price drops.

Cash bonus vs. Stock bonus: making a decision

When you are faced with the decision of taking a cash bonus vs. A stock bonus, it is important to consult with a financial advisor who has experience in helping top-level executives make that very same decision. An advisor’s expertise can guide you in exploring the pros and cons of each type and quantify what the risks vs. Rewards look like in the context of your financial portfolio. When it comes to making executive compensation options, a trusted advisor is irreplaceable in the decision-making process.

K. Wade carpenter, CFP®, AIF®, chfc®, CLU®, is an innovative wealth manager serving corporate executives and entrepreneurs from coast to coast. Throughout his more than 25-year career, wade’s focus on C-level clients has made him a top strategist in equity compensation planning.

As experts in executive-level equity compensation planning, the carpenter team can advise you on the pros and cons of a cash bonus vs. Stock bonus, and much more. Schedule an in-person or online meeting today.

Get access to these valuable bonuses…

BONUS 1 – daily break from consolidation trading plan
A trading plan acts as a guide to how you are going to interact with the markets. In this bonus, an example of how a trading plan can be written is provided. It gives a working example of a trading plan as was discussed on page 121 in section 9.3 “your trading plan” of dating the stock market. From the information presented in this trading plan, a trader should be able to devise a way to enter the market which will give them an edge and write their own plan around this edge.

BONUS 2 – 12+ reasons why backtesting cannot work and why you need to do it
backtesting is used to quantify how good your edge is. Backtesting reviews historical data and uses the written software code to buy and sell stocks according to your trading plan. It is a quick way to differentiate between a good and a poor system. Once you understand that your edge is valid, you can start to trade it with a small amount of capital. As you go forward, you can compare your results to how the computer would play the same set up and see how well you are handling live trading. This presentation outlines many of the issues with backtesting yet still recommends doing it.

BONUS 3 – benefits and disadvantages of weekly trading strategies
whether you work full time during the trading day, find yourself too busy during the day or don’t have the patience to watch the computer screen you may find trading using weekly charts just what you are looking for. Weekly charts provide a way to trade on a longer-term timescale and still carry on your day-to-day business. When I trade using weekly charts, I typically do the analysis on the weekend and enter my trades using bracket orders on monday morning. Monitoring and adjusting my trades typically take between 0 to 30 minutes per day.

20 best forex bonuses for 2020

As forex trading goes mainstream attracting forex trade enthusiasts, brokers get to understand that it is not enough to have a solid reputation of trust and reliability. They need to incentivize traders into registering with them, and most have found huge success introducing bonuses; both for no-deposit welcome bonus and initial or recurrent deposit bonuses.

In this post, we review the best forex brokers with the highest deposit bonuses, and also explain what it takes to unlock these benefits. These are often expressed in percentages of the deposit amount. Our approach to the high bonuses subject is holistic and extends way beyond the bonus to touch on aspects of the forex broker reputation like the ease of doing business with them, and their reliability.

Best overall forex bonus

We’ve analysed all the forex bonuses in the market and found the following broker to have the best welcome offer, bonus terms, platform, usability and regulation. Click the link below to claim your bonus or read on to find out why this is our top choice.

1. Plus500: $25 bonus for customers outside of europe (best for south african traders)

Plus500 is a well-regulated forex broker holding licenses from the cysec, FCA and listed on the london stock exchange.

This broker offers a fantastic forex trading platform where investors can trade on 60+ forex pairs including the most popular forex pairs like EUR/USD, GBP/USD and EUR/GBP with leverage up to 1:30. They offer a very low minimum deposit of $100, which means your forex account can be worth up to $3,000 if using leveraged positions.

Their platform also counts with various advanced trading tools such as stop loss and stop limits, to ensure full customization and control over your forex trades, and minimize losses, a factor that is very important especially when using leverage. Plus500 also offers free forex signals and indicators as well as access to advanced charts and educational resources.

Plus500 offers low spreads starting from 1.9 pips on forex trading, and the account opening process is smooth and hassle-free.

Plus500 is currently offering a $25 free bonus to all traders outside of europe on forex trading. This bonus is available when you deposit the minimum required amount on the platform and open your account using this link. The welcome offer is only available to new customers, and the terms and conditions apply (check your country is eligible for the bonus before depositing). The offer is available to redeem within 90 days. Click the link below to claim your bonus today.

Plus500: claim your free £/€/$25 forex bonus

Free $/£/€25 bonus for new clients

Fully regulated forex broker

$/€/£100 minimum deposit

Best US forex bonuses

Even though the number of US forex brokers delivering access to the financial markets is rising, the actual number of companies offfering their services for US customers and residents is a number that has barely moved through the years.

If you are interested in starting a career in the forex market and you are a citizen or a resident of the US, check out these brokers below, all offering fantastic bonuses for american traders.

1. Libertex – 100% welcome bonus

Libertex rewards new traders a 100% welcome bonus for every deposit over $100. While the minimum deposit amount to receive the welcome bonus is $100, the maximum bonus amount is $10,000. Libertex welcome bonus will be paid over the course of 90 days in 2% payment chunks. A user simply needs to register for a trading account and fund the account with the minimum amount of $100 in order to get the libertex welcome bonus.

The converted bonus gets paid to your trading account and you are free to withdraw or trade with this money, however, libertex maintains basic requirements for rewarding its new traders. Whenever a trader reaches a certain percentage of the bonus earned, libertex pays the converted bonus to the trader’s account.

2. Forex.Com – $50 bonus

If you are interested in trading in the US, you see yourself being rejected by most european brokers due to tight requirements needed for americans. If this did not make you drift towards a different asset class you might want to consider opening a trading account with forex.Com. The firm might not offer any of the marketing tools and benefits from the majority of firms in europe, but in exchange, you will gain access to one of the most respected and stable forex brokers in the world.

As a symbolic benefit, forex.Com offers a one time bonus of $50 per user after they’ve deposited at least $250 to start their own account. This might not sound like much but considering the fact that it is an american broker, it is more than I would have ever expected!

3. Paxforex- 100% loyalty deposit bonus

Paxforex rewards new and existing clients 100% deposit bonus for every deposit over 1200$. The bonus will be paid over the course of one year and the first payment will be sent to your account as soon as your deposit clears. Paxforex will match your deposit in bonus money which will be divided by 12 equals parts and granted every month. The bonus amount can be used only for trading and cannot be withdrawn. Paxforex has a limitation of $10,000/EUR 9,000 on the total deposit bonus amount on one forex account.

Best non-U.S. Forex bonuses

If you are outside of the U.S, there are a number of well-regulated brokers offering attractive welcome bonuses for all forex traders. Below, we list the top fx bonuses for traders in europe and rest of the world. Be sure to read the broker’s terms and conditions before you deposit to ensure the bonus is suitable for your needs.

1. Global pro trader – 100% bonus on FTD via card, 150% bonus on FTD via crypto

Global pro trader rewards traders with 100% bonus on first time deposit (FTD) via card and 150% bonus on first time deposit (FTD) via crypto. Note that, the bonus is only available to one account and cannot be transferred between accounts. It also has a minimum trading volume of the bonus amount divided by 4 in order to withdraw bonus funds. The bonus and profits made on the trading account can be withdrawn once the minimum trading requirements have been fulfilled.

More importantly, the bonus can be redeemed once a trader has executed 30 standard lots for every $1000 bonus, within 60 days (44 market days) of receiving it. To qualify for the globalprotrader bonus, traders must complete the registration process and deposit funds through credit card or cryptocurrency.

2. Avatrade- welcome bonus up to $16,000

Avatrader is also keen on incentivizing individuals who wish to open trading accounts with them by offering deposit bonuses of up to $16,000. Unlike most other forex brokers who express their deposit bonus as a percentage of the deposit amount, avatrader maintains a graduated scale for rewarding its new traders. Individuals interested in their platform can use the online calculator on the avatrader website to determine the bonus attributable to their initial deposit. The bonus is however only available to new trading accounts that deposit a minimum 1000 units of their preferred base currency (USD/GBP/EUR). To move the credited amounts to the withdrawable balance side, you must execute a trading volume 10,000 times your deposit within six months.

3. Easy markets- 50% deposit bonus

Easymarkets rewards anybody who opens a trading account with them with up to 50% bonus on their first deposit amount. This is only applicable to new accounts that receive the upwards of $100 as initial deposit. The graduated bonus scaling technique rewards 30% bonus for deposits below $200 and 50% for initial deposits between $200 and $1000 while the rest, above $1000, get a 40% burp as a bonus. The broker has set the maximum allowable bonus per account at $2000. Unlike most forex industry insiders that avail the bonus for withdrawal after a target volume of trade, easymarket’s bonus is not withdrawable. There is however no restriction to profits earned by trading the bonus amount.

4. FXTM- up to 30% welcome bonus

The percentage of deposit bonus reward by forex time (FXTM) brokers depends on your geographical region. For instance, FXTM clients hailing from south east asia and the greater china region are eligible for a deposit bonus of up to 30% and a maximum amount of $100. FXTM trading account clients in africa will also get back 30% of their deposit amounts with the maximum amount allowed capped at $300. Traders in the middle east who open and fund a trading account with FXTM will get back 10% of their deposit amounts and a maximum of $300. To qualify for the bonus, the trader must complete their trading account registration and verification and also fund their respective account with the minimum deposit within six months.

5. Instaforex- 100% deposit bonus

Instaforex offers one of the widest ranges of deposit bonuses to its clients, depending on the trading accounts opened with the broker. The most popular in the 100% marching bonus to initial deposit made to any trading account. The broker also gives out a 30% bonus for all other subsequent deposits with instaforex club accounts receiving a 40% bonus. There is also the 50% chancy deposit bonus that is given once a month for deposits exceeding $3000. They also have a promotional 55% deposit bonus program for all accounts opened after june 2013. Withdrawing profits derived from the deposits with broker’s bonus is allowed but the credited deposits amounts will only be moved from the credit to the balances section once the trader hits the required trade volume limit.

6. FP markets- 20% credit bonus

FP markets rewards its traders with a 20% initial deposit bonus that is credited to their trading account. Qualifying for the bonus starts by completing the trader verification process and funding an account with an initial deposit of between $100 and $25,000. Note that, this is only available to traders maintaining the standard, raw MT4, and MT5 trading accounts. It also has a maximum allowable bonus amount set at $5000. While the amounts may be used to cover drawdowns, it will only be activated in the case of negative balance. Profits from the bonus amount can be withdrawn freely but you have to fulfill the required trading volume requirements to convert the bonus into cash.

7. Octa FX- 50% bonus on each deposit

Octafx offers a deposit bonus of up to 50% on all deposits above $50 regardless of the currency base or preferred payment system. This is available to all the trading accounts hosted by the broker, including ECN accounts. The trader is however at liberty to decide the level of bonus they prefer (below 50%) when making their deposit as this plays a key role in affecting the trading volume required to activate the credited amounts and transferring them to the withdrawable balance section. Additionally, the bonus can be traded on different platforms, including metatrader accounts integrated with an expert adviser. Profits can be withdrawn without restrictions, but withdrawing the deposit amounts below the level of the credited amounts cancels out the bonus.

Factors to consider when choosing forex deposit bonus

Before requesting for the 100%+ bonus or cash rebates, there are a few factors you need to consider. These are all contained in the fine print of the broker’s terms and conditions, and touch on how you interact with the ‘free trading money’ and its impact on your actual deposit. They include:

Size and impact on your trades

Ideally, the higher the deposit amount you request the larger the impact it has on your trades. For instance, some brokers will set a minimum or maximum lot size that you can execute as long as the deposit amount remains active. More importantly, the larger the advanced amounts, the higher the trading volume lots required to convert it into cash.

Flexibility and adaptability

To what extent can you use the deposit amounts or the profits accrued from its use? Can it be used to shield against negative balances? How easy is it to withdraw the profits derived from its trade or do you need to fund the account to activate it like in the case of no-deposit bonus? Pay attention to these details when reading through the terms and conditions a broker has attached to their bonus and only accept it if you consider them tolerable.

Time limit to trade volume execution

If you accepted a 20% bonus on a $1000 deposit that requires a trade of 10x the deposit amounts to release $1 of the bonus to your account, you will have to execute trades worth $2,000,000 before the full bonus amount is converted into cash. This explains why a majority of traders taking up bonus offers never get to enjoy them. Plus the higher the bonus amount, the larger the trading lots and the longer it will take to execute them. Take this into account and only take it if you consider the trade volume and the time given to be reasonable.

Should you accept a forex bonus?

Deposits bonus play a key role in helping advance your profitability. While all these forex brokers treat the bonus as a credit advance, they don’t restrict the use of any profits derived from its use. Most will also give you a chance to win and claim it as cash as long as you fulfill their set conditions that revolve around limiting the withdrawal of your deposit, as well as, executing enough trades.

You, however, have to be careful when interacting with the free deposit bonus. Take time to vet a forex broker, paying attention to how they disburse and handle credited bonuses. Consider brokers with flexible deposit bonuses that cover drawdowns and allow for the unconditional use of profits accrued from their trading the bonus. Avoid the rest whose credited amounts won’t cover drawdowns.

Other types of forex bonuses available

Forex no-deposit bonus: this refers to the deposit awarded to a trader for every account opened with the forex broker. It is credited to the trader’s account and is not withdrawable until a set of terms are fulfilled. These are perfect for testing the effectiveness and transparency of the forex broker.

Forex welcome bonus: this is advanced to new traders who open an account with a broker, regardless of whether they make the first deposit or not. It may, therefore, double up as a no-deposit or initial deposit bonus. The difference between the two is that while most brokers offer a no-deposit bonus to multiple accounts by the same client, most will only advance the welcome bonus to a client once regardless of the number of accounts opened.

Cashback (rebate) bonus: this works like the recurrent deposit bonus with the only exception that the rebate bonuses are offered in terms of specific amount and not as a percentage of the deposit. For instance, a broker may award $100 for every deposit a client makes above $1000.

Personalized/VIP bonus: this is a specialized type of bonus advanced to a selected group of clients. In most cases, VIP bonus is advanced to high volume traders operating special types of accounts and their terms are also more favorable.

Loyalty bonus: loyalty bonus is set aside by forex brokers for their distinguished existing clients. In most cases, the broker establishes a loyalty program that rewards traders with points for every trade or lot executed. Traders are then promised a cash bonus upon hitting a particular milestone.

Criteria we used to rank forex bonuses

Deposit bonuses are gradually evolving into one of the most critical factors enthusiastic traders put into consideration when deciding the broker to invest with. This has allowed most brokers of ill repute to lure innocent traders and entice them into making a deposit with them with the promise of huge but complicated deposit bonuses. We have however taken time to sort these out and present to you only the most reputable and highly reliable industry operatives. Safe for high deposit bonus and reputation, other factors we put into consideration when vetting the forex brokers include:

Regulation

Minimum deposit amounts

Flexibility (withdrawable profits and ease of conversion to cash)

Brokers with low spreads

Risk management tools

Conclusion

There is a huge number of forex bonuses available in the market, and choosing the right one based on your country, legislation, budget and trading needs is crucial. Forex bonuses are a great way to get started if you have a limited budget, or if you want to grow you account. However, it is important to keep in mind that even though a bonus might look like a great benefit to have, in most cases it is simply used as bait to attract and lure inexperienced investors and traders, so we urge you to read the broker's terms and conditions carefully before depositing funds in hopes of receiving a bonus which may not be suitable for you.

Plus500: claim your free £/€/$25 forex bonus