By Brendan Holman
Staff Writer

This column is dedicated to those Westford Academy students who hope and have attempted to make money. This column is additionally dedicated to those who want to go to college but have not yet saved enough money to do so. Lastly, this column has been written in order to feed the wealth desires that all of you possess. Now, let us begin.

“Making Money” will explore the up-to-date nature of the stock market and provide readers with bullish (favorable) stock picks or bearish (unfavorable) stock picks. Mind you, the picks are only speculative, but you can be rest assured that initial research has been completed. I have always been fascinated by the stock market and studied the methods that make renowned investors, namely Warren Buffet, great. I now would like to share these viewpoints with you and use them in order to help you, the reader, make money.

The primary terms that I will be using in the “Making Money” column will be bull market (a financial market in which prices rise by a minimum of 20%), bear market (a financial market in which prices have decreased by a minimum of 20%), market capitalization (the cost associated with the purchase at market price of all shares of stock of a certain company), price-per-earnings ratio (that price that an investor pays for every $1 of earnings), shorting stock (one borrows shares of other investors and sells the said shares when a company looks as though it will decline), and blue chip stock (favorable stock). Other terms will likely arise that you are unaware of, but you will increase your financial knowledge by defining them yourselves.

Teens can easily begin investing in the stock market, although only those of eighteen years of age can create an account themselves. However, this fact should not discourage those who do not meet the said guidelines. So long as one receives permission from an adult, or “custodian”, he or she can begin trading. I hold an account with Scottrade and believe that the mentioned online company is most suitable for young persons. Trades are $7.00, meaning that $14.00 is spent for every buy and sell transaction. Moreover, Scottrade has a vast research and knowledge center, which is crucial for those just beginning to invest. The minimum deposit needed in order to start a Scottrade account is $500.

For week one, I would like to provide one stock pick: Verizon Wireless (VZ). Verizon Wireless, in addition to being the cell phone service carrier of many of you, is a well established company with a bright future. Verizon Wireless is the combination of Vodafone and Verizon, both respected companies in modern day times. The reason as to why I am currently excited about Verizon Wireless stock is the fact that Verizon Wireless has recently coverage of the iPhone 4. Until now, AT&T has been the sole carrier of Apple’s phone products, but the contract has since expired, leaving the door open to Verizon Wireless. The dividend yield of Verizon, which currently stands at $1.95 per share, is certainly good, and the stock has already surpassed its one-year target price. Therefore, I recommend that you buy Verizon at no more than $36 per share and hold the stock until the iPhone frenzy that Verizon will likely experience is over. Such goes without saying that Apple (APPL) will also presumably rise, and one anyalysts predict that Apple stock will surpass $420 by the end of 2011.

If you have questions regarding how to start trading or would like to know my thoughts on a particular stock, please leave comments below. I only hope that you always remember that investing in a particular stock should be a long-term choice. Furthermore, more damaging to a portfolio is selling immediately after decline rather than remaining patient, searching for signs of potential progress. Invest away, my fellow money makers.