So you’re new to the stock market and you’re wondering if there’s any software out there that’ll tell you which stocks to buy right? If there was, we’d all be using it wouldn’t we? Sorry, there is no secret software out there that’s going to make you a millionaire. There is however a lot out there that you can use to make your life so much easier. They cover a wide array of topics too, including keeping track of your stocks, managing your portfolio and fantasy stock market games.

The first thing I’d always recommend you do before you buy any kind of off the shelf package is to take a look at the software which is provided by your broker.  You might just be surprised by the comprehensive options they offer you. I’ll bet that most offer you a way to keep track of how your stocks are performing and to maybe look at the performance over a certain timescale. If you’re following a certain investing technique such as the value investing method of Warren Buffett then you can actually search for stocks that meet certain criteria. If you’re concerned about stocks that pay dividends or have a certain price to earning ration you’ll be able to use the software much like a search engine to filter out stocks that don’t meet your needs.

If your stock broker doesn’t offer this sort of facility then don’t worry. You can get all this for free from Google Finance or Yahoo Finance. The tools they offer are quite comprehensive. Just make sure you don’t get too sidetracked by all the interesting news on Google Finance as it’s plugged right into their news module. I’ve often went on to check the quick price of a stock to find myself sitting there two hours later completely forgotten what I was there to do in the first place! Google and Yahoo will also let you keep all your stocks in a portfolio exclusive to you. It’s a great way to go in and see how your stocks are performing.

Finally, there is fantasy stock market software. This works in much the same way as those online sports games do. You pick which stocks you think are going to rise in price and then watch how they perform. Note that no money is exchanged hands for these types of games. It can be a great way of trying out your stock market technique without risking any of your cash. It can also be great fun playing with friends too. If you’re looking for a stocks for beginners introduction then I would absolutely recommend you check out a fantasy stock market game. It’s exactly the same as buying stocks in real life without the risks. That way you can decided if it’s something you want to pursue or not. There are also a few fantasy stock market games out there that will actually let you try your hand at spread trading and currency option trading too. This is something I would test first before you get into it for real as it can be quite complex.

Don’t be taken in by any company offering software that’s going to make you a millionaire on the stock market. If they had software like that do you really think they’d be selling it? No of course not they’d be using it for themselves and er…becoming millionaires! There are lots of tools out there that will make the number crunching much easier. Most of these tools are freely available online via your web browser. So check a few out as they’ll save you a great deal of time.

Last but not least we’re all going mobile these days right? If you have an Android phone you can get Google Finance on there check out the video below.