What are individual investors?

Individual investors are people who choose what to buy and sell in the stock market, just like you choose your favorite toys or snacks.

Imagine you're at a toy store, and instead of just picking up one toy, you decide to buy pieces from different stores all around town. That's kind of what individual investors do, but with money and stocks, which are like little parts of companies.

Think of the stock market as a big playground where people trade bits of companies. An individual investor is someone who goes into that playground and decides which games to play. Maybe they buy some shares of a candy company because they think it will grow, or they sell shares of a video game store if they think it won’t be as popular anymore.

It’s like collecting stickers, you pick the ones you like best, and over time, your collection (or portfolio) can get bigger. Some people do this every day, while others might only play once in a while. But everyone gets to make their own choices, just like you choose what to wear to school!