It may seem tedious to understand the whole "brokerage fees", "margin calls", "derivatives" etc but you should know you dont need to.
Keep it simple. Sign up to TD Ameritrade, call them, speak to them on the phone and ask them any questions you have. From there you can Buy and Sell stocks. The interface is self-explenatory.
Now... to actually doing this succesfully - start with the book How to Make Money in Stocks by William J. O'neil. It is based on fact and market research of the best stocks in the past 50 years. No bullshit, straight to the point. Shows you WHAT to do. From there doors will open up to you.
May I recommend the following forum:
http://www.investorsparadise.com/b-JoshuaControl/
and the same persons blog:
http://www.mauitrader.blogspot.com/
Use it while you can because this is a professional trader and these sample blogs and forums will eventually consolidate into one fee-based service.
May be tempting to buy some stocks he puts on his 'new swing longs' because of all the stocks he makes which go up %100 or more, but dont be a fool and do it without understanding how it works(you will once you read How to Make money in stocks).
I dont hope this helps, I know it will. But only if you follow it what I've outlined. It has helped me.
Further evidence:
www.seouljoe.com
www.chartpattern.com - Dan Zanger 11k-42million in 3 years.
RevShark - running the RevShark chatroom and newsletter(up to $500 a month)
It's not coincidence that these guys all recommend the same thing. Look at the sites under recommended books.
I'm happy to help with stocks.... btw stop trying to understand EVERYTHING with stocks, it will burn you out. Learn what you need to. Learn the methods to help you make money. Later, once your making money will you begin to actually UNDERSTAND how it works.
Regards,
Lafayette