Well, for $145,000 profit, the investment should be worth $270,000. As for others thinking of investing in the range of $100, its not so much of a profit is it? You do need to take account of broker commission plus the capital gains tax on your profit which might land you with a bill of 50% or more if you are high earner. Again if you want the share certificate to be issued there are further charges and holding the shares electronically might incur further interest costs if it is leveraged investement. To make things more clear you do need accounting and I am proud to be an accountant. Do give clear advice otherwise, people might fall into an abyss of financial crisis for which you might be responsible. That's why me and my mates only invest in shares after careful analysis. Don't want to lose all your money by investing in companies like lehman or Madoff's ponzi scheme do we? As for me I will wait for several months more before investing in Banks even though that might mean lot less profit if the shares do rise significantly over the period.