For how long I can hold shares of a company? Is there any change for holding shares for long time?

Stock can be held in demat accounts or in physical form for as long as your heart desires. It can be kept for as little as one day by some people, while others may keep it for up to 20-30 years.

Many people have SBI shares in paper or demat formats for over 30 years.

Dividends and stock splits are paid by cheque, direct deposit to the bank account linked with your demat account, or by cheque.

Holding shares in a company is free of brokerage charges. Brokerage charges are charged when you purchase or sell shares through a stockbroker.

If your brokerage charges an Annual Maintenance Charge (AMC), then you will have to pay it every year. AMC is charged by brokerages such as ICICI Direct and HDFC Direct for demat accounts.

ProStocks, a broker, offers zero AMC accounts if you make a Rs 1000 one-time refundable deposit. These accounts are as safe as they are secure because the demat accounts are actually held by CDSL and NSDL, a centralized deposit service. Brokers are only intermediary services.