Is alphabet a long-term winner?

Whichever stock class you prefer, Alphabet is a long-term winner that probably belongs in your portfolio. Many investors are confused about the difference between the GOOG and GOOGL stock tickers. So here's a quick primer for your convenience. Google's parent company, Alphabet ( GOOG 0.50%) ( GOOGL 0.43%), comes in two flavors.

What are the different types of alphabet stock?

There's the Class C stock with the GOOG ticker, and then we have the Class A stock called GOOGL. That's not quite the whole story, actually. There's a third type of Alphabet stock, but the Class B shares are not available to the public. The difference between these classes of Alphabet stock is not immediately obvious.

What are alphabet's share classes?

Alphabet's share classes, GOOG and GOOGL, are all about voting power. There are not many practical differences between the two share classes for the average investor.