Making money in Los Santos is easy. Making billions? That’s different. Most players finish the "The Big Score" and think they’re rich with thirty or forty million in the bank. They aren't. Honestly, if you don't use the lester stock market gta 5 strategy correctly, you're leaving enough cash on the table to buy every penthouse in the city ten times over.
You've probably heard the name Lester Crest. He's the guy who sets up the assassinations. But he’s also basically a walking insider trading cheat code. If you play your cards right, you can turn that end-game heist money into a staggering $2.1 billion for each of your three characters. That is the hard cap. The game literally cannot handle more money than that.
The Golden Rule: Don't Touch Those "L" Icons
Seriously. Stop. If you see a green "L" on your map as Franklin and you haven't finished the main story yet, keep driving.
Except for the first one. You have to do the Hotel Assassination to move the plot forward. But the rest? Save them. Why? Because the amount of money you make is a percentage of what you put in. Investing $5,000 from a broke Franklin early in the game gets you pocket change. Investing $30 million from Michael, Trevor, and Franklin after the final heist? That makes you a billionaire.
1. The Hotel Assassination (The Mandatory One)
Since you have to do this to progress, just use whatever cash you have. Before you start, put every cent from all three characters into Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) on the BAWSAQ exchange.
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Do the mission. Wait about 24 in-game hours. You're looking for roughly a 50% return. Sell it all.
2. The Multi-Target Assassination (The Big Double Dip)
This is where it gets fun. You're taking out some corrupt jurors. Before the hit, dump everything into Debonaire (DEB) on the LCN.
After you finish, wait until the stock peaks around 80%. Sell. Now, here is the trick: immediately put all that money into Redwood (RWC). It will have crashed because of your handiwork. Wait a few in-game days—sleeping in a bed is the fastest way to skip time—and Redwood will rebound for a massive 300% return.
It’s the single best trade in the game.
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3. The Vice Assassination
Lester wants you to take out a guy who’s basically a tech sleaze. Before you head out, buy Fruit (FRT) on BAWSAQ.
Once the deed is done, wait for a 50% jump. Sell it. Some people say you can buy the rival, Facade, on the dip, but honestly, the gains there are often glitchy or minimal compared to the other hits. I usually just take my Fruit profits and move on.
4. The Bus Assassination
This one is weird. Do NOT buy anything before the mission.
Lester wants a billionaire dead, and the guy happens to be a passenger on a bus. Go do the mission. Once he’s gone, the Vapid (VAP) stock will tank. That is when you buy. Wait for the rebound. It usually takes about two days of in-game time for it to hit a 100% return. You just doubled your money by doing nothing but sleeping.
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5. The Construction Assassination
The final big payday. Before starting, put everything into Gold Coast (GCD) on the LCN.
Complete the mission, wait about 24 hours, and you should see an 80% increase. Sell it all. If you did the final heist first, this is usually the moment where your bank account hits that $2.1 billion limit and the numbers stop moving.
Pro Tips for Not Messing This Up
I’ve seen so many people ruin their save files because they didn't pay attention to the details. Here’s the reality of the Los Santos market.
- Manual Saves are Life: Always, always save your game before you start an assassination and before you sell a stock. Sometimes the market fluctuates weirdly. If it doesn't hit the percentage I mentioned, reload.
- The Sleeping Trick: Sleeping (but not necessarily saving) as Trevor skips the most time—8 hours per "nap." Michael sleeps for 6, Franklin for 8. It’s the only way to move the market without waiting hours in real life.
- Check All Three: You have to switch between Michael, Franklin, and Trevor manually to buy and sell on each of their phones. The money isn't shared.
- LCN vs. BAWSAQ: LCN is offline and follows the game script. BAWSAQ used to be influenced by the real-world community, but in the single-player story mode, it still follows these scripted assassination triggers.
If you already finished the missions and you’re broke, there isn't a "magic fix." You can try destroying rival company assets—like blowing up FlyUS planes at the airport to make AirEmu stock go up—but the returns are tiny and slow. It’s better to just restart the story and do it right.
The path to being a billionaire isn't about how well you shoot; it's about how well you listen to a guy in a wheelchair talking about market manipulation.
To make this work now, load up your latest save and check if you have any "L" missions left on the map. If you do, go finish the main storyline first to maximize your starting capital. Once the credits roll and you get your "Big Score" payout, start with the Multi-Target Assassination and follow the Debonaire-to-Redwood pipeline.