You're probably sitting on a few million in Los Santos and feeling like a king. Stop. If you haven't finished the GTA V Lester missions yet, you’re basically leaving enough money on the table to buy Maze Bank twice over. Most players treat Lester’s assassination hits like just another set of waypoints to clear so they can get back to flying jets. That is a massive, multi-billion dollar mistake.
I’ve played through the campaign more times than I care to admit. Every time, I see people trigger the "Hotel Assassination" way too early or, worse, blow through the "Bus Assassination" without touching the LCN exchange. It hurts to watch. Lester Crest isn't just a creepy guy in a wheelchair; he's your ticket to an infinite retirement fund if you play the stock market correctly.
The golden rule of timing
Here is the thing. You have to do the first mission—the Hotel Assassination—to progress the story. There is no way around it. But after that? Stop. Do not touch another "L" on your map until the "Big Score" is finished.
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Why? Simple math.
Lester’s missions manipulate the stock market by fixed percentages. If you invest $100,000, a 50% return gets you fifty grand. Nice, but boring. If you invest $30,000,000 from the final heist, that same 50% return nets you $15,000,000 per character. Multiply that across all three protagonists, and you’re looking at figures the game's economy wasn't really designed to handle.
Understanding the LCN vs. BAWSAQ
You’ve got two markets in the game. The LCN is influenced by in-game events and scripted missions. The BAWSAQ, historically, was tied to the Rockstar Social Club and the behavior of the global player base, though it functions largely on scripted triggers for these specific missions now.
When Lester tells you to take out a CEO, he isn't just venting. He's shorting a stock or positioning a competitor to skyrocket. If you don't have all your money moved into the right ticker symbol before you pull the trigger, you're missing the entire point of the hit.
The Hotel Assassination: The one you can't skip
This is the mandatory one. You’re targeting a guy staying at the Von Crastenburg Hotel to help out a pharmaceutical company called Betta Pharmaceuticals.
Before the mission starts, put every cent Franklin, Michael, and Trevor have into BET (Betta Pharmaceuticals) on the BAWSAQ. After you take the target out with a sniper rifle, wait. Don't sell immediately. Sleep in a bed to advance time—Michael sleeps the longest, which helps move the clock—and check your phone. You’re looking for roughly a 40% to 50% return.
Some people say you should then invest in Bilkington Research because it "rebounds," but honestly, the rebound is so slow and inconsistent compared to the later missions that it's barely worth the effort if you're just starting out. Just take your Betta gains and keep that cash liquid for the end-game.
Why the Multi-Target Assassination is the real MVP
This mission is chaotic. You have to take out four corrupt jurors across the city in a tight time limit. It’s stressful. But the financial payoff is the cleanest in the game.
You are helping Debonaire cigarettes.
- Before starting, buy as much DEB (Debonaire) as possible on the LCN.
- Finish the hits.
- Sell when the profit hits about 60-80%.
- Immediately dump all that new money into RWC (Redwood).
Redwood is the competitor. Their stock craters after the mission. If you wait about 48 to 72 in-game hours, Redwood will "rebound" by nearly 300%. This is where the real wealth starts. Turning $20 million into $80 million feels like cheating, but it’s just ruthless capitalism, Los Santos style.
The Vice Assassination and the iFruit trap
Everyone loves the Vice Assassination because it involves a laptop and a prostitute, which is peak GTA. But from a stock perspective, it’s all about Fruit.
You’re tanking a company called Facade (the Windows parody) to help Fruit (Apple). Buy FRT on the BAWSAQ before the mission. Sell for a 50% gain.
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There is a common myth that you should then buy Facade because it rebounds. In my experience across the PS3, PS4, and PC versions, the Facade rebound is incredibly finicky. Sometimes it takes weeks of in-game time to move even 10%. Honestly? Don't bother. Save your capital for the next hit. Life is too short to wait for a simulated tech company to recover from a PR disaster.
The Bus Assassination: Read the fine print
This one is different. Most of the GTA V Lester missions require you to buy the "winning" stock before the mission. The Bus Assassination is the opposite.
You’re killing a billionaire named Isaac Penny who wants to buy Vapid.
Do not buy anything before the mission.
Kill Penny.
Wait for VAP stock to bottom out on the BAWSAQ. It usually drops by exactly 50%.
Buy the dip.
Wait a few days and sell when it hits 100% profit.
It’s the easiest double-your-money play in the game. You're basically buying a car company for half price because its primary investor just had a fatal "accident" while riding a bicycle.
The Construction Assassination
The final big hit. You’re targeting a guy named Enzo Bonelli so that a developer named George Duggins can take over a construction contract.
Invest in GCD (GoldCoast) on the LCN before you head to the construction site with your RPGs. This mission is a vertical shootout, so bring armor. Once Bonelli’s helicopter is a fireball, GoldCoast stock will jump by about 80%.
If you did this after the "Big Score" heist, and you had, say, $35 million per character, an 80% return puts you in the $60 million range. By the time you've cycled through all these rebounds, your bank account will show a number that doesn't even fit comfortably on the screen. We're talking $2.1 billion. That is the hard cap for the game's engine. Any more than that and the integer overflows, and you actually start losing money.
The Tinkle Tip (The "Secret" Sixth Mission)
Most people think there are only five missions. There’s actually a random encounter on the side of the road near Chumash that acts as a sixth Lester-style hit.
You'll find a guy whose car broke down. He needs a ride to the airport. If you get him there in time, he gives you a stock tip for a company called Tinkle (TNK) on the BAWSAQ.
If you have your end-game billions ready, pull over, dump everything into Tinkle, and drive him to his flight. The stock pops by about 30% almost instantly. It’s a nice little cherry on top of the murder-for-profit sundae.
Common mistakes and misconceptions
I see a lot of "guides" claiming you need to wait exactly 12.4 hours or something ridiculous. Ignore that. The stock market in GTA V is triggered by the "save" mechanic.
If the stock hasn't peaked yet, go to your safehouse and sleep. Don't actually save the game if you don't want to, just backing out of the save menu advances time by 6 to 8 hours. Check the phone. If it went up, sleep again. If it started to drop, reload your previous save and sell.
Also, keep an eye on the "Portfolio" tab, not just the "Markets" tab. Sometimes the main market page is slow to update, but your portfolio shows the real-time value of your holdings.
Why does the money even matter?
Is it overkill? Yeah, probably. You can buy every property in the game—the golf course is the big one at $150 million—for a fraction of what you'll make. But there is a certain satisfaction in having $2 billion per character. It turns the game into a true sandbox. You can blow up a hundred Adders and not even blink at the insurance premium.
Actionable steps for your next playthrough
To maximize your take-home pay, follow this exact sequence:
- Complete the Hotel Assassination early (Invest in Betta).
- Play the entire rest of the game until the credits are almost rolling.
- Get the maximum payout from The Big Score (choose the "Obvious" approach and use talented but low-cut crew members like Taliana Martinez).
- With your $30M+ per character, start the remaining GTA V Lester missions.
- Use the "sleep to advance time" trick to hit the peak percentages (80% for Debonaire, 300% for Redwood rebound, 50% for Fruit, 100% for Vapid, and 80% for GoldCoast).
- Check the BAWSAQ specifically for the Tinkle and Vapid trades; if your internet is down, these stocks can sometimes glitch or become inaccessible.
Once you hit that $2.1 billion mark, you've officially beaten the economy. Go buy that $150,000,000 golf course. You earned it by being the most cold-blooded day trader in San Andreas history.