Best Online Stock Brokers for Beginners 2018
When you’re a beginner investor, the right brokerage account can be so much more than simply a platform for placing trades.It can help you build a solid investing foundation — functioning as a teacher, advisor and investment analyst — and serve as a lifelong portfolio co-pilot as your skills and strategy mature.
What is a stock broker?
A stock broker is a person or an institution licensed to buy and sell stocks and other securities via the market exchanges.Back in the day, the only way for individuals to invest directly in stocks was to hire a stock broker to place trades on their behalf. But what was once a clunky, costly transaction conducted via landline telephones now takes place online in seconds, for a fraction of what full-service brokers used to charge for the service.
Today, most investors place their trades through an online brokerage account. (A little lost? Check out our explainers on what a brokerage account is and how to buy stocks.)
NerdWallet offers financial tools and advice to help people understand their options and make the best possible decisions. The guidance we offer and info we provide are deeply researched, objective and independent.
We spent over 300 hours reviewing the top online brokers before selecting the best for our readers. And to help you find the one that’s best for you, we’ve highlighted their pros, cons and current offers.
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