Online stock trading has helped millions of people become what was once a trade only afforded to financial gurus. With online stock trading, people have turned into day traders overnight and are making tons of money with a little bit of know how. Trading stocks online has also created a way for people to invest a little bit in the stock market to get a feel for what it is all about. Anyone and everyone uses online trading now ranging from trading amateurs to millionaire investors. Online trading has been made very easy by the hundreds of brokerage firms that have brought their brick and mortar business to the online arena. With the advent of new web tools and services rising, the brokerage firms are able to combine these tools to make online trading a valuable business.
Online trading works in the same way as going through a financial investment firm (Merril Lynch)or going through a financial investor (Charles Schwab). You can browse the firms website to see all the available tools and options (though some options are only available to people with accounts). Then you can sign up for a free account and begin buying and selling instantly. Though the account is usually free, the firms still charge a commission (called rates) for every trade.| Charles Schwab | Schwab is the leader of discount brokerage and is carrying this tradition to its online offering. It offers its own research and clients can work with an investment advisor or Schwab will manage their account for them. |
| E*Trade | Appropriately this company has the majority of its business and clients online. They have absorbed a lot of other brokerage firms since its inception and is now a major player in the electronic trading market. |
| Fidelity | Fidelity consistently tops the lists of online brokers in customer satisfaction and is known for their great market research. Clients can come into any Fidelity office to talk face-to-face with an advisor. |
| TD Ameritrade | Another large player in the investor market, TD Ameritrade is also the result of several big mergers. They are known for their large selection of mutual funds and quick responses to customer inquiries. |
