Personal Finance
- Article Tools
- Email this Article
- Print this Article
- Rss Feed
- Related Articles
- 10 Questions to Ask Your Broker
- Beginner's Guide to Growth and Income Stocks
- Investor Types to Avoid
- Beginner's Guide to Risk Tolerance
- Take Responsibility for Your Stock Losses
- Expect to Be Wrong in the Stock Market
- Del.icio.us
- Digg
- StumbleUpon
Editor's note: This is a special excerpt from TheStreet.com Ratings' Ultimate Guided Tour of Stock Investing. Other Beginner's Guides cover stock basics, market indices, diversification, financial goals, risk tolerance and growth and income stocks. A stock exchange is like a supermarket, but instead of buying groceries, you buy stock. To continue the analogy: The supermarket you go to depends on the stock you're buying. And, just like a supermarket, you get to pick what you want from any of the shelves, but you've got to check out at the register. The attendant at the checkout counter (called a broker
in the world of stock investing) rings up your purchase, which also includes some money to pay his or her commission .
It would be very impractical if every investor who wanted to buy or sell stock had to travel to the exchanges to trade stock. Besides, you can't. You have to be licensed to buy or sell stock on the exchange. That's where brokers come in.
By definition, brokers are people who bring buyers and sellers together. There are all kinds of brokers: insurance brokers, mortgage brokers, real estate brokers, concert ticket brokers, and many more. We're just talking about stock brokers.
Brokers must register with the NASD (National Association of Securities Dealers, renamed the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA) in order to do business. A broker acts on your behalf, as the buyer, to find another broker who's working on someone else's behalf, as the seller. It's this broker's job to bring the two
together.
So if you're looking to buy stock, you would place your order through a broker at either a full-service, discount, or online brokerage firm.
How does the broker on the floor of an exchange know what you want to buy or sell?
Good question! He or she gets an order on the computer screen from your broker in the office. This order tells the broker on the floor which stock you'd like him to buy or sell on your behalf. You can also park yourself at your computer and place your order online with a broker.
Selecting the right broker is as important as selecting the right stock investment.
There are two key questions you have to answer for yourself before you choose a broker:
How much customer service do I want?
How much am I willing to pay in fees?
Keep these questions in mind as you read about the three types of brokers available:
The broker works for you, so arm yourself with as much information as you can before you choose one.
How fast or slow do you want to reach your financials goals?
Don't let The Enthusiast, The Tipster and other destructive investor personalities knock you off your game.
Here's how to get a grip on risk before it gets a grip on you.
RealMoney.com's Barry Ritholtz explains that true investors hold themselves accountable for their win-loss records
To master the art of investing, RealMoney.com's Barry Ritholtz says start with realistic expectations.
Yahoo! is among the most searched stocks on TheStreet.com. Here's what Cramer had to say about the stock recently.
Catch up on his thinking on the hottest topics of the past week.
Investors will have to deal with a Fed meeting and another flood of earnings and economic data.
Ensco International and Echelon have the potential to move higher in coming days.
See who made what calls.
The addition of video is helping telecom companies compete against cable and satellite companies.
The June West Texas Intermediate contract reflects selling pressure ahead of Tuesday's expiration. But stocks in the sector are generally trading higher.
See who made what calls.
Keep on top of the market and the critical information you need to make more profitable investing decisions.
Sponsored by:
RSS
