First things first, you need a broker in order to buy stocks, ETFs and other investments.
In the old days you had a personal broker that you called on the phone and paid a pretty penny for him to place the trade for you. But thanks to the wonders of technology, you can place trades yourself with a couple taps on your phone or computer.
But all of these online brokers are not created equal. Some charge trading fees for each trade you make, some
Let’s say an investor puts $500 a month into a brokerage account each year for 30 years, depositing a total of $180,000 over that time and earning an average annual 7% return.
Thankfully, these days you have a broad selection of fee-free brokers and you’ll want to make sure you have a reliable, fee-free experience.
Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab has been in business for over half a century, and boasts a tremendous track record of customer satisfaction.
They offer commission-free trading online.
They also offer thousands of curated, easy-to-search articles on everything from today's market and tomorrow's forecasts to investing and tax strategies. That includes expert commentary, investing strategies and financial planning tools.
And if you want to speak with an actual broker to help you with your trade, they offer a one-time $25 fee for doing so.
All in all, you cannot go wrong with a Schwab account.
You can learn more About Charles Schwab right here.
Fidelity
Fidelity is one of the most well-rounded brokerages available today, with no commissions on stock or ETF trades and a selection of no-expense-ratio index funds suited to both beginner and active investors.
Fidelity allows you to access a range of investments including stocks, options, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, CDs, IPOs, and precious metals.
The company was also just awarded 2024’s “Best Online Broker for Beginning Investors” and “Best App for Investing” by NerdWallet.
You can learn more about Fidelity right here.
Interactive Brokers
Clients in over 200 countries and territories trade stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, funds, crypto and more on 150 global markets from a single unified platform.
They offer fee-free trades and no minimum account balance required.
Interactive Brokers also offers over 200 free and premium research and news providers.