Brokerages

If you're looking to invest money but you don't want to have to manage it yourself, brokerages might have just what you need. A brokerage account is essentially an account where you buy and sell stocks and shares through a broker, giving you the chance to trade with the big kids for a small fee. This means that you can earn higher returns on your investment, get someone to take care of your accounts for you, and always have professional help just a phone call or email away.

Key tips for when you want to find a brokerage:

• Brokerage accounts all have fees. You have to make sure that you choose an account that is worth the fees that you are paying, no matter what you have in mind.
• This type of investment is much riskier than a lot of investments out there, so you have to be willing to take the risk. Of course, the reward of returns is also much higher.
• You can often trade over the phone or online, paying various fees for each trade that you make depending on the format in which you trade.
• Some brokers charge other fees, including: inactivity fees, withdrawal fees, data fees, and other charges that you will have to think about before you invest.
• Interest rates and trading platforms should also be inspected before you commit so that you can make sure that you are getting a good rate and a platform that you can understand.

Advice on finding the best brokerages:

It isn't hard to set up brokerages when you know what you are doing. It helps if you can find a professional that will walk you through the process and help you get the account that works for you. Examples of brokerages include eTrade and TD Ameritrade. Some programs have no platform or data fees, and that's how they lure people in. Fewer fees mean more profits, after all.

There are plenty of tools that you can use in brokerages to build your account, make good trades, and even practice a little before you start trading real money in real stocks. It's going to be up to you to talk to a financial services provider about brokerage accounts and learn whether these are right for you. Talk to professionals in the investment world to get the facts and find the brokerages that suit your needs, no matter what you have in mind.