- Can You Have More Than One Brokerage Account?
Yes, there’s no legal limit on how many brokerage accounts you can maintain, and in some cases, having multiple accounts can actually make sense. Some investors use several accounts to separate their goals, access different platforms or take advantage of special promotions. There are potential drawbacks to multiple brokerage accounts, though, like added complexity, duplicate… read more…
- How to Switch Brokers and Move Your Investments
Moving your investments from one brokerage firm to another doesn’t have to disrupt your investment strategy. With a plan in mind, the transition can be manageable. Most firms also use the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS) system to simplify and speed up the transfer of assets. Here’s how to switch brokers and move your… read more…
- What Is a Wirehouse?
A wirehouse is a large, full-service brokerage firm that operates on a national or international scale. These institutions, also known as wirehouse brokerage firms or wirehouse banks, typically offer a range of financial services, including investment banking, asset management, wealth management and brokerage services. Understanding the role that these institutions play in the financial services… read more…
- Mutual Fund Fees, Costs and Other Expenses
Investing in mutual funds can often make you feel lost, with an array of complex terminologies, fees and hidden charges. Mutual funds are one of the most popular investments because of the risk avoidance and diversification. However, mutual funds come with fees that require you to really take a hard look at what you’re paying… read more…
- Top Investing Apps for Beginners
Woman using an investing app
- Want to Invest in Private Securities? You May Need to Pass an Exam Under This Bill
Want to invest in a hot start-up company, join a market-beating private investment fund or back a potential blockbuster movie that could be your ticket to the Forbes Billionaire List? Chances are you can’t unless you’re already quite rich or… read more…
- Robinhood vs. Fidelity vs. Vanguard
With Fidelity and Vanguard, investors can access traditional, full-service investment platforms that allow you to individually manage your own account. Robinhood, by comparison, offers a very different experience geared towards mobile users. Here’s how they stack up. If you prefer hands-on… read more…
- Webull vs. Charles Schwab
Finding an online brokerage firm to use for your personal investment can be intimidating. There are many options out there, and it isn’t all about picking the option with the most bells and whistles — you have to choose the… read more…
- What Is the Volcker Rule, and How Does It Work?
The Volcker Rule was established following the Great Recession of the late 2000s and early 2010s. Essentially, the law stops depository banks from making risky and speculative investments with customer deposits. Furthermore, it prohibits banks from owning and investing in… read more…
- Fidelity vs. Charles Schwab
As investing platforms, Charles Schwab and Fidelity make for a very apples-to-apples comparison. Both are long-standing brokerage houses with a history of financial management, personal advising and retail services. Both have introduced online trading platforms in the form of apps… read more…
- Tastyworks vs. Robinhood: Which Is Best?
Though online brokerage accounts are the investing platform of choice for many retail investors, they can come with significant fees and trading costs. Robinhood and tastyworks are advertised as low-cost options for those who want to begin investing. However, choosing the… read more…
- Wealthfront vs. Vanguard
Wealthfront and Vanguard specialize in two different types of online trading platforms. Vanguard offers a full-service trading platform, it specializes in mutual funds. Wealthfront, on the other hand, is what is known as a robo-advisor service. This means that you don’t… read more…
- Vanguard vs. TD Ameritrade
As you begin investing, you’ll likely hear about two popular online investing companies: Vanguard and TD Ameritrade. These are two of the largest brokerage firms in the U.S. While the companies have a few similarities, they each cater to vastly… read more…
- How Much Do Stockbrokers Make?
Stockbrokers get paid more than most workers. Estimates of the median combined salaries and commissions received by people who sell stocks and other securities to investors range from $62,910 to $149,664 a year. The estimates vary depending on the source… read more…
- Stash vs. Acorns vs. Robinhood Comparison
When it comes to investing online or on your phone, Stash, Acorns and Robinhood are three names at the top of the industry. Each was designed to simplify investing for retail investors, offering straightforward apps that are easy to use… read more…
- Alpaca Review 2025: Fees, Services and More
Alpaca Trading is not a trading platform. This company offers two services: a brokerage and an application programming interface (API). As a brokerage, Alpaca offers exchange-based products. It does not offer a client or other form of trading platform. Instead,… read more…
- What Is a Book Runner?
If book runners didn’t exist, they would have to be invented. They’re a crucial component of initial public offerings, or IPOs — and play an important part of the loan process, reducing risk for the investor. Book runners accept and… read more…
- Ellevest vs. Betterment for Robo-Advisor Investing
Ellevest and Betterment are two of the most popular robo-advisors on the market. Both take an algorithmic approach. Betterment offers a series of funds with a wide variety of risk and investment profiles. Ellevest distinguishes itself with a service built towards women… read more…
- Pros and Cons of Betterment vs. SoFi Invest
Betterment and SoFi Invest make it simple to start investing, with each offering low-cost, fairly intuitive automated investing solutions. As a pioneer in the robo-advisor space, Betterment’s core offering has focused on automated investing since its founding in 2008. SoFi… read more…
- How Nostro Accounts Work
International banking transactions don’t always work exactly the same as domestic banking. For example, banks can use nostro accounts to hold funds in foreign currencies. You may hear the terms ‘nostro account’ and ‘vostro account’ used in discussions of foreign… read more…
- Stock Trade Pricing Varies Widely on Popular Brokerages: Here’s How to Save
The cost to retail investors of buying and selling stocks varies widely among online brokerages, according to a recently published analysis by a group of University of California researchers. The team assessed so-called execution quality of six brokerage platforms by generating… read more…
- Betterment vs. Schwab
Betterment and Charles Schwab are two of investing’s best-known names and their robo-advisor offerings closely resemble each other. Betterment pioneered automated investing technology when it began in 2008 and the company remains tightly focused on robo-advising as the core of… read more…
- Fidelity vs. Interactive Brokers
Fidelity and Interactive Brokers are both online brokerage services. Fidelity, based in Boston, is one of the biggest names in the financial services industry. The company has many divisions focused on different financial services, including mutual funds, retirement plans and… read more…
- Ally vs. Schwab
On the surface, Ally and Schwab are very similar. The full-service brokerage firms each offer the ability to build an investment portfolio with the help of robo-advisors or financial planners and both offer banking tools as well. But the investment… read more…
- Interactive Brokers vs. Schwab
Interactive Brokers and Schwab offer similar products aimed at two very different segments of the market. With Interactive Brokers you will get a full-featured trading platform designed for professional and institutional investors. Schwab also offers a full-featured trading platform, but… read more…