A number of investors trade stocks and bonds through an investment broker. What is a broker? A broker — or brokerage firm — is the middleman between the buyer and seller and can help make a transaction go smoothly.
But an investment broker is not strictly necessary. Some companies offer a direct stock plan, allowing investors to purchase shares straight from the company without a broker.
In order to decide if you need an investment broker, it’s essential to know how a broker works, what exactly they do, and how to shop around for one that fits your needs.
What Is an Investment Broker?
Investment brokers enable individuals to buy and sell financial securities, like stocks or bonds, on an exchange market.
What does a broker do? Reputable brokers act as a boon to both buyers and sellers: They ensure that each party actually has the money to buy assets or the assets to sell.
Brokers settle trades by delivering securities and payments to each party, while also taking care of all the bookkeeping and tax-related documentation required. In many cases, going through a brokerage firm is the easiest and most accessible way for individuals to get started with investing.
💡 Quick Tip: Did you know that opening a brokerage account typically doesn’t come with any setup costs? Often, the only requirement to open a brokerage account — aside from providing personal details — is making an initial deposit.
Pros and Cons of Using an Investment Broker
As with any financial service, there are both benefits and drawbacks to using a brokerage firm to facilitate your trades.
Pros of Using a Broker
Accessibility
Thanks to the internet, you can open a brokerage account in minutes and start trading stocks as soon as your account is funded. That means employing a financial broker is one of the easiest ways to start an investment journey as quickly as possible.
Simplicity
When you buy and sell through a broker, a lot of the tedious footwork — like keeping tabs on your interest earnings for tax purposes — is taken care of for you. Depending on the type of brokerage firm you go with, you may also have access to professional financial advice and other advisory services that could help you make the most of your portfolio.
Cons of Using a Broker
Fees and Commissions
Although they’ll vary based on the specifics you choose and the type of account you open, some brokers charge maintenance fees and trade fees — also known as commissions — which can eat away at your nest egg. In fact, the average stock broker commission charged by brokerage firms is usually 1% to 2% of the value of the total transaction.
That said, you can minimize your investment fees, or even eliminate them, by shopping around for brokers with the lowest costs. For example, many online brokers offer no commission trading.
Required Portfolio Minimums
Although it’s not true of every brokerage firm, some require you to keep a minimum amount of money in your account to use their services. These minimums might be $1,000 or more, which can be a barrier to entry for some beginner investors.
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Two Types of Brokerage Accounts
If you’re still asking yourself, what does a broker do?, it’s important to understand that not all brokers are created equal. There are many kinds of brokerage accounts to choose from. For instance, you may want to choose between a brokerage account vs. a cash management account, both of which are offered by brokerages.
The best product for you will depend on your individual financial goals and your budget. Here’s what you need to know to help make an informed decision.
1. Full-service Brokerage Accounts
Along with the ability to buy and sell assets, a full-service brokerage account might also include advice from human financial planners and portfolio management to help you make the best investment decisions possible.
However, these perks don’t come cheap. Full-service brokerage accounts and wealth-management companies usually calculate their charges as a percentage of your total portfolio, and may have account minimums as high as $250,000. They may also collect trade commissions and annual management fees.
2. Discount Brokerages
Discount brokers offer less consultation and guidance, allowing you to DIY your investment portfolio cheaply. Many have $0 account minimums and may charge less than $10 per trade — or even offer commission-free assets trading.
Both full-service and discount brokerages typically offer both cash and margin accounts. In a cash account, you’ll need the actual cash to buy your assets. In contrast, in a margin account, the broker will lend you some capital to make purchases, using the securities you already own as collateral.
💡 Quick Tip: If you’re opening a brokerage account for the first time, consider starting with an amount of money you’re prepared to lose. Investing always includes the risk of loss, and until you’ve gained some experience, it’s probably wise to start small.
Regulations for Investment Brokers
Investment brokers are regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Brokers must register with FINRA, and they are required to follow a standard of conduct known as the suitability rule. Under this rule, brokers need to have suitable grounds for recommending particular investments to clients.
The rule also encompasses something called “know your customer,” which spells out the various steps brokers need to use to identify clients and their goals for savings, including making a reasonable effort to ascertain a client’s financial and tax situation when recommending investments.
Different Types of Investment Accounts
Aside from deciding what type of brokerage you’d like to do business with (and how much you’re willing to pay for financial services), you’ll also need to decide what type of investment account works best for your goals.
Maybe you’re investing for a shorter-term objective, like purchasing a house — or perhaps you’re trying to ensure you’ll have a comfortable retirement. Either way, specific investment account types, or “vehicles,” are designed to help you get there.
Recommended: Understanding a Taxable Brokerage Account vs an IRA
Taxable Brokerage Account
Think of this as a default investment vehicle. It may be a good choice if you’re looking to grow wealth and want to be able to add or withdraw funds on your own terms without waiting to reach a certain age or life circumstance. However, you pay taxes on earnings, so there are no tax advantages to this type of account. If you don’t make any specific investment vehicle choices when you open your brokerage account, this is most likely the one you’re getting.
Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
An individual retirement account, or IRA, is a type of investment account designed specifically for retirement goals and is available to self-employed people and those working for a company. IRAs carry specific tax incentives; for example, contributions to traditional IRAs are deductible, while Roth IRAs allow for tax-free distributions. However, you can’t access the funds without paying a penalty until you reach age 59 ½ or meet certain circumstantial requirements, such as purchasing your first home.
A broker may offer other savings or investment vehicles, such as a 529 college savings plan, a tax-incentivized plan to help people save for educational costs. For full details on the type of accounts available, it makes sense to check with your broker directly.
Alternatives to Investing With a Broker
Although using a broker to invest in the stock market might be a smart money move for some, there are other ways to get started with investing, including the following options.
Recommended: Buying Stocks Without a Broker
Automated Investing
Automated investment products, or robo-advisors, are platforms that utilize a combination of computer algorithms and human financial planners to create and manage diversified portfolios at low costs to users.
Your funds will be invested in a diversified portfolio, and the platform typically offers goal-planning tools and rebalancing services to help keep your funds moving in the right direction.
If you don’t want to pay the high prices for a full-service broker, but self-managing your portfolio makes you more than a little nervous, a robo-advisor may be right for you.
Buying Stocks and Fractional Shares Directly
Depending on whose stocks you’re interested in purchasing, you may be able to buy them directly from the issuer without needing to go through a brokerage firm.
It pays to read the fine print, however: Buying stocks directly may save you money on trade commissions, but you may also be subject to proprietary fees from the company or minimum purchase amounts. And if you’re buying fractional shares (fractions of shares of stock), you need to have an investment account, such as one with an online broker or robo-adviser.
Diversifying your assets can still be helpful for investors who buy stocks directly. If all of your investments are tied up in a single company, you may not be in a great position if that company begins to falter. In contrast, if you’ve invested in several different firms and other asset classes, you will likely have a wider margin for error.
Choosing Alternative Investments
Although the stock market is one of the most popular and generally low-effort ways to invest, there are plenty of other ways to try turning your money into more money.
You might consider exploring alternative investments. For example, you could invest in real estate and sell the property at a profit or turn a condo into a passive income source by putting it up for rent. Or you might invest in art; the value of paintings is not necessarily correlated with the behavior of the stock market, giving it the potential to rise even during a stock market crash.
That said, many alternative investments require significantly more time, work, and know-how than crafting a diversified portfolio of stock market assets. And as always, every investment involves risk. There’s no such thing as a sure thing.
Controlling Your Investments With SoFi
If you’ve decided stock market investments are the right move for you and your money, going through a broker can be a relatively simple and low-cost way to gain access to the market. However, if you’d rather avoid potential downsides, like fees or required account minimums, you may want to consider the option to invest directly. The choice is yours.
Ready to invest in your goals? It’s easy to get started when you open an investment account with SoFi Invest. You can invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, alternative funds, and more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).
FAQ
What is the role of a stock broker?
A stock broker is a financial professional who buys and sells stocks on behalf of clients. A broker generally earns a fee or commission for their services.
How do brokers make money?
Brokers typically work on commission. The average stock broker commission is usually 1% to 2% of the value of the total transaction.
Why do people use brokers?
People use brokers to help them buy and sell stocks and bonds. Brokers also handle the necessary bookkeeping and tax-related documentation. For many individuals, using a broker is the easiest way to start investing.
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