Investing may sound scary, but the first step won't cost you a dime.
The easiest way to get started in investing is to open an account. Sounds easy, right? It is.
If you are just learning to invest in stocks, you might not have $10,000, $2,500 or even $500 to start an account. Luckily for you there are several investment brokerages that allow you to open an account with $0! Yes, that's right $0!
A couple of these brokerages also offer a virtual trading program, in case you'd like to test out your investment ideas with virtual money before you start investing your own money (nothing to lose, but nothing to gain either - except knowledge!).
| Brokerage | Account Minimum | Trading Fee | Offers Learn to Trade Virtual Trading |
| Ally Investing | $0 | $4.95 | |
| Capital One Investing | $0 | $6.95 | |
| ChoiceTrade | $0 | $5.00 | |
| DriveWealth | $0 | $.0125 per share, $2.99 minimum | |
| Fidelity Investments | $0 | $4.95 | |
| FirstTrade | $0 | $2.95 | |
| Kapitall | $0 | $7.95 | ✓ |
| Merrill Edge | $0 | $6.95 | |
| Motif | $0 | $4.95 | |
| OptionsHouse (E-Trade) | $0 | $4.95 | |
| PNC Bank | $0 | $9.99 | |
| Robinhood | $0 | $0 | |
| SogoTrade | $0 | $4.88 | |
| Suntrust Banks | $0 | $29.95 | |
| TD Ameritrade | $0 | $6.95 | ✓ |
| TradingBlock | $0 | $7.50 | |
| US Bank | $0 | $8.95 | |
| USAA | $0 | $8.95 |
How to pick which brokerage to open an account with?
Compare the trading fees. A higher fee means you'll make less money on a trade. So lower trading fees are definitely a major consideration.
Take a look at their web sites. Do any of them appeal to you? This is the site you'll be using and logging into whenever you want to make a stock purchase or sale.
Call their customer service number. Can you get a live representative? What are their call center hours? Are they convenient for you?
Check out which ones have learn to invest. Do you want to try investing with fake money before you put real money in?
Read the Company names. Do you recognize any of them? Do you have an existing bank account with any of them? Are there any companies on the list you already know and trust?
How to open the account?
After you've figured out which brokerage company is best for you, all you need to do is open the account. Most brokerage allow you to open your account online.
Just look for a link on their main page that says Open an Account. Follow the prompts and fill out the forms, and that's it. You're done! ✓ You've completed the first step in investing - the first step to realizing your own financial possibilities.
www.womeninvestorsdaily.com
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