Monday, 15 August 2011

Some Tips on How to Spend Less on Stock Trading Commissions

By Patty Crippen


Learning how to save money with stock trading commissions is nothing more than learning what you really want to do regarding your portfolio. Saving cash is fun, but you want to be making money on your investments as well. Finding out how to keep money in your pocket is a process of deciding how you'll manage your finances altogether.

You've got two options when you're doing your online trading. You can do everything on your own and make it work, or you can hire a broker to do the heavy lifting for you. You get the same results in either scenario, but you may not want to handle the portfolio by yourself. It depends on your your level of skill.

You will hang on to more of your cash when you do the trading by yourself. There's no broker to pay, and there's no brokerage house to fiddle with. You get more cash to invest back into your portfolio, but you don't have the expertise of a broker backing you up. That makes it hard when you're trying to make tough decisions.

You may not feel like you have the knowledge base to put together a portfolio. Heck, you may not even feel like you could keep with the market everyday. That's why you would hire a broker. They can make recommendations, share their expertise, and they get a commission at the end. It's easier for you, but more expensive.

Finding someone to help is more than just picking a person. You'll be picking a brokerage firm as well. There are places that give discounts, free trades, and the like. The cheaper prices will save you money, but cut down on help. Some houses just offer assistance for a flat fee, but not access to a "broker".

There are other establishments that will give you free trades upon opening an account. So, you can stockpile your free trades and use them wisely as you manage your own investments. They could last you a long time, and you might find that you've built up enough cash that you don't mind paying commission in the future.

Saving money when you're trying to play the market is a tough proposition. Knowing what to do is all about knowing your strengths and weaknesses. If you know what you're doing, do the buying and selling yourself. If you're not sure, then you can get discounted trades, free trades, and much more to help you out.




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