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Online Stock Trading: Freedom of Trade
By Christopher Smith
I remember the first time I started to trade online. It was just before the tech
bubble of the late 1990¡¯s and the internet was still something new for most
people. Purchasing the now forgotten company was easy, and I made a few
dollars on that trade. It was so excitingly simple.
Flash forward a couple of years and I have made and lost my share of money.
While still ahead of the game, I learned a few things about online stock
trading. Freedom is great, but it comes at a cost. Lets have a look at the
benefits and the trade offs of online stock trading:
The Benefits of Online Stock Trading
Low commissions - for most people, this is the number 1 benefit of investing
online. For $9.99 or less, you can buy and sell your favorite stock. Full service
brokerage fees are usually over $100. If you are an active trader, that can start
to eat up your profits very quickly. For every $10 000 you invest, you have to
make 2% ($200 - $100 to buy and $100 to sell) just to break even.
Quickly act on price moves - another great benefit of online stock trading is
being able to quickly act on price moves. With the click of a couple of buttons,
you are able to take advantage. With a full service brokerage, you¡¯ll have to
call first, explain what and why you want to trade that stock and then wait to
see what price you were filled it. Odds are, you may have missed the best
entry point, and paid 10x the commission for that privilege.
No middle men - No justifying why you want to trade, no having to have
someone suggest that a stock might be too risky. You call the shots.
Information - at your fingertips online stock trading can bring much needed
and real time info that can help you when to buy and when to sell. Technical
charts, real time prices and information sharing can be easily accessed
online.
The Drawbacks of Online Stock Trading
No middle men - while I just listed this as a benefit, its also a drawback. The
majority of my losses were from stocks that did not meet my investment plan
but were simple stocks that were being pumped and hyped up. Often, you end
up buying a stock that is moving higher, and end up having to sell at a loss.
When you trade at a discount broker, there is no stopping you from making a
mistake. With a full service brokerage, your financial planner can help filter out
the bad plays from the smart ones. This advice alone can more than make up
for commission fees.
Investment Plans - online stock trading doesn¡¯t automatically come with an
Investment Plan. Why are you buying a stock? What is your exit plan if things
don¡¯t go right? Will you use margin? Will you buy penny stocks (and if so,
what percentage of your portfolio will be at risk)? A full service broker can help
create an investment plan. Trading outside of your risk tolerance is one of the
biggest risks your portfolio will face.
The best suggestion I can make for you is to look at a combination of both.
Trade stocks online, but talk to an investment planner, develop an investment
and trading plan first. While you may have to pay for his time, your trading
plan will help you to avoid unnecessary risk when you on online stock trading.
About the Author
investment strategies for trading penny stocks.
1source4stocks.com provides traders with online trading and investment startegies and tips. Free stock picks for subscribers to the Leading Source
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