Compare These Top Vendors for Stock Trading

Stock trading is a big topic that means different things to different people. To some it's about sophisticated techniques for buying and selling stocks, options and other investment devices on a daily basis. For others, it's entry-level tools and education for making first-time purchases of stocks and mutual funds.

Whether you're an investment pro, just starting out, or somewhere in between, having the right stock trading tools at your disposal makes all the difference. Here's what you'll need:

     1) Stock trading skills information & education.
     2) Financial data: Including stock quotes, historical pricing charts, technical analysis, analyst research and recommendations, and more.
     3) A brokerage, mutual fund or other stock trading account set up with an investment firm, online brokerage, mutual fund company or bank.

Get the information edge

Don't jump into stock trading blindly. Tap the rich veins of investment research, data and opinions available online.

Trade stocks the mutual fund way

Although mutual funds are not meant to be actively traded, they offer a convenient way to easily buy and sell shares in hundreds of different professionally managed portfolios.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a handy primer on mutual fund investing. The Mutual Fund Education Alliance offers mutual fund investing basics, as well as performance information and news on thousands of funds. A few top mutual fund families include Vanguard, T. Rowe Price, Fidelity and American Funds.

Set up your stock trading account

Your choice will depend on convenience, costs and the type of stock trading you want to do.

Consider "direct access" trading

Direct access trading eliminates investment intermediaries and connects you directly to investment markets.

See our other stock investing How-To Guides

How-To Guides on Work.com and Business.com can help you locate all the tools and resources you need to be successful at investing in stocks.