Questions tagged [brokerage]

For questions about brokerage firms, opening a brokerage account, etc. Questions asking for specific service recommendations are off-topic.

For questions about brokerage firms, opening a brokerage account, etc. Questions asking for specific service recommendations are off-topic.

287 questions
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Is it a good idea to copy a trader when investing?

I constantly get bombarded with an etoro commercial on youtube about a feature where you can replicate someone else's trading activity in real time. More details here. You select another trader and then you copy what he or she is doing, to get the…
Pips
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Why do a lot of people recommend Vanguard so often?

What is it with Vanguard? I've heard the name come up a bunch, but I don't know why this particular company is getting all the good free press...
Michael Pryor
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Excess income after fully funding all retirement accounts. Now what?

Long-time lurker, first time asker... I have a positive problem. We are a family of four with two small kids with one working parent (me). We have very little debt: our only debt is our mortgage, which we refinanced last year down to 15 years at…
Randall
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How can a resident of the European Union (not from UK) practically buy stocks?

I'd like to buy a little amount (say, 5000 €) of stocks. I know it's risky, especially for an absolute beginner like me. Maybe you would like to persuade me to start with stuff such as such as mutual funds or ETF (btw, thanks for dissuading me from…
DeltaIV
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5 answers

Buying an US ETF from Europe using Interactive Brokers

I am trying to buy an ETF using my account in Interactive Brokers. I am surprised to see that it is not possible. I am living in Europe and trying to buy an ETF in US dollars. Their response to me: UK Retail clients are restricted from trading…
bp2010
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3 answers

Why would a financial institution prevent their clients from trading a specific security?

Ameritrade restricts trading of Gamestop: "In the interest of mitigating risk for our company and clients, we have put in place several restrictions on some transactions in $GME [GameStop], $AMC [AMC Theaters] and other securities," reads the TD…
Franck Dernoncourt
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4 answers

Why would collateral be required to make a stock purchase?

I've been reading this page on the recent GameStop short squeeeze. It mentions that at one point Robinhood and other brokers prevented their clients from purchasing shares of GameStop (GME): On January 28, some brokerages, including Robinhood,…
Metamorphic
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Why does my bank suddenly need to know where my money comes from?

Today, I went to my brokerage account at Wells Fargo and the page said that online trading was suspended. I called them and the rep. said, "We need to know where your money came from." This is an odd question. I've been with the bank for 15 years…
Fixee
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How do I get into investing in stocks?

How do I get into investing in stocks?
Sam
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Why do 1099 forms take so long for brokerages to prepare and send out?

I generally have my taxes done by mid January when my W-2 becomes available, but I'm often stuck waiting as long as another month before I can file because I'm waiting for my brokerages to send me my 1099s. This happens across TD Ameritrade,…
Nicholas
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Why does an online stock broker need to know information about my current salary?

I'm in the process of opening an account with TD Ameritrade, and they've asked for proof of employment that includes my current salary. Why would they need to know my current salary? Especially since all the employment contracts I've seen have had…
Allure
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5 answers

Is it possible to violate SEC rules within a retail brokerage account?

I am a small buy-and-hold investor. I recently asked a question about pump and dump scams: Will I be investigated if I regularly profit from pump and dump scams? One interesting comment by user @Steve-O says (emphasis mine): SEC: "Look at all these…
Flux
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5 answers

Why can Robinhood offer trading without commissions?

I was wondering why the startup Robinhood can offer free stock trading, while other online stock brokers charge commissions. How is it possible that this is the first initiative that offers this kind of free stock trading? Do you think that this…
Robert Dijkstra
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What are the cons to using a brokerage account for day to day banking?

I've noticed (for awhile now) that my online discount brokerage account carries many features of a traditional bank account: Online bill pay Direct Deposit Checks ATM Card FDIC or SIPC coverage Cash transfers to/from external accounts Considering…
pilotcam
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Do margins on a brokerage account affect your credit score?

If you have the ability to trade on margin, will this improve your credit history/score? If you refuse to pay the margin and lack the funds to pay for the money borrowed, I understand that it can negatively affect your credit history (thusly, your…
monksy
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