BEST OF
11 Best Online Stock Brokers for Beginners of March 2021
When you’re a beginner investor, the right brokerage account can be so much more than simply a platform for placing trades. It can help you build a solid investing foundation — functioning as a teacher, advisor and investment analyst — and serve as a lifelong portfolio co-pilot as your skills and strategy mature.
What are stock brokers?
Stock brokers are people or firms licensed to buy and sell stocks and other securities via the stock market exchanges. Back in the day, the only way for individuals to invest directly in stocks was to hire stock brokers to place trades on their behalf. But what was once a clunky, costly transaction conducted via landline telephones now takes place online in seconds, for a fraction of what full-service brokers used to charge for the service. Today, most investors place their trades through an online brokerage account. (A little lost? Check out our explainers on brokerage accounts and buying stocks.)
When you’re a beginner investor, the right brokerage account can be so much more than simply a platform for placing trades. It can help you build a solid investing foundation — functioning as a teacher, advisor and investment analyst — and serve as a lifelong portfolio co-pilot as your skills and strategy mature.
What are stock brokers?
Stock brokers are people or firms licensed to buy and sell stocks and other securities via the stock market exchanges. Back in the day, the only way for individuals to invest directly in stocks was to hire stock brokers to place trades on their behalf. But what was once a clunky, costly transaction conducted via landline telephones now takes place online in seconds, for a fraction of what full-service brokers used to charge for the service. Today, most investors place their trades through an online brokerage account. (A little lost? Check out our explainers on brokerage accounts and buying stocks.)
Summary of Best Online Stock Brokers for Beginners of March 2021
| Broker | NerdWallet Rating | Commissions | Promotion | Account Minimum | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$0 per trade | None no promotion available at this time | $0 | on Interactive Brokers's website | ||
$0 per trade | None no promotion available at this time | $0 | on E*TRADE's website | ||
$0 per trade | Free career counseling plus loan discounts with qualifying deposit | $0 | on SoFi Invest's website | ||
$0.01 per share | None no promotion available at this time | $2,500 | on Zacks Trade's website | ||
$0 per trade | Up to $625 when you open and fund a You Invest Trade account with qualifying new money | $0 | Read review |
on Interactive Brokers's website
Interactive Brokers IBKR Lite
Fees
per trade
Account Minimum
Promotion
no promotion available at this time
on Interactive Brokers's website
on E*TRADE's website
E*TRADE
Fees
per trade
Account Minimum
Promotion
no promotion available at this time
on E*TRADE's website
on SoFi Invest's website
SoFi Active Investing
Fees
per trade
Account Minimum
Promotion
career counseling plus loan discounts with qualifying deposit
on SoFi Invest's website
on Zacks Trade's website
Zacks Trade
Fees
per share
Account Minimum
Promotion
no promotion available at this time
on Zacks Trade's website
Want to compare more options? Here are our other top picks:
More resources for new investors
Need some background? Read our guide to how the stock market works.
Unsure of how to build your portfolio? Learn more about how to invest in stocks.
Interested in instant diversification? Understand how investing in mutual funds can help.
Want to join the passive investing revolution? Consider index funds.
Last updated on February 23, 2021
Methodology
NerdWallet’s comprehensive review process evaluates and ranks the largest U.S. brokers and robo-advisors by assets under management, along with emerging industry players, using a multifaceted and iterative approach. Our aim is to provide an independent assessment of providers to help arm you with information to make sound, informed judgements on which ones will best meet your needs.
DATA COLLECTION AND REVIEW PROCESS
We collect data directly from providers, and conduct first-hand testing and observation through provider demonstrations. Our process starts by sending detailed questionnaires to providers to complete. The questionnaires are structured to equally elicit both favorable and unfavorable responses from providers. They are not designed or prepared to produce any predetermined results. The questionnaire answers, combined with product demonstrations, interviews of personnel at the providers and our specialists’ hands-on research, fuel our proprietary assessment process that scores each provider’s performance across more than 20 factors. The final output produces star ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars). Ratings are rounded to the nearest half-star.
RATING FACTORS
Evaluations vary by provider type, but in each case are based upon the weighted averages of factors that include but are not limited to: advisory and account fees, account minimums and types, investment selection, investment expense ratios, trading costs, access to human financial advisors, educational resources and tools, rebalancing and tax minimization options, and customer support including branch access, user-facing technology and mobile platforms.
Each factor can involve evaluating various sub-factors. For instance, when gauging the investment selections offered by robo-advisors, 80% of the score is based on the potential for diversification (how well-diversified a resulting portfolio of investments could be) combined with the availability of specialty portfolios and level of customization for investors. Expense ratios form an additional 10% of the score, and low or no management fee the remaining 10%.
FACTOR WEIGHTING
The weighting of each factor is based on our team’s assessment of which features are the most important to consumers and which ones impact the consumer experience in the most meaningful way. The factors considered, and how those factors are weighted, change depending upon the category of providers reviewed.
Provider categories include: Best Brokers for Stock Trading, Best Brokers for Beginners, Best Brokers for Day Trading, Best Brokers for Options Trading, Best Discount Brokers, Best Brokers for Free Trading, Best Investment Apps, Best Brokers for Penny Stocks, Best IRA Brokers, Best Robo-Advisors, Best Financial Advisors, Best Real Estate Platforms, Best Brokers for ETFs and Best Brokers for Mutual Funds.
INFORMATION UPDATES
Writers and editors conduct our broker and robo-advisor reviews on an annual basis but continually make updates throughout the year. We maintain frequent contact with providers and highlight any changes in offerings.
THE REVIEW TEAM
The review team comprises seasoned writers, researchers and editors who cover stocks, bonds, mutual funds, index funds, exchange-traded funds, alternative investments, socially responsible investing, financial advisors, retirement and investment strategy on a daily basis. In addition to NerdWallet, the work of our team members has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, USA Today, Bloomberg News, Nasdaq, MSN, MarketWatch, Yahoo! Finance and other national and regional media outlets.
The combined expertise of our Investing team is infused into our review process to ensure thoughtful evaluations of provider products and services from the customer perspective. Our writers and editors combine to have more than 70 years of deep experience in finance, ranging from a former Wall Street Journal reporter to a former senior financial advisor at Merrill Lynch.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
While NerdWallet does have partnerships with many of the reviewed providers, we manage potential conflicts of interest by maintaining a wall between our content and business operations. This wall is designed to prevent our writers and the review process from being influenced or impacted by our business partnerships. This way, all reviews can provide an unbiased review that serves the interests of our users. For more information, see NerdWallet’s editorial guidelines.
To recap our selections...
NerdWallet's Best Online Stock Brokers for Beginners of March 2021
Frequently asked questions
It doesn’t take a lot of money to get started; many stockbrokers allow you to open an account for $0. Many brokers also will waive any minimum investment requirements if you sign up for regular monthly contributions of $100 or more. If you don’t have a lot of cash but want to try your hand at do-it-yourself investing, using commission-free exchange-traded funds can be a cost-effective way to begin building your portfolio. (Have $500? Learn how to invest it.)
To buy and sell assets like stocks, bonds and mutual funds, you need to open an investment account through a stockbroker. That account is called a brokerage account, and it holds the cash you’ll use to buy and sell investments, as well as the investments themselves once you own them. (Learn more about how brokerage accounts work.)
If you have a 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement account, you already have one kind of investment account. Many investors find it beneficial to open additional stock brokerage accounts when:
Saving for retirement. If you want or need to save for retirement in an account separate from your employer, you can open an IRA. These come in two flavors, a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. (Read more about the differences here.) One thing to note about both: Contributions are limited to $6,000 a year ($7,000 if you are age 50 or older).
Investing for other goals. If you’re saving for a goal other than retirement — or you’ve topped off your 401(k) and IRA contributions — a taxable brokerage account is a good option. As the name implies, this doesn’t carry the tax advantages of retirement accounts. You will have to pay taxes on any capital gains each year.
On the plus side, you don’t face any of the restrictions for withdrawals that come with tax-advantaged accounts. If you need money in a hurry, a taxable account would be your first line of defense before dipping into retirement accounts and potentially paying early withdrawal penalties.
A brokerage fee is charged by the stockbroker that holds your account. Brokerage fees include annual fees to maintain the brokerage account or access trading platforms, subscriptions for premium research, or even inactivity fees for infrequent trading. You can avoid or reduce brokerage account fees by choosing the right broker. Learn more about investment fees.
The difference between a full-service stockbroker and a discount stockbroker comes down to the level of service and how much you want to pay for that service.
Traditional full-service stockbrokers do more than assist with the buying and selling of stocks or bonds. They often offer a wide array of services and products, including financial and retirement planning, investing and tax advice and regular portfolio updates. But they can charge substantial fees and transaction costs that can erode long-term investment gains.
If you have more money than time, a full-service broker may be for you. For most investors, however, it can pay to look at discount stockbrokers. These brokers allow you to buy investments online through their website or trading platforms. You'll pay less in trading commissions and fees at a discount broker.
Other brokers, called robo-advisors, offer a combination of access to financial planners and automated investing technology. Companies in this category include Betterment and Personal Capital, and they build your investment portfolio for you for a fee. If you want a service to make investment decisions for you, robo-advisors are a good option.
Yes, but it will take more time than getting cash from your ATM, often a few business days. Your broker will need to sell securities (like stocks, bonds or mutual funds) equivalent to the amount you want to withdrawal, so it’s not as simple as removing cash from a savings account.
If you're taking all of your money out — whether transferring to a different stockbroker or cashing out to move to Tahiti — there may be account closing fees.
The rules for withdrawal of retirement accounts like an IRA are different, depending on your age. Most withdrawals carry a 10% penalty before the age of 59½ and will be taxed as ordinary income the year you cash out. (Roth IRAs, which are funded with after-tax cash, are more forgiving of early withdrawals.)
The nonprofit Securities Investor Protection Corporation insures cash and securities up to $500,000, with a $250,000 limit on cash losses. But this protects you only in the event your stockbroker fails. Any losses and gains of your investments carry no protections.
