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Standout Online Brokers For Stock Trading
There are a lot of online brokers out there. So many, in fact, it can be overwhelming to weed through all the options — good and bad — and then confidently choose one. Social scientists call this “information overload”. We call it inconvenient. To make the search easier, we created this shortlist of standout picks from our partners. And with low commission rates, impressive investing tools, easy-to-access research and more, they’re a great choice for most investors.
Broker | Highlights | Commissions | Account Minimum | Current Offers | Start Investing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 NerdWallet rating | SoFi Active Investing: Cryptocurrency trading; fractional shares. | Commissions $0 per trade | Account Minimum $0 | Current Offers Free career counseling plus loan discounts with qualifying deposit | on SoFi Active Investing's website |
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NerdWallet rating | SoFi Automated Investing: Low costs across the board, free access to certified financial planners | Commissions 0% management fee | Account Minimum $0 | Current Offers Free career counseling plus loan discounts with qualifying deposit | on SoFi Automated Investing's website |
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 NerdWallet rating | Professional-level trading platform and tool. | Commissions $0.005 per share; as low as $0.0005 with volume discounts | Account Minimum $0 | Current Offers Exclusive! 0.25% reduction on margin loans. Tiers apply | on Interactive Brokers IBKR Pro's website |
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NerdWallet rating | $0 stock and ETF trades; large research selection. | Commissions $0 per trade | Account Minimum $0 | Current Offers None no promotion available at this time | on Interactive Brokers IBKR Lite's website |
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 NerdWallet rating | Offers investors access to real estate portfolios. | Commissions 1% other fees may apply | Account Minimum $500 | Current Offers Advisory fee waiver for 12 months | on Fundrise's website |
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 NerdWallet rating | Sophisticated platform; exceptional research and analytical tools | Commissions $0 per trade | Account Minimum $0 | Current Offers Up to $5,000 cash credit with a qualifying deposit | on TradeStation's website |
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 NerdWallet rating | Per-share pricing; strong trading platform. | Commissions $0.01 per share | Account Minimum $2.5K | Current Offers None no promotion available at this time | on Zacks Trade's website |
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Interested in adding real estate into your investment portfolio?
Real estate crowdfunding platforms pool funds together to let average investors participate in the real estate market through private market real estate investments. These could potentially provide higher returns than the REITs available through traditional brokerages, but they may also carry higher risk. Check out these real estate crowfunding platform offers, from our partners, and see if one is a good fit in your portfolio.
| Broker | Commissions | Account Minimum | Current Offers | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 on CrowdStreet's website | 0.50% to 2.5% for funds; project fees vary | $25,000 | None no promotion available at this time | Pros
Cons
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on Fundrise's website | 1% other fees may apply | $500 | Advisory fee waiver for 12 months | Pros
Cons
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 on DiversyFund's website | $0 management fee | $500 | None no promotion available at this time | Pros
Cons
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Discover smarter ways to invest your money with Morningstar.
Whether you're a hands-on investor or like to sit back and let the market do its thing, our friends at Morningstar can help create the right portfolio for you. And with a free 14-day trial of Morningstar Premium, you'll have access to all their research, ratings and recommendations — which you’ll hang on to with a monthly membership fee once your free trial ends.
Looking for a hands-off way to invest? Try an online financial advisor or robo-advisor.
Vanguard Personal Advisor Services is an option for investors who can meet a $50,000 account minimum and want to have access to a live financial advisor at a low cost. For those looking for a lower account minimum, Vanguard Digital Advisor is an affordable robo-advisory service that uses Vanguard's key exchange-traded funds to create a personalized retirement plan and portfolio for investors.
Broker | Highlights | Commissions | Account Minimum | Current Offers | Start Investing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 NerdWallet rating | Customized portfolios; access to financial advisors | Commissions 0.30% management fee | Account Minimum $50K | Current Offers None no promotion available at this time | on Vanguard Personal Advisor Services's website |
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NerdWallet rating | An affordable and personalized way to invest for retirement. | Commissions 0.15% per year (approximately) | Account Minimum $3K | Current Offers No advisory fee for the first 90 days if you enroll by April 30, 2021 | on Vanguard Digital Advisor's website |
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Want to earn a high APY on your savings?
Savings accounts offer you access to your cash whenever you want. If you want instant access to your money, a savings account is a good alternative or compliment to a broker account.
| Bank | APY | Monthly Fee | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
 at American Express National Bank, Member FDIC | 0.50% With $0 minimum balance | $0 | Pros
Cons
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 at Marcus by Goldman Sachs, Member FDIC | 0.50% With $0 minimum balance | $0 | Pros
Cons
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See the possibilities
Predicting exactly how much money an investment will return would be magic. Unsurprisingly, no such crystal ball exists. You can, however, crunch the numbers with a compound interest calculator and guesstimate a range of different outcomes. As a starting point, the average annual return from the S&P 500 was just below 7% for the 10-year period 1996-2016.*
Estimated Future Balance: $14,290
Check out those gains
With investing, time is your friend. The sooner you start, the longer you'll have to let compound interest do its thing.
Disclaimer: This is hypothetical and in no way predicts future performance. The average annual nominal return of the S&P 500 the last 30 and 10 years was calculated by the geometric mean with no adjustment for inflation. Investments that pay higher rates of return are generally subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term investments. The hypothetical performance above does not take into account fees or sales charges.
