| It is easy to buy shares online and many investors | | | | law requires US citizens to provide this information |
| have been doing this successfully for many years. | | | | with their application. |
| There are literally thousands of online brokerage firms | | | | 3. Fund your account (this can be with personal funds |
| that allow you to buy and sell stocks over the | | | | or a margin loan). |
| internet. Most brokerage account software is | | | | 4. After you have completed these steps you can |
| designed to be as easy as possible so even | | | | start making trades. |
| beginners can use it, but also offer a wealth of | | | | It is important to consider that not all share brokers |
| information for the advanced investors. | | | | are equal. This means that it is a good idea to |
| To buy and sell shares online you will need a fairly | | | | research and compare the different companies to |
| modern computer and an internet connection. Then it | | | | find one with the lowest fees and charges. It is also |
| is a simple process of following these steps to get | | | | important to read carefully through the terms and |
| started; | | | | conditions to make sure there are no hidden catches. |
| 1. Open a brokerage account with one of the top | | | | At times the brokers will offer special deals, such as |
| available firms. Your bank will probably have this | | | | 10 free trades per month, but these are almost |
| facility, but there are many others worth | | | | always subject to special conditions. A good idea is to |
| investigating. | | | | ask other investors about their experiences and use |
| 2. Provide your tax details with your application. The | | | | the internet to make some investigations. |