Best Investment Websites – The Stock Market in Your Pocket
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Thanks to modern-day tech, any average Joe can learn how to become an investor. If you’re interested in buying, selling, and trading stocks online, online stock brokers allow users to buy and sell securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, etc.) via an online platform.
Here are a few of the best investment websites to help you get started.
In this article
Overview of the best investment websites
Website | Best For |
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor | Long-term investors |
Fidelity Investments | Beginners, frequent traders |
Morningstar | Intermediate to advanced investors, active traders |
Charles Schwab | Beginners, education/market news/research tools, active traders |
E*/TRADE | Beginners, frequent traders, education/research tools/data |
Stock Rover | All investors |
Robinhood | Beginners, mobile users |
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
Motley Fool Stock Advisor
According to the company’s website, The Motley Fool Stock Advisor has been making the world “smarter, happier, and richer” since 1993. Founded by Tom and David Gardner, The Motley Fool is designed to help users gain financial freedom via educational tools and insights. The Motley Fool offers podcasts, books, and premium investing services. (The company also has a newspaper column and radio show.)
Motley Fool’s premium services include but are not limited to the Epic Bundle (access to the Stock Advisor, Rule Breakers, Real Estate Winners, and Everlasting Stocks), the Stock Advisor (real-time insights and stock recommendations), Rule Breakers (a list of businesses that Fool experts believe are “poised to be tomorrow’s market leaders”), Real Estate Winners (A service designed to capture the benefits of real estate investing through publicly traded entities) and Everlasting Stocks (stock recommendations).
Launched in 2002, The Motley Fool Stock Advisor is $199 per year and includes two new stock picks per month, “Best Buys Now” (10 timely buys to choose from), Starter Stocks (foundational stock picks and recommendations), and community and investing resources to help you become a better investor. Note: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor is best suited for those in it for the long haul (5+ years) or have a long-term investment strategy — not day traders or investors focusing on short-term performance.
- Cost: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor is $199 per year.
- Where to enroll: New users can sign up for The Motley Fool Stock Advisor online.
- Where accessible: Motley Fool’s premium services are “directed at a U.S. audience.”
Fidelity Investments
Fidelity Investments is an online investment platform that offers financial planning and advice, trading and brokerage services, and wealth management services. With a Fidelity Investments brokerage account, users can make commission-free trades for online US stock, ETF, and option trades.
According to the Fidelity website, a $0.65 per contract fee applies for all online options trades and an Option Regulatory Fee ($0.02—$0.04) applies to all option buys and sells. Fidelity Investments also offers Stocks by the Slice or fractional shares. Fractional share trading gives users the opportunity to own a “slice” of their favorite companies and ETFs.
Fidelity Investments features a Fidelity Youth Account for teens. For a limited time, new customers can receive a $50 reward when they sign up for a Youth account, which also offers $0 commission trades for online US stocks. To open a Youth account, you’ll need your teen’s social security card or a copy of the first page of your latest filed 1040 tax return and an unexpired document with your teen’s first and last name (e.g. driver’s license, passport, birth certificate, etc.).
Fidelity Investment also offers new customers who sign up for the Fidelity Starter Pack $100 if they deposit $50 or more into their new account within 15 days. The Fidelity Starter Pack includes an investing account (The Fidelity Account), a Fidelity Cash Management Account, a Roth IRA, or a traditional IRA (choose one), and access to the company’s resource center which features articles, webinars, and podcasts.
- Cost: Fidelity Investments is free to download and use.
- Where to enroll: New users can create an account online or download the mobile app via the App Store or Google Play.
- Where accessible: Fidelity is currently only available to those residing in the U.S.
Morningstar
Founded in 1984, Morningstar is a financial services firm that provides consumers with investment research and investment management services in 29 countries. To be clear, Morningstar is not a brokerage but an educational resource for investors.
Morningstar offers several professional products including but not limited to Morningstar Direct (advanced portfolio analytics and performance reports), Morningstar Managed Portfolios (mutual fund, stock, and ETFs), Advisor Managed Accounts (managed accounts for registered investment advisors), and Morningstar Premium (analysis of stocks, funds, and markets in addition to portfolio management tools).
Morningstar Premium is one of the company’s top products for investors. Morningstar Premium is a service that helps investors make informed decisions by providing them with accurate ratings and valuations, investment tracking, and screening tools. New users can choose to start a 14-day free trial before committing to the $34 per month or $249 annual membership price.
Investors who are interested in starting out with a basic account can sign up for Morningstar Basic for free. Morningstar Basic provides full access to the article archive and limited access to screening tools, portfolio x-ray, and portfolio manager.
- Cost: Morningstar Premium is free for 14 days. When the trial ends, users can decide to pay $34 per month or $249 per year. Morningstar Basic is free to use.
- Where to enroll: New users can create an account online.
- Where accessible: Morningstaroperates in 29 countries.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab is one of the most well-known online brokerage platforms out there. Schwab provides several products for investors and traders, including mutual funds, ETFs (Schwab offers $0 commissions on 2,000+ listed ETFs), money market funds, stocks ($0 commissions), international stocks, bonds and fixed income products, options, futures, margin loans, annuities, and insurance.
With Charles Schwab, newbies can start investing right away with the company’s robo-advisor Schwab Intelligent Portfolios. Schwab’s robo-advisor helps investors build, monitor, and rebalance their portfolios. With Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, customers can build an investment portfolio of low-cost ETFs sans advisory fee — it’s like having a tiny financial advisor in your pocket.
Getting started with Schwab Intelligent Portfolios is easy: Simply complete a questionnaire to set your investment goals, get a diverse portfolio (chosen by experts), then sit back and relax while the robo-advisor does the hard work for you. Schwab also offers a paid premium version of this service in which customers gain access to unlimited guidance from a certified financial planner professional, a digital financial plan, and interactive planning tools.
With Schwab, users can open an individual brokerage account or joint brokerage account. In addition to investment accounts, Schwab offers retirement options (IRA, traditional IRA, rollover IRA), checking account options, and estate and charitable planning (single trustee, two co-trustees, and Schwab Charitable).
- Cost: Charles Schwab is free to download and use. There are no account minimums or opening fees.
- Where to enroll: New users can create an account online or download the mobile app via the App Store or Google Play.
- Where accessible: You do not need to be a U.S. citizen in order to open an account with Charles Schwab. For more information, visit https://international.schwab.com/open-account-intro.
E*TRADE
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley is a “leading global financial services firm.” The company is known for its wealth management services, investment advisory services, research tools, and market insights. According to the company’s website, E*TRADE was the very first brokerage of its kind — E*TRADE was the first to send an online transaction to an exchange, ultimately paving the way for other digital brokers.
E*TRADE offers $0 commissions for online U.S.-listed stock, ETFs, and options trades. (According to the website's fine print, exclusions may apply. The standard options contract fee is $0.65 per contract or $0.50 with 30+ trades per quarter.) For a limited time, new customers can receive a cash bonus (up to $3,500) for opening and funding an E*TRADE brokerage or retirement account using the promo code BONUS22.
Investing with E*TRADE is easy: Just open an account (apply online), add money, pick an investment using one or more of E*TRADE’s research and investing tools, and place your trade! With E*TRADE users can open an individual brokerage account or Core Portfolio (automated investment management for an annual advisory fee of 0.30%).
While E*TRADE does allow investors to trade stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, options, and futures, the company doesn’t offer forex trading or fractional shares. E*TRADE does not allow customers to buy or trade cryptocurrency, however, the platform does provide crypto-related products.
- Cost: E*TRADE is free to use and download.
- Where to enroll: New users can create an account online or download the mobile app via the App Store or Google Play.
- Where accessible: E*TRADE is currently only available to those residing in the U.S.
Stock Rover
Stock Rover is an investment research platform. It provides users with stock screening and analysis tools that can be used on both desktop and mobile. According to the company website, Stock Rover is for investors of all types. With that being said, Stock Rover is not a trading platform.
Stock Rover is an online stock screener and portfolio analysis tool that provides users with screening, comparison, and charting capabilities. With Stock Rover, users can connect their current brokerage account to uncover new trading opportunities.
Stock Rover offers three plans: Essentials ($79/year), Premium ($179/year), and Premium Plus (279.99/year). Users can also choose to subscribe to Stock Rover’s Research Reports for $49.99 per year (when bundled with a plan) or $99.99 per year. According to the website, Stock Rover’s Research Reports are “comprehensive investment reports” on 7,000+ North American companies.
Those who’d like to try Stock Rover for free can sign up for a free membership via the Stock Rover website. The free membership provides users with in-depth market news, news for individual stocks, and powerful and flexible charting capabilities among other things.
- Cost: Stock Rover has three paid plans; however, new users have the option to sign up for a free membership.
- Where to enroll: New users can sign up for a Stock Rover account online. Stock Rover is also available for mobile users.
- Where accessible: According to the company website, Stock Rover can be used from any country.
Robinhood
Robinhood is ideal for beginner investors. Robinhood is a free trading platform that can be used on Android and iOS devices. With Robinhood, anyone can become an investor with just $1 — invest in stocks, options, or ETFs commission-free.
Robinhood also offers fractional shares, so users can invest in their favorite companies while diversifying their portfolios. With Robinhood users can “break into Bitcoin” as well, so you can buy, sell, and store cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Altcoin) sans commission fees.
Investors who prefer to “set it, and forget it” can turn on Robinhood’s recurring investment feature which allows users to invest a certain amount automatically on a recurring schedule (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly).
While Robinhood is free to download and use, users can opt to pay $5 per month for Robinhood Gold. Robinhood Gold offers additional features and access to more detailed reporting and research and margin investing.
- Cost: Robinhood is free to download and use.
- Where to enroll: Robinhood is available for iOS and Android devices.
- Where accessible: Robinhood is currently only available to those residing in the U.S.
Best investment websites summary
Website | Cost |
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor | $199/year |
Fidelity Investments | Free |
Morningstar | Free or $249/year |
Charles Schwab | Free |
E*/TRADE | Free |
Stock Rover | Free or $79.99/year, $179.99/year, or $279.99/year |
Robinhood | Free |
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
Why you should use investment websites
Using an online broker to buy and sell stocks is easy. Just be sure to do your research beforehand to make sure the platform you’re interested in using is right for you. For example, if you’re interested in buying and selling cryptocurrency, then Charles Schwab probably isn’t the best site for you.
The bottom line
Online stock brokers allow users to buy and sell securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, etc.) via an online platform. While most online brokers don’t offer 1:1 financial advice or recommendations, most platforms give users the opportunity to make commission-free trades on stocks, ETFs, and options. Web-based investment platforms allow you to buy, sell, and trade on the go — it’s like having the stock market in your pocket! Plus, with $0 commissions and no account minimums, you’ve got nothing to lose!
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Writer
Tabitha Britt is a New York-based freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared on INSIDER, the Huffington Post, and Taste of Home. When she's not glued to her computer screen, she can be found walking her beloved pooch, Biscuit.
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