Investing: Which Company is right for me?

As for where you can buy stocks, it is best to consider the following questions.
1. Would I rather spend less per trade and trade online, the impersonal way, or spend more money and trade through an actual stock broker over the phone?
2. Does my bank have an established program to trade stocks through?
3. How much money do I have to start trading?

If you would rather spend less per trade transaction, look around at the many different online brokers that will offer good deals for new customers such as 10 free trades, $100 to start investing, or free investment newsletters. Some of these popular companies are E-Trade, Ameritrade, and Scottrade. Buying and selling through these online stock brokers will allow for you to instantly see if your transactions have cleared appropriately in a timely manner.
If you would rather place an order for a stock through a live broker, you will want to look more into companies such as Bank of America, Fidelity, Merrill Lynch, and many others that have headquarters located in all major large cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, New York, and San Francisco. The advantages of placing an order over the phone to a live broker are the comfort of ease of the orders, you do not need instant online access, and it is literally only a phone call away.

It will be much easier and less stressful if you are able to buy and sell stocks through your existing bank account. All you will need to do is have access to the online banking, establish an investment account on the bank website, and link your existing bank account to the investment accounts. By doing this through your existing bank, you will be able to dodge unwanted charges between stock brokers and the transfers of funds back into your bank account. This is also a good way to keep track of your money and where it is at all times.
The amount of money that you will be starting with does depend on whether you can establish an investment account with some companies. For online stock brokers, a basic minimum account opening of $500 is standard for most companies. If you are interested in investing with larger established investment firms, you initial investment capital will need to be at least $1,500 to $2,500 depending on the investment firm.