i want to know if it costs a lot more per trade (in general) to trade online rather than use a stock broker.
Quite the opposite, actually. Online trading (depending on who you use) is under ten bucks per trade. Last time I visited my broker and sold some stock, she charged me sixty dollars.
Of course, by trading electronically, you lose out on someone to say “Are you insane?” when you go to buy some dubiously pfrofiable stock. That alone is worth the fees sometimes.
If you decide to go with an on-line brokerage, make sure you really do your homework, and keep on top of your investment.
My dad’s been trading online for about two months. He likes to say that he’s personally responsible for all the money that’s being made. that is it’s HIS money there walking away with! Remember: whenever you buy a stock with the hopes that it will increase in value, you buy it from someone equally convinced that its going to decrease in value. It’s from a commercial, but I like it.
Yep, that sums it up pretty well.
In order for someone to make money, someone must lose money.
Very few online people actually make money. Mostly because they trade too often.