Choosing An Investment Stock Broker

If you want one.those with six and seven figure amounts are the ones
And I don't recommend any broker with whom tohe calls. Those people with less then 100K seldom get
trade who will be giving you advice on what to buyattention. Understand you are on your own which in
and sell. When a broker speaks it is a eulogy for yourmost cases is best.
money. My definition of a broker is one who makesBe careful of any broker who advocates fading the
you broker.market. I can hear him now, "This stock has gone so
The reason I say this is that when I owned mylow it has to come back". This is a death wish for your
brokerage company I hired and supervised over 300money. Bottom pickers end up with smelly fingers.
brokers. The actual number of good traders I couldA broker who calls you and says he has a "system"
count on one hand and have fingers left over.must be highly suspect. If that system is so good then
Let's understand that a broker is hired by a brokeragewhy is he willing to share it with you? He should be
company for one reason - to generate commission,independently wealthy by now. Be suspect of any
not to make you money. He is trained to analyzebroker who calls you out of the blue with a "story". I
stocks or mutual funds, but not to protect your capital.don't care how good it is if you don't know this "Billy
Pitifully, he thinks he is. They never tell you to sellSol". These guys refer to you as mushrooms. I wonder
before a stock falls to 50% of its value. Most of thewhy. Maybe because mushrooms are grown in the
time brokers are left to themselves as to what theydark and fed horse manure.
recommend to their customers, but there are manyNever trade commodities with a stockbroker. There is
brokerage houses that will insist that they push somea world of difference in trading stocks and
particular stock of the day or new Initial Public Offeringcommodities. Stockbrokers don't think fast enough.
(IPO). Many times he has a quota - and you're "it".You shouldn't have someone who is used to driving a
Don't deal with a relative. Do I have to explain this?kiddie car trying to handle a Formula One.
If you live in a small town, don't deal with anyone whoMake any broker prove what he says. Get
also lives there. You don't want everyone knowingreferences. What you want from a brokerage
your business and anyone in that local office can seecompany is proper execution of your order at a low
your account if they want to.price, not advice. Your best bet is a discount broker
The average broker has 300 accounts and you knowbecause they are not allowed to give you "advice".