Let's face it, stockbrokers had their day!

In the pre-Internet days you had no choice but to place all of your stock orders through a stockbroker, at a premium fee, and you needed your stock to appreciate in value 3% just so you could break even. Moreover, back then most people were more likely to follow the stockbroker's advice than trust their own judgment.

However, these days are over. Today, stock trading on the Internet is a mature industry, and placing your orders has never been easier. Transaction costs are tiny, and if you happen to be an active trader you get to enjoy a variety of incentive schemes and discounts.

This brings us to the second reason for using a broker: expert advice. Do stockbrokers really know that much more than you do?

One thing is for sure, stockbrokers stop you from doing silly things like putting all your money into a single stock or a single branch of industry, and their knowledge can be valuable when you're setting up your portfolio and choosing individual stocks.

However, where were all these experts when the market fell? Did they pull the money out of the stock market in time for their clients? The answer is resounding NO. They suffered losses just like everybody else. As a rule, stockbrokers only rarely tell you to sell, and their advice is invariably to ride the storm and wait for the stock market to recover.

You can do better trading on your own. With the access to top stock charting software and some time to study the trading strategies and portfolio management, you'll soon be able to reliably pick the right entry and exit points for your trades.

Traditional trading via brokers is out, stock trading on the Internet is in!