Make sure to check out these sites' message boards, where online investors go to gripe about problems with their online brokerages. A. Online investing is certainly cheaper than going to a full-service broker. Review the commission and fee menu of online brokers carefully. Also, the cheapest online brokers typically offer the skimpiest analysis and research tools, which may be important to novice investors. A. Experts say there have been no reported cases of fraud or theft involving an online broker.
Most brokers use secure computers and require their customers to use a secure Web browser.
Some companies ensure the safety of their clients' money in other ways. You need a secure Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator 3.0 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or later. Opening an account is easy. Then comes the cash. If you already have a brokerage account, most will happily transfer the funds from your old account to your new online account.