Your stock broker is your gateway to the stock market. Without your stock broker, you couldn't set up investing accounts like IRAs, Roth IRAs and taxable accounts. And without your stock broker, you couldn't buy and sell stocks, mutual funds and ETFs in those accounts.

Naturally, you want to find a stock broker who will meet your needs as an investor. When you are evaluating brokers, you should be asking questions like:

- Does this broker offer the account type I am looking for?

- Will this broker allow me to buy the investments I'm interested in?

- Does this broker offer the level of customer service I need?

- Does this broker offer services that fit in my budget?

To help you through the process of determining which broker is right for you, we've broken down your basic choices into the following two simple categories:

- Full-Service Brokers

- Discount Brokers

Full-Service Brokers

Full-Service Brokers provide hands-on customer service and a wide range of financial services and products. If you're looking for a variety of services, consider using a full-service broker. Just remember, more products and better service = higher fees.

Click here to learn more about Full-Service Brokers.

Discount Brokers

Discount Brokers provide all of the basic services any self-directed investor needs, but they don't provide the same level of hands-on customer service or the same variety of products that a full-service broker does. Just remember, fewer products and hand holding = lower fees.

Click here to learn more about Discount Brokers.

Let's get started by learning a little bit about Full-Service Brokers.