About this lesson:

You are almost ready to buy shares of your first stock (or your next stock if you aren't a rookie). Before you do, there are a few things you need to be aware of before clicking the "Send Order" button, such as where to open an account, what type of account is appropriate for you. Is the stock a liquid stock with a small spread, and what type of order should be placed.

Here's what we cover:

• Types of brokerage firms
• Account types:
  • Qualified
  • Non-Qualified
• Ticker symbol
• Trading volume
• Transaction types:
  • Market order
  • Limit order
  • Stop order