What is a Broker?
A broker is a service provider that allows an individual to transact with a securities exchange that the broker is a part of. Any individual is not able to transact within a securities exchange if they are not an approved member of the exchange itself.
The broker acts as an intermediary and completes the transactions on behalf of the individual or firm and gains compensation through commissions and/or fees. To get the basic concept of a brokerage, head to our online brokers Australia page where we take a more detailed look at the brokers available here.
There are many types of brokers that interested customers will encounter within the industry and knowing what you are looking for beforehand will save you both time and money while making the vital choice.
Traders will be able to choose from discount or full-service brokers, a discount broker will offer a trading platform and simply serve as the middle-man between the individual and security exchange. With a full-service broker, individuals will also have access to a large variety of financial services, from investment advice to the latest market research. Depending on exactly how you plan on trading, you will have to make the decision between the two.
Deciding on the correct broker will prove crucial in your trading career. Throughout this page, we will be taking a look at exactly what sets the best online brokers for beginners apart from the rest of the services offered out there. We will also be running through a couple of operators who have options available for beginners.
In order to sort through the large number of online brokers that are available, our team of experts make use of a review system which has been applied to brokerages all over the world. This review structure allows our experts to accurately measure exactly how a broker performs in the various aspects of their service.
It also allows us to put together an online brokers comparison once all the reviews have been completed for the best online brokers for beginners Australia. If you are looking to get started, be sure to finish this article before heading to the comparison as the different departments that are all evaluated will be described and discussed here.
Within each review, you will find a comprehensive look at the cryptocurrencies that are available within the online broker’s service. This includes the ownership description of the crypto units themself. Our team then takes a look at the trading options available to ensure that your investment portfolio is not limited to one avenue only.
It is recommended that new traders first take the time to familiarise themselves with each market before committing too many funds. The best online brokers for beginners Australia will all have a demo account option available which will give you a preview of the markets before having to commit any funds at all.
A close look is also taken at the broker’s licensing and security methods. This includes their trading jurisdiction in Australia as well as their license hopefully obtained from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
The website’s security measures are also put to the test to ensure that all customer data is protected while using the site. The fee structure and relevant payment methods are also evaluated to ensure that you are not paying any unnecessary money and that you are able to deposit and withdraw with the broker of your choice.
Finally, the customer service offer that is made available is also evaluated alongside the website design. This ensures that you are able to get through any queries fairly quickly and that these queries are resolved within a short amount of time.
The majority of your trading career will also involve making use of the webpage. For this reason, we look at the design, usability and feel of the page to ensure that is not outdated and slow. Be sure to head to our broker reviews page where we take a closer look at each of these review sections.
Demo Accounts
To cater to new traders, most of the best online brokers for beginners Australia will have a demo account option available to anyone interested in trading. This will allow you to invest a certain amount of ‘play’ funds into the various trading options that are available.
The funds you have invested will then follow the price performance of whatever trading option has been chosen, giving a customer the chance to see whether or not that investment would have paid off if the money had been real.
Using a demo account can seem frustrating to new customers as any money earned will not be able to be turned into real funds. The important fact is that you are also protected from any losses the investment may experience.
For this reason, it is always recommended that new traders find their trading option of choice and demo a certain amount of funds before depositing real cash too hastily. Once you have found a trading option that interests you, be sure to do the necessary research to gain an insight into the markets before opting to invest in the specific market.
With demo accounts, you will also gain access to the trading platform that is put on offer to determine if the online broker is really suitable for your trading needs. This includes the access you will receive to the tools that are available within the platform, the learning resources and the usability of the trading platform itself.
All of these factors will be vital when deciding on which of the best online brokers for beginners to join the industry. If you have a bit of experience trading already, be sure to head to our how to trade forex in Australia page to get a detailed look at one of the largest trading option markets.
Learning Resources
To be one of the best online brokers for beginners Australia, the operator will also need to put forth a comprehensive learning package so that new traders can improve on their trading habits while making use of the service.
There is usually a learning portal on offer with most of the online brokers nowadays but it is also common for the material to be relatively basic or just for the entire section to be missing. The learning resources are all taken into account within our reviews and our team of experts detail exactly what you can expect with each online operator. It is always best to obtain as much information as you can before deciding to invest large amounts of money.
Once you have demoed an account with a certain online broker and decided that their service offer is suitable to your needs, you will also have to start familiarizing yourself with the markets and the news surrounding the trading option that you have chosen.
There are plenty available and each of them have their benefits and drawbacks which will need to be considered alongside your personal needs as a trader. The learning resources available at the best online brokers for beginners may detail what a CFD or ETF is but sometimes the information is a bit too over the top and intended for more experienced traders. To get a basic look at some of the trading options you will encounter, be sure to head to our forex trading for beginners and CFD trading for beginners pages to find a simple description of both of these markets.
Our go-to brokers for CFD trading:
Trading Instruments
There are plenty of trading instruments and markets that are made available to all interested customers looking to join the ranks of one of the best online brokers for beginners. When you have decided to begin trading, it is important to identify your market.
This will usually be an area that you have a general interest in and hopefully some knowledge surrounding a few of the investment options. To give you a general overview of the relative markets at each of the best online brokers for beginners Australia, we will briefly run through each of them in this section.
Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies are relatively new within the trading industry but they offer customers the option to purchase units of a cryptocurrency which are held in a crypto wallet, separate from any central banking authority and completely anonymous. Crypto markets have gained enormous momentum over the past decade and should be a consideration for every investment portfolio. Most of the best online brokers for beginners should have a number of cryptocurrencies available to trade.
ETFs & Stocks
An exchange traded fund (ETF) is a security that involves a collection of securities which are traded on an exchange. ETFs can include any number of investments such as commodities and stocks. A stock itself is a portion of a corporation that is purchased by an individual to entitle them to a piece of the assets relevant to the number of shares purchased. If you are interested in these trading instruments, be sure to check out our how to buy ETFs in Australia page.
Looking to trade ETF?
CFDs
A contract for difference (CFD) is a contract between the individual trader and a firm to settle the difference between the opening and closing price of a financial instrument. This instrument may include commodities, cryptocurrencies, forex and shares. A number of the best online brokers for beginners will use CFDs to trade cryptocurrencies.
Our top pick of CFDs:
Forex
Foreign Exchange (Forex) is a global marketplace where interested traders may exchange certain national currencies for others. These currencies are usually traded in pairs such as AUD/USD. There are plenty of options available to trade these foreign currencies and each of the best online brokers for beginners’ methods should be double-checked before signing up with an operator.
Futures
Futures trading is fairly different from the previously mentioned instruments. They include derivative financial contracts which will allow the individual and trading firm to transact for a certain asset at a future date and price. This trading instrument will involve a lot of research to be done on the relevant asset/corporation. Futures are also used to hedge price movements to avoid any dramatic losses.
Options
An options contract allows the buyer the option to buy or sell an asset at a certain price before a certain date. This allows a certain level of protection for traders but the necessary research will still need to be completed before investing large sums of money. The majority of the best online brokers for beginners Australia will have this trading instrument available.
Our best picks for trading options:
Conclusion – The Best Online Brokers for Beginners
This brings us to the end of our best online brokers for beginners Australia page. When you have made the decision to enter the trading industry, it is important that you keep this information in mind to be able to make the most informed decision towards the number of online brokers out there.
By now, you should have a solid understanding of exactly what a broker is and the service that they provide to their customers. Our detailed reviews should ensure that you manage to find your most suitable fit from the list of the best online brokers for beginners. You will be able to find all the details surrounding their service and if you are very interested, it would be best to test out their demo account options before committing to the online operator.
Each of the best online brokers for beginners Australia will also have their own learning resources that are made available to interested customers and this will be of help when it comes to learning about the industry and all the different trading techniques that are used.
Be sure to make use of these resources if you have not opted for a full-service broker option. Finally, research all of the different trading instruments that are available and identify which of them would be ideal for your trading career. There are plenty of options available and you will have much better chances of succeeding if you are invested in a market that you have knowledge about. This decision will boil down to personal preference but the best online brokers for beginners should offer most of them.
Best Online Brokers For Beginners FAQ
🏅 Who are the best online brokers for beginners Australia?
To kickstart your trading career, you will ideally get going with one of the best online brokers for beginners. Knowing how to find these operators can be quite a challenge, even for the experienced traders out there. Our reviews and broker comparisons take a close look at all the service offers and provide you with all the information you’ll need.
📑 How do I sign up with an online broker?
Every online broker will have a different set of information and verification required before you are able to make use of their services. This is standard within the trading industry and our team of experts have taken a look at what each broker requires before you can get to trading. Be sure to check out our review pages.
💳 What payment methods can I use with online brokers?
Each trader will have their own preferred payment methods that they would use when transacting with online brokers. The industry has become very competitive and all online operators are offering as many payment methods as possible to attract the widest variety of customers. Be sure to read through our broker reviews to make sure your preferred method of payment is covered.
🔐 Are online brokers safe?
With so many cases of fraud and online scams on the internet today, it is important to consider your safety online. This is especially true when you are using real funds to purchase stocks. Our team of experts here at Wetten Broker Australia have been through all the online brokers to determine exactly what licenses and regulations apply to their service.
₿ Can I buy Bitcoin with online brokers?
With Bitcoin experiencing more momentum than ever, it is no wonder that a large number of interested traders have been drawn to the cryptocurrency. Our reviews take a look at exactly what trading options are available with each broker and what you will need to make use of them. Head to a broker review that you are interested in to find all the details.
