Looking to start online share trading? There are a number of online platforms available, but it's important to compare them before you sign up.
This guide will teach you how online share trading platforms work, how you can make money from trading, what fees you'll pay and what all the investment terms mean.
How do online stock brokers work?
An online stock broker allows you to buy, sell and trade online shares. In order to trade shares online, you'll need to sign up for an account. Online trading platforms are available on a website or app, and depending on the broker will let you buy Australian or international shares.
Many platforms also let you trade other types of investments, such as index funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and more. You can also make use of online tools that let you copy high-profile investors, do-depth research on stocks and give you easy access to data to inform your trades.
A huge benefit of trading shares online is that it's cheaper than a full-service stockbroker.
When you buy shares online, you'll pay a brokerage fee for each transaction which typically ranges from $3 to $30 for ASX trades. This is opposed to $50 to $150 for full-service brokers.
What about $0 brokerage?
Many online brokers and share trading platforms now offer stock trades with zero brokerage fees as a way to attract users. Platforms like CMC Invest, IG and Webull all offer some form of $0 brokerage trade on Australian or global stocks.
What features should I look for with online stock broker platforms?
Advice and research options. Online brokers sometimes offer market news and updates as well as other research tools that will let you investigate the trading history of individual stocks.
Educational resources. If you're trying to learn how markets work or want some investing strategies, then educational resources can help.
Access to Australian shares and global markets. Not all online platforms offer shares from every market. Check if the platform lets you invest where you want.
Strong customer support. Check what level of customer support is available, what hours it's available and if the support team is based locally in Australia. This is particularly important for new traders.
How do fees work with online stock broker platforms?
Broker fees. This is the fee that is charged every time you buy and sell shares. Brokers charge different fees depending on the product you're trading (for example, global shares, local shares and options), how often you trade in a month and the size of the trade.
Monthly fees. Some brokers charge ongoing subscription fees or additional inactivity fees if you don't make any trades within a certain period of time. This may or may not suit you depending on your trading requirements.
Foreign exchange fees. If you're interested in trading global stocks, you'll want to check what the foreign exchange (FX) fee is for converting your Australian dollars to the foreign currency of choice.
What can you invest in with an online stock broker?
An online stock broker lets you buy and sell assets on a number of exchanges, including the ASX.
This means you can buy shares, ETFs, LICs, REITs, bonds, hybrids and options through a broker. Depending on the broker, you will be able to buy Australian or international assets. Keep in mind the more you trade the more you'll pay in most instances, as you'll pay a brokerage fee every time you trade.
Why invest in stocks?
Investing is an effective way to make your money work harder for you, especially in a low-interest rate, high-inflation environment. Smart investing allows you to grow your wealth and beat inflation. At the same time, it comes with more risks.
Here are 5 reasons why you might want to invest:
Diversify income streams. Investing can help you gain an additional revenue stream through dividends or share price appreciation (although you have to sell to realise these gains).
Offset inflation. As you might've heard inflation has reached a 3-decade high. By default this means the money in your bank account buys less, reducing its impact. In order to beat rising inflation, you need your money to grow by more than the inflation rate. Shares can help with this.
Compound benefits. Compounding is money on money. In the share market, this occurs when an investment generates earnings that continue to grow through its share price or when dividends are reinvested. Over time this snowballs, so if you doubled a $1,000 investment 3 times it would actually be worth $8,000.
Allows you to benefit as the country does. The stock market and the economy aren't always directly related, but a thriving economy usually translates into a rising stock market. Investors in the market directly benefit as corporate earnings increase or consumers spend more.
Set yourself up in retirement. Unfortunately for most, saving for an adequate retirement is out of reach, even as banks lift interest rates. As such, successful investing can help you live the life you want in retirement.
Our expert says: How to get started
"Starting investing can be intimidating. There's an overload of information and the worry that you could lose your money. But getting started is the most important step in your investing journey and these days you can invest from as little as $1.
As the old adage says, time in the market beats timing the market. The sooner you start investing, the better your returns are likely to be."
Investors in shares are fractional owners of a business, meaning they will profit based on the future outlook of the business or by getting part of the company paid to them.
There are 2 main ways to make money from share trading:
Capital growth. If you can sell your shares for a higher price than what you paid for them, you'll make a profit. This is known as capital growth, given that your initial capital (your shares) has increased in value.
Dividends. Some (but not all) companies pay regular dividends to their shareholders based on the amount of profit they make, which can provide an ongoing income stream plus tax advantages for certain investors. Dividend payments are a great form of passive income and it means investors may never need to sell their shares in order to make a profit. Some companies offer dividend reinvestment strategies allowing you to increase your holdings by giving you more shares.
Hypothetical example to illustrate how one might earn a profit from investing in stocks
Initial investment:
Let's assume you invest in a technology company, TechCo, purchasing 100 shares at $50 per share. The total investment would be $5,000 (100 shares x $50).
Scenario 1: Capital gains
Over the next six months, TechCo releases a groundbreaking new product, significantly boosting its market position. As a result, the stock price rises to $70 per share.
You decide to sell your shares at this price. The total sale value is $7,000 (100 shares x $70).
The profit from this transaction is $2,000 ($7,000 - $5,000), known as a capital gain.
Scenario 2: Dividends
Alternatively, suppose TechCo is a well-established company that pays dividends. Let's say it announces an annual dividend of $2 per share.
Owning 100 shares, you would receive $200 in dividends for the year (100 shares x $2).
This dividend income is in addition to any capital gains or losses from the sale of the shares.
Scenario 3: Combination of capital gains and dividends
Combining the above scenarios, if the stock price increased and you also received dividends, your total earnings would include both the capital gains from selling the stock at a higher price and the dividend income.
How do you start trading shares?
Here are some tips to help get you started:
Read the news. It's important to stay up to date with the broader economy and learn how major events such as national elections impact the share price of various companies.
Research companies before buying. If you want to buy shares in a company, research as much as you can about the company before making your final decision. It's a good idea to read the company's annual reports and meeting minutes to learn what's in the pipeline and what changes will be made that could affect their share price.
Read books. Like most skills, investing can be taught. Many of the top investors have written books, meaning you can learn from some of the best investment minds.
Upskill. It can be easy to lose a lot of money by making a poor investment decision or by simply clicking on the wrong button if you don't know what you're doing. Practise trading on a demo account first and consider taking an online investment course.
Consider blue chip companies. This is a good strategy for people new to the share market, as blue chip companies often have more stable returns, are less volatile and often pay dividends.
Diversify. Say you had $5,000 to invest in the share market. Rather than invest it all in one company, consider spreading it out across a few companies from different industries. Diversification will help lower your risk and ensure you don't have all your eggs in one basket.
Expert insight: How do you pick the right stocks?
"Many investors spend hours reading reports and studying charts to select the “right” share, only to disregard the most important factor – themselves. Every individual’s circumstances are unique. We all have different investment goals, amounts to invest, time frames, existing investments and risk appetites. All of these should be taken into account when selecting a stock.
An exciting new technology start-up or a promising medical research group might suit an investor with a higher risk appetite and many years of investing ahead of them. On the other hand, an investor in or near retirement might prefer a more stable, well-known business that pays a reliable dividend. It’s up to you."
If you're looking to sign up with a stock broker you'll need to follow 5 steps:
Find a broker
Sign up to the broker and verify who you are
Link your bank account to your stock broker
Submit application
Start trading
When you decide on trading, you have two main options: online stock brokers and full-service brokers. An online broker is cheaper than a full-service broker but has the downside of having to do everything yourself, so you'll need to decide what works for you.
Is trading shares online safe? What are the risks?
As with any type of investment, there are risks to trading shares online. Some of the risks remain whether you trade online or not, for example, you can lose some or all of your investment. Other risks are with the online platform you choose to use.
Before you start using a platform, check whether the online broker has a good reputation and is a trusted provider in the community. There are several key details to look out for:
Reviews. Find out other users' experiences with the platform by reading customer reviews.
Experience. Find out how long it has been offering online share trading services. Is it backed by a large bank or financial institution?
Encryption. Reputable online trading platforms rely on encryption technology to protect your sensitive information. This means that when you log in to a broker's website, no one will be able to see any of the information transmitted between you and the broker.
Login information. Check out what information you will need to provide in order to log in to your account. While many providers only ask for a username and password, others may ask you to enter an additional security code.
Online checks. Does the provider offer online checks and restrictions to reduce the risk of fraud? For example, do you receive an SMS code that you will need to enter before trading or do you need to answer an online security question?
Previewing trades. When talking about online share trading security, it's also important to check that there are measures in place to prevent you from placing the wrong trade. For example, does the trading platform show you a preview screen outlining the full details of a transaction, such as the total cost and the total shares purchased, before placing a trade?
Processes for dealing with fraud. Next, check to see what will happen if you're a victim of fraud via your trading account. Does the provider have processes in place to reimburse you for any losses you suffer through no fault of your own if you are the victim of fraud? Are there any exclusions to when this cover applies?
Customer support. It's vital that if something ever goes wrong with a trade or you have a problem with your account, you can quickly access assistance from a company representative. Check to see when and how you can get in touch with the customer support team.
How to protect yourself when you trade online
Watch out for scams. Just as online share trading technology has grown more sophisticated, so too have the methods used by scammers to trick people into giving up their account details.
Keep your login details safe. This is an obvious tip, but one you should always remember. Never give your account login details to a third party and don't leave your computer unattended while you're logged in to your account.
Keep a copy of your records. Keep a record of all your online share trading transactions. Your records could be in a digital or hard-copy format, but should always be stored in a safe place. This will ensure you have evidence to refer to if something goes wrong with your account or if you suspect you may have been a victim of fraud.
Look after your computer. Make sure that you always keep your antivirus software up to date to protect your computer against malware and other viruses. In addition, check that you only ever log in to the trading platform via a secure internet connection.
The best online broker in Australia is CMC Invest, according to our latest award winners. CMC took Finder's award based on its low fees, educational resources and the number of options available to investors.
Finder's research found that the best online stock trading account for beginners is Sharesies. The broker took out our award based on a number of beginner-friendly features including low brokerage, auto-invest features and ready-made portfolios.
There are a number of cheap brokers in Australia with the prices changing depending on whether you go with a CHESS sponsored or custodial broker. Prices will also vary depending on what country's shares you are trading.
According to Finder's latest analysis of brokerage fees, inactivity fees and foreign exchange fees, the cheapest brokers in Australia are:
>IG
eToro
CMC Invest
Stake
moomoo
Webull
Tiger Brokers
If you're looking to buy stocks, you'll need to follow a few quick steps:
Find a broker
Follow the prompts and sign up
Find the stock code
Trade the stock via your broker
You can still stock trade without a large sum. One solution is to find a broker that does fractional shares, meaning you can start out by buying part of a share instead of an entire one. You could also invest in ETFs which would allow you to gain diversification with one trade instead of several or you could try micro-investing platforms.
Yes, it's totally possible to start share trading with $100. Many trading platforms now offer micro-investing from as little as $1, and also let you buy fractional shares. However, it's worth noting that in Australia some brokers will require you to make an initial investment of $500 when you first buy an ASX-listed share.
This one comes down to the features that you're looking for and how much you want to spend. Some brokers have strong company data, trading facilities, analyst recommendations, copy trading features, auto-invest opinions, educational resources and then there's whether or not they are CHESS-sponsored. You will have to weigh up these features against the price to find the best broker for you.
Disclaimer: This information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of futures, stocks, ETFs, CFDs, options or any specific provider, service or offering. It should not be relied upon as investment advice or construed as providing recommendations of any kind. Futures, stocks, ETFs and options trading involves substantial risk of loss and therefore are not appropriate for all investors. Trading CFDs and forex on leverage comes with a higher risk of losing money rapidly. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before making any trades. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) for the product on the provider's website.
Kylie Purcell is the senior investments editor and analyst at Finder. She has completed a Certificate of Securities and Managed Investments (RG146) and specialises in investment products including online brokers, robo-advisors, stocks and ETFs. See full bio
Kylie's expertise
Kylie has written 134 Finder guides across topics including:
Bitcoin. Do I have to go through a broker to buy bitcoin coins? Each time I click on their site it seems to generate a call from a broker site. Can u advise on how to get into this by email instructions. Many thanks.
AshFebruary 16, 2018
Hello Rocky,
Thank you for reaching out to Finder.
No, but the easiest way to buy bitcoin is from a cryptocurrency exchange. You may either buy bitcoin through bitcoin brokers, cryptocurrency trading platforms, or through peer-to-peer (P2P) exchanges. You can learn more from our guide on how to buy bitcoin in Australia. The page also provides a comparison table you can use to compare different cryptocurrency exchange platforms.
Once you have chosen a particular platform, you may then click on the “Go to site” button to be redirected to their website where you can sign up or get in touch with their representatives for further assistance.
I hope this helps.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us again if you have additional questions.
Cheers,
Ash
TDJanuary 8, 2018
I live in the United States, but I worked for an Australian company. I received shares that are listed at Link Market Services. How do I sell them?
Finder
HaroldJanuary 8, 2018Finder
Hi TD,
Thank you for your inquiry.
The Share Sale Centre provides investors with a simple and affordable alternative to traditional broker services.
Individual issuer sponsored shareholders now have the ability to sell part of their shares online by registering your portfolio. To sell shares online, holdings must be registered in a portfolio, and pass the Anti-Money Laundering checks.
This service is only available for Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) issuer sponsored holdings (denoted by a Securityholder Reference Number or SRN). If you are sponsored by a participant (denoted by a Holder Identification Number or HIN) you need to contact your sponsoring participant or stockbroker.
If you are looking for investment advice, want to buy (and sell) shares regularly, or sell your entire holding then you should consult a stockbroker. If you don’t have one, the Australian Securities Exchange can assist you with a list of available brokers.
I hope this information has helped.
Cheers,
Harold
AKSeptember 19, 2017
Can a US citizen open an account with any of the platforms listed or are these for Aussie citizens only?
Are there any monthly or quarterly fees for IG? I don’t see any in the above comparison like the banks have.
Finder
RenchJune 25, 2017Finder
Hi Deb,
Thanks for your inquiry.
There are no monthly/quarterly fees for IG Share Trading. You may click on the name of the bank above this page for more info or you can read our guide on IG Share Trading.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Rench
DonJune 1, 2017
I have commsec account and would like to print my commsec account balance as at 30.6.2016. How can I get the information? Thanks.
jonathan.chan@findercrew.comJune 1, 2017
Hi Don!
Thanks for the comment.
You can contact CommSec Share Trading Support directly to request a consolidated statement.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan
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Bitcoin. Do I have to go through a broker to buy bitcoin coins? Each time I click on their site it seems to generate a call from a broker site. Can u advise on how to get into this by email instructions. Many thanks.
Hello Rocky,
Thank you for reaching out to Finder.
No, but the easiest way to buy bitcoin is from a cryptocurrency exchange. You may either buy bitcoin through bitcoin brokers, cryptocurrency trading platforms, or through peer-to-peer (P2P) exchanges. You can learn more from our guide on how to buy bitcoin in Australia. The page also provides a comparison table you can use to compare different cryptocurrency exchange platforms.
Once you have chosen a particular platform, you may then click on the “Go to site” button to be redirected to their website where you can sign up or get in touch with their representatives for further assistance.
I hope this helps.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us again if you have additional questions.
Cheers,
Ash
I live in the United States, but I worked for an Australian company. I received shares that are listed at Link Market Services. How do I sell them?
Hi TD,
Thank you for your inquiry.
The Share Sale Centre provides investors with a simple and affordable alternative to traditional broker services.
Individual issuer sponsored shareholders now have the ability to sell part of their shares online by registering your portfolio. To sell shares online, holdings must be registered in a portfolio, and pass the Anti-Money Laundering checks.
This service is only available for Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) issuer sponsored holdings (denoted by a Securityholder Reference Number or SRN). If you are sponsored by a participant (denoted by a Holder Identification Number or HIN) you need to contact your sponsoring participant or stockbroker.
If you are looking for investment advice, want to buy (and sell) shares regularly, or sell your entire holding then you should consult a stockbroker. If you don’t have one, the Australian Securities Exchange can assist you with a list of available brokers.
I hope this information has helped.
Cheers,
Harold
Can a US citizen open an account with any of the platforms listed or are these for Aussie citizens only?
Hi there!
Thank you for contacting finder.
You may refer to our list of US share trading options.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Danielle
Are there any monthly or quarterly fees for IG? I don’t see any in the above comparison like the banks have.
Hi Deb,
Thanks for your inquiry.
There are no monthly/quarterly fees for IG Share Trading. You may click on the name of the bank above this page for more info or you can read our guide on IG Share Trading.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Rench
I have commsec account and would like to print my commsec account balance as at 30.6.2016. How can I get the information? Thanks.
Hi Don!
Thanks for the comment.
You can contact CommSec Share Trading Support directly to request a consolidated statement.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan