There is a big difference between "Trading" and "Investing".  Investors research companies and then based on the fundamentals of the company they buy stocks for the longer term and expect the growth prospects of the company and the industry and the overall economy to take care of the growth of their portfolio. "Active trading" on the other hand is much more like a full time job. It requires watching your investments much closer and buying and selling more often. Thus the commissions you pay are much higher and so finding a broker with low fees is also critical. Position Trading (Long Term) According to Investopedia "Many position traders will take a look at weekly or monthly charts to get … [Read more...]