That’s great you are getting started investing. Your 401k is the best place to start, and I wouldn’t start to invest elsewhere unless (a) you have poor investment choices in your company 401k, or (b) you have already maxed out your annual contribution (currently $15,500 per year).

The reason you should max out your 401k first is the tax deduction you get on contributions.

Assuming you still want to invest in a brokerage account (after-tax), I would start by recommending that you don’t invest in stocks, but rather invest in index funds. There are tons of reasons for this, and in fact, you’ve helped me decide what my next post will be about… I’ve been cooking something up on this for a while, and will finally get it out there in the next couple days for you.

One last thing – what I DO (for a living) is not investing, although I do work at a bank. I spent a year working in the field, and am a Certified Financial Planner – and I use this knowledge and experience to help others with their finances through this blog. Check out my bio.

I’m just getting started, got a 401k through work, and interested in trading a few stocks I’ve been following for a year. I kind of wanted to do this online, any recommendations? I’ve looked at TDAmeritrade, E-Trade, TradeKing, ING/Sharebuilder and ScottTrade… maybe I asked too many people, because they all say something different or recommend ING and Ameritrade-but don’t those companies also have the best marketing so more folks know about them?… but since this is what you DO, I figured I’d ask.

Thanks!