Retail Broker

The broker is a person who acts as a middleman between the buyers and the securities sellers. Brokers are normally required to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission and with a self-regulatory organization, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Brokers who work with institutional investors are referred to as institutional brokers, while those who serve the needs of individual investors are called retail brokers.

Sales agents who work for retail brokerage companies, and who are licensed to sell securities, are commonly referred to as retail brokers, stockbrokers or the outmoded, but gentile, customer’s man or woman. Their official title is “registered representative”. These financial professionals may be trained and qualified to provide investment advice on specific types of securities to their clients, but their primary job is to acquire customers and sell securities to generate commissions for their firm.

Retail brokers normally facilitate equity and debt trades for their clients, including stocks and bonds. They might sell additional securities and financial products such as mutual funds, limited partnerships, options and real estate investment trusts. They might advise clients on individual retirement accounts, tax-advantaged products, planning for their children’s education or managing their assets.

The drive to own investments in the United States is overwhelming. From the moment people start work, they are looking at buying stocks and bonds and getting retail brokers on board to know how well they fare within the market. While returns on the investment can be quite profitable, taxes on them are no joke. Thus, the broker knows how to advise the client on ways to keep investing and putting the right things in place so as to still be secure in the light of taxes. It can be very disturbing not to have some securities in form of investments.

Retail brokers can earn a lot. They work for companies who may not pay much but what they get in commissions alone is multiple their annual income. The wealth of a retail broker is tied to hard work and the right connections. Well off brokers can earn up to $140,000 a year while well established brokers can earn up to $250000 a year. These huge earning potentials make the profession one highly coveted and chased. It has been suggested that a master’s degree and some further qualifications have the potential of increasing a brokers’ earnings.

Because retail brokers deal with individual investors, it is very easy to reach a lot of people looking at investing their savings, children education portfolio, retirement portfolio to let the money work for them. If the broker is good enough, he can make as many clients as possible because everybody wants to be protected against uncertainties in the future.

Just like any other professional offering professional services, the law has put in place checks to ensure that the broker acts within the confines and not commit fraud with investor’s money or carelessly give professional advice. The broker must understand that integrity is a core value in the business.