If you’re someone who likes to make their own choices and have complete control over your financial destiny, you may be thinking about trading or investing in the stock market to meet your financial goals. Before you make any decisions, it’s important to be sure that trading or investing are right for you, and which one may fit your needs better. This guide will give you the information you need to know to decide if trading or investing is right for you and how to succeed with whichever path you choose!

A common question that people ask when they want to get into the stock market is whether they should invest or trade their stocks. This article will compare and contrast investing and trading, and help you decide which is right for you. Many people looking to make money in the financial markets may ask, what is better, investing or trading? This guide will break down the key differences between investing and trading, as well as highlight some important advantages of each. By the end of this article, you’ll have a solid understanding of what investing and trading mean and be able to decide which one best fits your needs and interests.

Investing Basics

Investment and trading are often used synonymously, but they can mean different things to different people. If you’re just getting started in investing, here’s what you need to know about both investment and trading to help you make an informed decision on which one might be better suited for your unique goals.

Trading Basics

If you’re looking to buy and sell stocks frequently—also known as trading, as opposed to investing—then, yes, a platform with no or minimal fees will be most suitable for your needs. However, many people start out trading just like they invest—by using a discount broker that charges both per-trade commissions and other fees in addition to having its own set of tools and research capabilities.

Is one better than other?

While each has its pros and cons, there are key distinctions between investing and trading that will help you decide which one is right for you—and your money. To dive deeper into these differences, let’s take a look at a few of our favorite characteristics of each (listed in no particular order). First off, you should be aware that neither investment strategy guarantees any kind of return or profit; they are both simply ways to build wealth over time.