The addition of electronic trading, combined with a faster, more reliable internet experience, has made trading online yourself a much more attractive option.

Also, the cost of online stock trading has gone down from the $20-40 range in the late 90s and early 00s, to under $10 (and, in some cases under $5) today.  When you compare that to the "cost" you incur when using a human stock broker to place your trades over the phone, at $50-$150 today, there is no comparison... especially if you are planning to trade frequently.

What you may gain from a personal stockbroker (over the phone) is his or her firm's current position and recommendation on the particular stock that you wish to trade.  However, it's been our experience that we can form our own opinions (and do it better) by doing our own homework on a stock, and avoid what could be biased recommendations from these personal brokers.
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There are several benefits to trading online for yourself.  These online broker sites have improved dramatically recently to offer you amazing tools to evaluate stocks:

• Price.  
  As we already indicated, online trading is typically much less expensive than using a traditional broker over the phone.  You may pay $9.99 per trade online, versus a possible amount 10 time that amount (or more) using a human broker over the phone.

• More frequent trading.  
  Given the lower cost, you will be inclined (and financially more able) to trade more often.  This may offer you more flexibility to match your investing style and goals.

• Ability to trade almost anything.  
  Many traditional brokers are not able (or willing) to sell certain stocks or other securities (such as penny stocks).  After doing your homework on a stock, you want the flexibility to buy or sell anything without resistance from a traditional broker.

• Portfolio Tools.  
  This is where very powerful technology comes in and is available to you at no additional cost.  Using the online site, you get the use of great tools that show you your portfolio of stocks, and their individual performance over time.  Using a traditional broker might show you a printed statement, with nice pie charts, every month or every quarter. You want to be able to see this whenever you wish, and online sites let you do this 24 hours a day, 7days a week.

• Research Reports/Analysts' Ratings.  
  Again, these are at your fingertips on a site.  At no additional charge, your online brokerage provides you with specific research and ratings (if they are generally available) for your stock, and you can find them alongside your stock information - already there - so you don't have to go searching for information.  They've already done it for you.

• Trade Any Amount.  
  A traditional broker is going to frown on trading 1 or 2 shares of stock, because he won't get as much commission (or help his trading statistics) with his company.  However, in today's stock market, with stocks like Google, Berkshire Hathaway and Apple trading between $200 and $10,000 a share, you might want to invest in these companies, but you may only be able to buy a few shares.  Online brokers let you do this easily, and pay the same sub-$10 commission rate per trade.

• And, finally, you can't overlook the convenience factor.  
  Trading online is immediate and so convenient for you.  You don't have to pick up the phone, and hope that your broker isn't out to lunch.  You can place a limit order on a Sunday so that it goes in for Monday morning.  And guess what?  If you really need to talk to someone live, these online brokers DO let you make phone calls into them, if you need to discuss something about your trade.