The life of a broker is usually very hard and usually full of stress. So it is not a job that most people would choose to do. Brokers are the direct link to Wall Street; they are also our middlemen when we are thinking of investing some of our hard-earned money into shares of some publicly-owned corporation. Of course, we could always use the Internet to trade, which in recent years has provided an enormous amount of help for individual investors, who want to keep track of a portfolio. But the basic rule will still apply: You need some kind of online trading broker so that you can trade stocks. by Larry Westfall Take care when choosing a broker; always get recommendations before you make a decision. You will be glad that you did when your broker guides you to financially-sound, informed decisions that earn you the highest possible return on your investment. You are probably how much these brokers are actually worth-and, more importantly,