Why I Use Robinhood as My Brokerage Account

Dear Reader,

In the wild world of investing, it can be difficult to know where to start.

Online brokerages are the norm today, but it wasn’t always like that.

You may be old enough to remember when companies would send you paper certificates in the mail…

But even before then, stocks were traded by word of mouth.

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, considered the world’s first official stock exchange, was created in 1602. It was established by the Dutch East India Company, and traders gathered at coffeehouses to buy and sell shares. This involved face-to-face negotiations and open outcry, where traders would shout out their bids and offers.

In the late 1600s, the London Stock Exchange operated in a similar way, with open outcry systems. Brokers and traders physically gathered in a specific location to conduct transactions.

When the New York Stock Exchange was founded in 1792 under the Buttonwood Agreement, it also operated by traders using hand signals and verbal communication on the trading floor to execute trades.

It wasn’t until the 1800s that physical paper certificates were issued that represented shares of a company. Investors received paper documents as evidence of their ownership, and these certificates were transferable, allowing for the buying and selling of shares.

But with the advent of the telegraph in the 19th century, ticker tape machines were introduced. These machines transmitted stock prices and other financial information over long distances. Ticker symbols represented different companies, and the machines printed the latest stock prices on a continuous strip of paper.

It was only in the 20th century that the world shifted toward electronic trading. This was when electronic trading platforms emerged, allowing for faster and more efficient stock trading. The transition from physical trading floors to computerized systems increased the speed and accessibility of trading, making it possible for transactions to occur globally in real time.

Today, the majority of stock trading occurs electronically through computer networks. Stock exchanges have fully embraced electronic trading platforms, and investors can execute trades using online brokerage accounts from anywhere with an internet connection.

Now you can trade from anywhere in the world using just your smartphone.

This led two tech entrepreneurs, Vladimir Tenev and Baiju Bhatt, to create a company with the mission was to democratize finance and make investing accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial background.

And thus the brokerage firm Robinhood was launched in 2014.

When Robinhood launched its mobile app, it offered something other brokerages didn’t: commission-free trading. Talk about taking from the rich and giving to the poor!

This move disrupted the entire industry, as traditional brokerages like Fidelity and Charles Schwab were still charging transaction fees for each and every trade.

Robinhood’s model appealed to younger, tech-savvy investors who were looking for a more cost-effective way to invest in the stock market.

Robinhood quickly gained popularity, attracting millions of users. The company expanded its offerings to include options trading and cryptocurrency. It also raised significant funding, attracting investments from venture capital firms, which eventually led to its IPO on the Nasdaq in 2021.

The company faced some legal setbacks with the meme stock revolution during COVID, when the app restricted trading on stocks like GameStop and AMC, but it’s since resolved the technical difficulties and has continued to gain users.

Why I Use Robinhood

For me, Robinhood is an app that’s the perfect combination of easy to use and easy to understand.

I’ve tried a lot of platforms, including TD Ameritrade’s Thinkorswim, but that was just way too complicated for me.

Not to mention, Robinhood has a plethora of incentives for all types of investors.

Currently, it offers 1.5% APY interest on your uninvested brokerage cash.

And if you subscribe to Robinhood Gold for just $5 a month, you’ll get 5% APY with no limit!

That’s much better than your standard checking account.

With Robinhood’s spending account, you get a debit card and 2% cash back on things like groceries and gas.

It even offers retirement accounts. And if you transfer over an old 401(k) or IRA, as a Gold member, you get a 3% match.

As far as investing in the stock, it’s been on a tear this year, up over 50% in just one month.

It may be worth keeping this one on your radar.

But before you put a dime into Robinhood, we have seven stocks (count ’em, seven) we like even more, and they all pay handsome dividends to keep you rolling well into your retirement.

Get access to the portfolio here.

Stay frosty,

Alexander Boulden
Editor, Wealth Daily

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After Alexander’s passion for economics and investing drew him to one of the largest financial publishers in the world, where he rubbed elbows with former Chicago Board Options Exchange floor traders, Wall Street hedge fund managers, and International Monetary Fund analysts, he decided to take up the pen and guide others through this new age of investing.

Alexander is the investment director of Insider Stakeout — a weekly investment advisory service dedicated to tracking the smartest money on the planet so that his readers can achieve life-altering, market-beating returns. He also serves at the managing editor for R.I.C.H. Report, a comprehensive service that uses the highest-quality investment research and strategies that guides its members in growing their wealth on top of preserving it.

Check out his editor’s page here.

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