You’re a Rookie Stock Investor if you’re a beginner or fairly new to the investing world. Most usually start out with a “buy and hold” approach. Maybe you’re transitioning from a full-service brokerage or employer-sponsored retirement plan to a do-it-yourself online broker like TradeKing. If you’re a rookie, your experience with investing in individual stocks may be limited, not making more than a few trades per month in a cash account. Many beginners have more experience investing in money market funds or mutual funds. Just because you’re a rookie doesn’t mean you don’t have high expectations for your trading, and you’re probably eager to expand your general market knowledge and investment experience to achieve your goals. That said, many beginners aren’t fully aware of the time and dedication involved with investing or trading. It’s easy for rookies to fall prey to failed investments made with a “gut feeling” or consisting of “tips” instead of actual research. (But if you’re reading TradeKing’s Education Center, chances are you won’t be one of them – bully for you!)

A Rookie Stock Investor will normally understand the concept of buy low and sell high. However, rookies are especially vulnerable to letting emotion take over once a trade or investment has begun. This may lead to you holding onto securities with losses even as the reasons for the original investment have deteriorated. You may’ve found yourself hoping, maybe even wrongly expecting, a losing stock would recover so you can “get back to even”. If higher prices return, you may pull the sell trigger too soon, selling your stocks at break-even or with only small profits. It’s tough for many beginners to see the forest for the trees, recognizing if the outlook for a particular security is favorable even if the short-term trend is rocky. Rookies often have had successful trades during strong bull markets, but during tougher times when volatility is up and bears rule the game, you may feel at a loss.

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www.tradeking.com/ODD before you begin trading options. Options investors may lose the entire amount of their investment in a relatively short period of time.

Online trading has inherent risks due to system response and access times that vary due to market conditions, system performance and other factors. An investor should understand these and additional risks before trading.

$4.95 for online equity and option trades, add 65 cents per option contract. TradeKing charges an additional $0.35 per contract on certain index products where the exchange charges fees. See our FAQ for details. TradeKing adds $0.01 per share on the entire order for stocks priced less than $2.00. See our Commissions and Fees page for commissions on broker-assisted trades, low-priced stocks, option spreads, and other securities.

Quotes are delayed at least 15 minutes, unless otherwise indicated. Market data powered and implemented by SunGard. Company fundamental data provided by Factset. Earnings estimates provided by Zacks. Mutual fund and ETF data provided by Lipper and Dow Jones & Company .

* Commission-free buy to close offer does not apply to multi-leg trades.

Multiple-leg options strategies involve additional risks and multiple commissions. and may result in complex tax treatments. Please consult your tax adviser. Implied volatility represents the consensus of the marketplace as to the future level of stock price volatility or the probability of reaching a specific price point. The Greeks represent the consensus of the marketplace as to how the option will react to changes in certain variables associated with the pricing of an option contract. There is no guarantee that the forecasts of implied volatility or the Greeks will be correct.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) carefully before investing. The prospectus of a mutual fund or ETF contains this and other information, and can be obtained by emailing service@tradeking.com. Investment returns will fluctuate and are subject to market volatility, so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. ETFs are subject to risks similar to those of stocks. Some specialized exchange-traded funds can be subject to additional market risks.

TradeKing’s Fixed Income platform is provided by Knight BondPoint, Inc. All bids (offers) submitted on the Knight BondPoint platform are limit orders and if executed will only be executed against offers (bids) on the Knight BondPoint platform. Knight BondPoint does not route orders to any other venue for the purpose of order handling and execution. The information is obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, its accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed. Information and products are provided on a best-efforts agency basis only. Please read the full Fixed Income Terms and Conditions. Fixed-income investments are subject to various risks including changes in interest rates, credit quality, market valuations, liquidity, prepayments, early redemption, corporate events, tax ramifications and other factors.

Content, research, tools, and stock or option symbols are for educational and illustrative purposes only and do not imply a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell a particular security or to engage in any particular investment strategy. The projections or other information regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, are not guaranteed for accuracy or completeness, do not reflect actual investment results and are not guarantees of future results.

Any third-party content including Blogs, Trade Notes, Forum Posts, and comments does not reflect the views of TradeKing and may not have been reviewed by TradeKing. All-Stars are third parties, do not represent TradeKing, and may maintain an independent business relationship with TradeKing. Testimonials may not be representative of the experience of other clients and are not indicative of future performance or success. No consideration was paid for any testimonials displayed.

Supporting documentation for any claims (including any claims made on behalf of options programs or options expertise), comparison, recommendations, statistics, or other technical data, will be supplied upon request.

All investments involve risk, losses may exceed the principal invested, and the past performance of a security, industry, sector, market, or financial product does not guarantee future results or returns. TradeKing provides self-directed investors with discount brokerage services, and does not make recommendations or offer investment, financial, legal or tax advice. You alone are responsible for evaluating the merits and risks associated with the use of TradeKing’s systems, services or products.

www.tradeking.com/education/disclosures .

Foreign exchange trading (Forex) is offered to self-directed investors through TradeKing Forex. TradeKing Forex, Inc and TradeKing Securities, LLC are separate, but affiliated companies. Forex accounts are not protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corp. (SIPC).

Forex trading involves significant risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Increasing leverage increases risk. Before deciding to trade forex, you should carefully consider your financial objectives, level of investing experience, and ability to take financial risk. Any opinions, news, research, analyses, prices or other information contained does not constitute investment advice. Read the full disclosure. Please note that spot gold and silver contracts are not subject to regulation under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act.

TradeKing Forex, Inc acts as an introducing broker to GAIN Capital Group, LLC (GAIN Capital). Your forex account is held and maintained at GAIN Capital who serves as the clearing agent and counterparty to your trades. GAIN Capital is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is a member of the National Futures Association (NFA) (ID # 0339826). TradeKing Forex, Inc. is a member of the National Futures Association (ID # 0408077).