## Investing in Stocks Through USAA
USAA offers a variety of investment options for its members, including stocks. Investing in stocks can be a great way to grow your wealth over time, but it’s important to understand the risks involved before you get started.
### How to Open a USAA Brokerage Account
The first step to investing in stocks through USAA is to open a brokerage account. You can do this online or by calling USAA customer service. Once your account is open, you’ll need to fund it with money that you can afford to lose.
### How to Choose Stocks
Once you have a brokerage account, you can start choosing stocks to invest in. There are a few things to consider when choosing stocks:
* **Company fundamentals:** This includes factors such as the company’s earnings, revenue, and debt.
* **Industry outlook:** The stock market is cyclical, so it’s important to consider the outlook for the industry that the company operates in.
* **Technical analysis:** This is the study of historical stock prices to identify trends and patterns.
### How to Place a Stock Order
Once you’ve chosen a stock, you can place a stock order through your USAA brokerage account. There are a few different types of stock orders, including:
* **Market order:** This is an order to buy or sell a stock at the current market price.
* **Limit order:** This is an order to buy or sell a stock at a specific price.
* **Stop order:** This is an order to buy or sell a stock if it reaches a certain price.
### Fees Associated with Investing in Stocks
There are a few different fees that you may need to pay when investing in stocks through USAA. These fees include:
* **Trading commissions:** USAA charges a commission for each trade that you make. The commission rate varies depending on the type of account you have.
* **Account maintenance fees:** Some USAA brokerage accounts have an annual maintenance fee.
* **Regulatory fees:** There are a few regulatory fees that you may need to pay, such as the SEC registration fee.
### Risks of Investing in Stocks
Investing in stocks always carries some risk. The value of your investments can go up or down, and you could lose money. Before you invest in stocks, it’s important to understand the risks involved and make sure that you’re comfortable with them.
### Conclusion
Investing in stocks can be a great way to grow your wealth over time, but it’s important to understand the risks involved before you get started. If you’re not sure how to get started, you can talk to a financial advisor for help.
## Additional Resources
* [USAA Brokerage Services](https://www.usaa.com/invest/brokerage-services/)
* [How to Invest in Stocks](https://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/03/how-to-invest.asp)
* [The Risks of Investing in Stocks](https://www.sec.gov/investor/alerts/ia_risks-investing-stocks.pdf)