Answer:
Investing on your own can definitely be a challenging thing to undertake. Managing your investments in the stock market may not be the most technically challenging thing to do, but it certain does take up a significant amount of time. Every stock needs to be researched. The company that you choose to buy stock from needs to have promising financial projections and a business plan that you believe will carry even a start-up business through the first few years of operation. While any company that has gone public (had an initial sale of stock) will have their financials available to their investors, it can take a trained eye to make an educated decision regarding which companies to buy stock from. Flying solo with your investment management really is a full time job that most of us simply do not have the time for.

Naturally the most logical answer to this problem is to hire a broker. Hiring a broker saves you a lot of time, and as the saying goes, "time is money." So, we have discovered at least one justification for spending money to hire a broker, you are paying for the time that you do not have to spend doing your investment research yourself. But there are many more benefits to hiring a broker that go beyond simple man hours. Stock brokers and investment professionals have constant exposure to all kinds of stocks not only because it is their job to be informed, but also because if your broker works with an agency, you benefit from the insight of the entire agency. This means more money in your pocket because the likelihood of an entire office of brokers being wrong about an investment is much lower than making a bad investment decision on your own.

So while it is now clear that the work that investments brokers do is in fact helpful and valuable, this does not mean that their services are worth any price. Different investment brokers charge different service fees. These fees are required to be disclosed so make sure that you ask. Know what your investment broker charges and how they charge. For example there is usually a fee for every trade. If you think that the fees being charged are too high, shop around. Your investment broker is essentially working for you so if the quote you receive for their services is not to your liking, look somewhere else. Just keep in mind that you usually get what you pay for and that the most reputable investment firms are going to be in high demand. This means that they can afford to charge higher prices because the demand for their services justifies the increase.

While there is a certain degree of trust that you should have in your investment broker, you do not have to follow their advice blindly. If you have a hunch about an investment or you hear about a hot stock, you should feel free to consult with your broker and ask them to make changes according to your wishes. In summary, hiring an investment broker is a good idea and a justified financial choice for most people. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to determine just how much they are willing to pay to get professional investment advice.