Full-Service Brokerage

Business, Legal & Accounting Glossary

Definition: Full-Service Brokerage


Full-Service Brokerage

Quick Summary of Full-Service Brokerage


A brokerage which, in addition to executing trades for its clients, also provides them with research and advice. Significantly more expensive than discount brokers, which only execute trades.




Full Definition of Full-Service Brokerage


A full-service brokerage offers investment research, tax advice, and retirement planning in addition to providing trading services to clients. The transaction fee for a trade is on average several times higher with the full-service brokerage than with a discount broker, but the higher fee is necessary to pay a commission to the individual stockbroker working at the full-service brokerage. Critics of the full-service brokerage claim that the research, which is provided for free, is not worth the higher commissions. Sell-side research, as it is often called with the full-service brokerage that also engages in underwriting, is produced primarily to further the marketing agenda of the investment banking group. Along with a financial planner and CPA, the discount broker is a viable alternative to the full-service brokerage, without the conflicts of interest. Merrill Lynch is a leading full-service brokerage; other examples include Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley. The full-service brokerage is more often called a full-service broker.


Related Phrases


direct access broker
soft dollars
hard dollars
research department


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Definition Sources


Definitions for Full-Service Brokerage are sourced/syndicated and enhanced from:

  • A Dictionary of Economics (Oxford Quick Reference)
  • Oxford Dictionary Of Accounting
  • Oxford Dictionary Of Business & Management

This glossary post was last updated: 2nd November, 2021 | 0 Views.