<prompt> Human: I am looking to buy stocks in order to increase my knowledge of how stock markets work and hopefully make a little extra money as well. While the extra money would be nice, I hope to get a better grasp on investing in general. Ive done a little research and found there are a couple of routes you can go. 1. Going through an online company E-Trade and buy and sell online.2. Set up a brokerage account with a company like Charles Schwab.3. Go directly to the companys website and buy stocks directly from the company.I was wondering what the best option would be for a beginner with little experience to go with?  <response>: number 1 2 will be the same, number 3 is pretty much impossible. If youd like a real life investing scneario but without using your own money, I suggest playing with a free portfolio on 