is it safe to keep money in a trading account 
yes it s generally safe to keep money in a trading account most reputable brokerages provide securities investor protection corp sipc insurance for up to 500 000 this doesn t protect you from investment losses but rather from the risk of investment firm failure 4the bottom linea trading account is necessary if you d like to buy and sell securities you can open a trading account with your brokerage of choice but if you d like a margin account for day trading you ll have to meet the brokerage s margin requirements pattern day traders have additional requirements they must meet including a base equity level of 25 000 as per finra 