Are you ready to start investing in stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds? You’ll need to open a brokerage account, which can be a lengthy and time-consuming process. But to avoid getting lost in the weeds, we think you can save some time and mental energy by focusing on the differences that are most meaningful to investors. Below, we’ll compare just two brokerages, TradeKing and Interactive Brokers, on matters that are most important to buy-and-hold investors.