If you’ve ever used Fidelity, Chase, Wells Fargo, or another major financial institute as a way to invest in the stock market, you’re probably being misled. I’m not saying these institutions are bad or a rip-off—they do exactly what they say they will. They let their experts or their roboadvisors do the heavy lifting so you can take your mind off of your longterm finances. And for the majority of the population, this is probably fine. But for anyone who wants to feel as if they have control over their financial destiny, you’re being taken for a bit of a ride. Here are 3 myths I’ve encountered when dealing with big trading firms. 1) We’re Your Only Option This is pretty much advertising 101, but when I started trading with Fidelity years ago, they went all in on how they could offer me so many things that other firms couldn’t. They really went the distance—one rep even told me that Charles Schwab would be irresponsible with my money. But with the internet as far-reaching as it is now, this couldn’t be further from the truth. You have dozens of options, and only you can know what’s best for you specifically. But the one thing that shouldn’t happen while you’re shopping around is you getting pressured into something. When dealing with financial institutions, I try to use the same scrutiny as when I go in to buy a car. The devil is usually in the details, and all of those bells and whistles are usually just ways to separate you further from your hard earned cash. 2) Your Net Worth Is Your Trading Worth This one really frustrates me. Why? Because it implies that stock trading is only for the wealthy. Or, at least, only for people with money to lose. While it may initially seem like this is true, the fact of the matter is you have options even if you don’t have capital. Take, for example, Try2BFunded, an online trader that lets you use their capital. How does it work exactly? You spend time passing a qualifying stage—usually takes between 4 and 6 weeks—and then you have access to $100,000 to trade with. The best part? You get to take home 60% of the cut, deposited every two weeks. I love Try2BFunded because it frees me from having to rely on these institutions and lets me make sure my nest egg is protected. When you have a family to consider, it’s important to safeguard what you have, especially in times of crisis. 3) Trading Is Complicated This one is half right. Trading is complicated at first. But once you get the hang of things, you’ll realize that this isn’t rocket science. If anything, it’s for those who are clever, persistent and willing to take a responsible amount of risks. It took me about 30 days to get fluent with Try2BFunded, but after that I felt as if I was much more in control, no matter what those big institutions had to say.