Electronic investing or "E-investing," (i.e. online trading) has developed concurrently with the World Wide Web. The growth of discount brokers and the popularity of the Internet have led to "do-it-yourself" investing. The Web has transformed from a stock market research tool into a transaction tool for online investors. And it's not just big banks or electronic brokers who are offering online accounts. Many mid and full-service brokers have created online services, so customers can create their own portfolios. Plus, online brokerages have dropped prices and increased services.
             There's no longer anyone to stand between the investor and the process. It's one way the World Wide Web can empower people - and Internet technology makes it all possible. But this technology also brings new responsibilities. While people can save money and conduct transactions at their leisure, the last domino falls on them. By eliminating the salesman, the broker or the financial adviser, they've accepted all the risks of the decision making process. Whether they win or lose depends on them and them alone.
             Just as the Automatic Teller Machine changed the way people can do their banking, online investing will release people from the many constraints that have held them in traditional investing. Recent technological advances like OptiMark and Digital Stock Market will make it possible to trade reliably on a home computer for parents and kids alike.
             Trading stocks online is so easy and so cheap that a growing number - 4.6 million by last count - are doing it routinely (Globefund, 1999). Already, one of every five retail stock trades is made online, and this figure is expected to rise. Here are some of the advantages of managing a portfolio through the web:
             Control. If an investor is knowledgeable about investments, control over their portfolio is easier. They're responsible for their portfolio and it's their job to make it grow (or not). They'r...