What is an account balance?

The amount of money a user has stored in a financial repository.

Account balance with a bank account

When you check your account balance at your bank, it will show the amount of cash you have stored with the bank.

If you have pending transactions, your account balance might be greater than the amount that is actually available to you. That is because the money needed to make those transactions has not yet been removed from your account.

Account balance with a stockbroker

An account balance with a brokerage is likely to look different from a bank account balance. That’s because you don’t just keep cash with a broker.

Instead, the account balance that you see when you check your brokerage account will be the sum of any cash you hold and any stocks you have bought.

Because the value of stocks changes all the time, your account balance will also vary more frequently with stockbroker than a bank.


More terms

Over-The-Counter (OTC)

A security that is sold outside of an exchange.
Read more

NASDAQ

A US stock exchange specialising in the shares of technology companies.
Read more

American Depository Receipt (ADRs)

Tradeable assets that let Americans invest in overseas stocks using US laws and dollars.
Read more

Unit Trusts

A collective investment scheme the investors pay money into in exchange for units. The money is invested in a diversified portfolio of assets.
Read more

Beta

Learn what Beta stands for in finance.
Read more

Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Product (PRIIP)

An investment where, regardless of its legal form, the amount repayable to the retail investor is subject to fluctuations.
Read more

Money weighted rate of return

Learn what Money Weighted Rate of Return or MWRR stands for in finance.
Read more

Yield curve

A graphical representation of interest rates over time
Read more

Capital

Learn what financial capital means
Read more

You’re just minutes away from commission-free investing

When you invest, your capital is at risk