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

Junk Bond

A form of debt investment that carries higher risk because of the likelihood that the issuer will default.
Read more

Collective investment scheme

Learn what's a collective investment scheme
Read more

Oligopoly

A situation in which a market or industry is controlled by a small group of companies.
Read more

Leverage

A method of trading using borrowed money that usually involves a very high level of risk.
Read more

Maturity date

The date on which a gilt is redeemed and the gilt holder receives the repayment of the nominal amount and final dividend or coupon payment.
Read more

Venture Capital

A type of financing that investors provide to startups, who sometimes announce getting said financing in TechCrunch, to big fanfare.
Read more

Alpha

The percentage by which an investor outperforms a relevant benchmark.
Read more

Venture Capital Trust (VCT)

A listed company run by a fund manager, investing mainly in private companies.e.
Read more

Technical Analysis

Examining price movements of shares and other assets, and trying to predict how they will move in the future.
Read more

You’re just minutes away from commission-free investing

When you invest, your capital is at risk