Advertiser: Northline Guides, an independent education service for U.S. residents. We are not a broker-dealer, not an investment adviser, not a crypto exchange, and not affiliated with Robinhood, Charles Schwab, Fidelity, E*TRADE, Vanguard, Interactive Brokers, Webull, Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Crypto.com, or any firm named on this site. We do not hold customer funds or crypto. We do not promise investment returns. Crypto assets can lose all of their value.

For U.S. residents · Reviewed November 2026

Open the account. Learn the first trade. Know who to contact.

Northline is an independent guide to opening and using a U.S. brokerage account at Robinhood, Charles Schwab, Fidelity, E*TRADE, Vanguard, Interactive Brokers, and Webull. When something stalls, we show you how to reach that firm’s own support — and you can open a ticket with our desk if you want a person to walk through the steps.

Request a consultation
IndependentNot a broker, and not their support line.
U.S. accountsWritten for people opening accounts in the United States.
No loginsWe never ask for a password or a Social Security number.
Official pathsPhone numbers are the ones the firms publish.

Start with the job in front of you.

01 · Open

Create the brokerage account

What each application asks for, which account type to choose first, and how long funding usually takes.

Browse brokers

02 · Invest

Place a first investment

Stocks, ETFs, market orders, and limit orders — without a ticker recommendation hiding in the lesson.

Read the lesson

03 · Support

Reach the broker’s desk

Phone lines, in-app chat, and the clicks that create a case at the firm that actually holds the account.

See support paths

Broker guides

All seven firms
RH

Robinhood

An app-centered broker many first-time U.S. investors use for individual brokerage accounts, IRAs, and listed stocks and ETFs.

Mobile-first brokerage

 CS

Charles Schwab

A large U.S. broker used for individual brokerage, joint accounts, IRAs, and long-term investing, with phone support and branch access.

Full-service self-directed broker

 FI

Fidelity

Fidelity Investments serves personal brokerage, IRA, and many workplace accounts, with 24/7 phone service and a logged-in secure message.

Brokerage and retirement

 ET

E*TRADE

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley offers self-directed brokerage and retirement accounts, with a customer-service line and an online message center.

Morgan Stanley brokerage

 VA

Vanguard

Vanguard serves personal investors with brokerage accounts, IRAs, and mutual funds, and it runs a separate service line for workplace retirement plans.

Long-term and fund investing

 IB

Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers LLC opens more detailed applications and is often used by active investors. Support runs through the Client Portal and a published U.S. phone line.

Active and multi-market brokerage

 WB

Webull

Webull Financial is a U.S. broker many customers use from the Webull app and desktop platform, with phone support on weekdays and a Support Hub inside the platform.

App-based brokerage

How a consultation works

You keep the account. We explain the process.

A consultation is a walkthrough of account opening, funding, a first order, or the broker’s own support path. It is not a managed portfolio and it is not a case number at the broker.

  1. 01

    Open a ticket

    Tell us the broker, the state you live in, and the screen or phone call where you got stuck. Leave out passwords and tax IDs.

  2. 02

    We reply by email

    You receive a Northline ticket number immediately, then a plain-language note on what to click and which official channel to use.

  3. 03

    You contact the broker yourself

    If the issue is inside an account, you file it with that firm. We can help you word the message. We cannot submit it as them.

From the guide library

All guides

Robinhood · 8 min

How to open your first Robinhood account

The Robinhood app screens, from sign-up through identity check, for a new U.S. brokerage account.

Robinhood · 7 min

How to buy your first stock or ETF on Robinhood

Search, order type, and the review screen in the Robinhood app.

Robinhood · 7 min

How to contact Robinhood support and open a case

In-app chat, a callback, and what to do if you cannot log in.

Before you send anything

Questions people ask first.

Are you Robinhood, Schwab, Fidelity, or another broker?

No. Northline Guides is an independent education service. We are not affiliated with the brokers named on this site, and we cannot see or change your account at those firms.

If I create a support ticket here, does the broker receive it?

No. The ticket comes to Northline. We reply with educational steps and the official way to reach that broker. To open a case at the broker, you still need to use the broker’s app, secure message, or published phone line.

Will you ask for my password or Social Security number?

No. Do not send them. Any message that includes a password, a two-factor code, or a Social Security number will be rejected. Those details belong only on the broker’s own website.

Do you recommend what to buy?

No. We explain how accounts, orders, funding, and support cases work. We do not provide personalized investment advice or manage money.

Who can use the consultation?

Adults residing in the United States who want help understanding a brokerage process. We do not open accounts for people outside that scope, and we do not handle employer plan administration.

How much does a ticket cost?

Creating a ticket on this website is free. A broker’s own transfer fees, wire fees, or other account fees are charged by that broker under its schedule, not by us.

Northline desk

Stuck on an application or a support call?

Open a ticket with our education desk, or ask for a consultation on account setup. We explain the steps and point you to the firm’s own support. We do not take logins, place trades, hold money, or hold crypto.

Request a consultation

Northline desk

Get help with the step you are on.

Answer a few short questions. You will get a Northline ticket number on this page, and a reply from our desk in 3–4 hours. This does not open a case at a broker or a crypto exchange, and it is not a promise of profit.