This Investor Bulletin is being issued by the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy to help educate investors on the various types of orders they can use to purchase and sell stocks through a brokerage company.

The generic descriptions below reflect some of the most popular order types and trading instructions used by investors to purchase and sell equities. Please keep in mind that the order types and trading instructions offered to you may vary between brokerage firms. You should contact your brokerage firm to find out what sorts of orders and trading instructions are available for buying and selling stocks, as well as the business’s unique procedures for using these orders and trading instructions.