 TITLE: What Are Fractional Shares? CONTENT: What Are the Benefits of Fractional Shares?\n-------------------------------------------\nFractional shares have become increasingly popular among brokers and investors, and there are good reasons for it:\n*   **They help level the playing field.** Fractional shares have created opportunities for many people who were unable to invest in the past. They allow beginners and even experienced investors to purchase ownership in companies they wouldn't otherwise be able to invest in because of a high stock price.\n*   **They offer increased diversification.** When you don't have a big investment account balance, it can be difficult to diversify your stocks without purchasing an index fund. But with fractional shares, you have more power to diversify because you're investing in companies based on a dollar value instead of the number of shares.\n*   **It makes it easier to dollar cost average.** Dollar cost averaging is an investment strategy in which you invest the same dollar amount at regular intervals regardless of how a stock or fund is performing. Because fractional shares are based on dollar amounts, they're perfect for this approach. END