What is a stockbroker?

In the last instalment of our beginners' investing series, we took a look at what a share is. It's a part ownership of a business -- it really is as simple as that.

But if you want to buy into a business, it's no good knocking on the head office door at, say, Vodafone, and trying to hand over your investment cash. No, you need to buy the shares on the stock market, and for that you will need the services of one of the UK's stockbrokers.