Stocks and bonds have never been my area of expertise. I had a relative who was a stock broker for over 20 years and retired from that line of work. They were really good at what they did and because of their strong abilities they now are all set for retirement. During those times there was no such thing as online trading. Calculators were the size of computers now used. There were no such thing as an online broker. There brokers were always met in person or on the telephone.
Many things have changed in this field. One area that has not changed is stock trading. Stock trading may have changed in method of trading but not in what they actually are. Cell phones are now in high use so naturally the stock market has turned to mobile trading as a form of trading. I have always heard people discuss their IRA accounts but I have never learned much about them. Maybe I will look into them and see if it might be a good idea for me to set one up.