Journey Map

Chapter 03 of 08

Where Does My Money Go?

Three accounts, three different jobs.

The one you already know

What does your bank account do here?

Your bank account holds your actual cash. When you buy shares, money leaves here; when you sell, money lands back here. It never holds shares themselves.

The order-taker

What's a trading account, then?

Your trading accountis what your broker uses to place and track your buy/sell orders on the exchange. Think of it as the account that does the transacting - it doesn't store cash long-term or hold your shares either.

Where ownership lives

What is a Demat account?

Your Demat (dematerialized) account is where your shares are actually held, electronically - the same way a bank statement records how much money you have, a Demat account records how many shares you own, of what, and since when.

When a trade executes, shares move in or out of this account. It's the closest thing to a “locker” for what you own, except nothing physical ever sits inside it.

Put together

Bank account: your cash. Trading account: where orders happen. Demat account: where your ownership is actually recorded. Money flows through the first two; what you own lives in the third.

Now you're probably wondering

“Okay - so what does all this actually cost me?”

Explore Chapter 04 - What Does It Cost? →