Based on your financial expertise, provide your response or viewpoint on the given financial question or topic. The response format is open.

How does a brokerage firm work?
Real target of commisions is providing "risk shelter". It is kind of "insurance", which is actually last step for external risks to delete all your money. In part it cuts some of risks which you provide, brokers track history of all your actions for you (nobody else does). When brokerage firm fails, all your money is zero. It depends from case to case if whole account goes zero, but I wouldn't count on that.