Offer your thoughts or opinion on the input financial query or topic using your financial background.

Can stock brokerage firms fail?
Yes, the entire financial system is based on trust. As we have seen repeatedly, even the ratings agencies can be wrong and in collusion. You need to understand what products have any insurance/contingency/recourse if things don't go as planned. A lot of people were surprised when they found out SIPC didn't ensure futures when MF Global declared bankruptcy last fall.