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Financial encyclopediaReviewed 2026-10-23

Margin Account

A “margin account” is a type of brokerage account in which the broker-dealer lends the investor cash, using the account as collateral, to purchase securities.  Margin increases investors’ purchasing power, but also exposes investors to the potential for larger losses.

Sources and references ↗
PROFILE / FACT FILE

Concept at a glance

Term
Margin Account [1]
Subject area
Investor.gov glossary [1]
Jurisdiction / scope
US regulatory and investor-education context [1]
Primary reference
SEC · Investor.gov [1]

Definition and explanation

A “margin account” is a type of brokerage account in which the broker-dealer lends the investor cash, using the account as collateral, to purchase securities.  Margin increases investors’ purchasing power, but also exposes investors to the potential for larger losses. [1]

Source-supported connections

Margin Account → Mentioned in the official explanation → Broker [1]
Margin Account → Mentioned in the official explanation → Purchasing Power [1]

Frequently asked questions

What does Margin Account mean in the cited reference?

A “margin account” is a type of brokerage account in which the broker-dealer lends the investor cash, using the account as collateral, to purchase securities.  Margin increases investors’ purchasing power, but also exposes investors to the potential for larger losses. [1]

RELATION MAP

Margin Account connection map

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Margin Account

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Links retain their source-specific meaning. Award-time affiliations and links to related reading are not claims about current appointments or economic causation.

Sources and review dates

  1. US SEC · Investor.gov — Margin Account ↗

Reviewed 23 October 2026. Historical dates and award-time affiliations retain their original context. A review date is not an event date. Background sources are identified separately from official records.

Content preparation: source-based compilation with AI assistance. See methods and attribution. Named sources identify the underlying records; no individual expert review is claimed.