Stocks, SIPs, IPOs — everyone around you seems to be investing. But if you are a complete beginner, your very first step is opening a Demat account. And most people open the wrong one, only to realise it later when the charges pile up or the app frustrates them. Here is what you actually need to check before you click that "Open Account" button. What Exactly Is a Demat Account? Think of a Demat account like a bank locker but for your shares and investments instead of cash or gold. "Demat" is short for "Dematerialised," which simply means that your shares are stored electronically instead of as physical paper certificates. When you buy a share of Reliance, TCS, or any company listed on the stock exchange, that share does not come to you in paper form. It gets stored digitally in your Demat account. When you sell it, it gets debited (removed) from your account. Simple as that. As per SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India India's stock...