Ask Matt: How can I get Facebook shares at the IPO price?

— -- Q: Will any of the online brokerage firms be offering shares of Facebook to their customers at the IPO price?

A: The Facebook initial public offering is capturing the imagination of investors worldwide.

It's going to be an IPO to remember for several reasons. Financially, Facebook's IPO stands to be the biggest in history, as the company looks to raise at least $5 billion from the deal.

Practically overnight the company stands to become roughly the 25th most valuable company in the Standard & Poor's 500, right up there with McDonald's.

Facebook is exactly the kind of IPO that gets individual investors revved up. Since Facebook is a service many people use, it's common for these users to want to get a piece of the action. Many Facebook users, who may not be regular IPO investors, might think they understand the company enough to invest in it.

Most individual investors, though, aren't going to be able to buy in at the same price many privileged investors will. Facebook plans to follow the traditional investment banking model for its IPO. Shares of the deal will be first sold to large investors such as mutual funds and pension funds. These investors will then be free to sell into the open market.

Most individual investors will have to wait for shares to hit the open market before they can buy in, most likely, at much higher prices.

With that said, some online brokerages are starting to indicate they will be offering some shares to their customers. TD Ameritrade is saying it will offer Facebook shares to some customers at the IPO price. Currently, TD Ameritrade cannot comment on how many shares will be made available.

A spokesman for Charles Schwab says the brokerage offers IPOs to customers periodically, but it won't have details about Facebook for three to four weeks. A Fidelity spokesman says the brokerage cannot yet provide any details.

Matt Krantz is a financial markets reporter at USA TODAY and author of Investing Online for Dummies and Fundamental Analysis for Dummies. He answers a different reader question every weekday in his Ask Matt column at money.usatoday.com. To submit a question, e-mail Matt at mkrantz@usatoday.com. Follow Matt on Twitter at: twitter.com/mattkrantz