Stock Trading and Other Things

Looking to open an online trading account. Who is the best?

I'm planning to begin an online trading account an unsure who to move forward with. Plan to place $5 - 10K into the account. Who is the best broker?

Charles Schwab - E*TRADE FINANCIAL -
TD AMERITRADE - SCOTTRADE

Public Comments

1. IFINIX.

2. When opening an account it is best to make sure you can trade early. The earlier it opens the better and the later it closes the better. Here is a detailed list. All the Best.

Ameritrade (via Island ECN)
Hours: 8am-8pm Eastern; limit orders only during extended hours.
E*Trade (via Archipelago ECN)
Hours: 8am-8pm Eastern; limit orders only during extended hours. Note that extended-hours orders can be placed even during regular market hours; these orders may be filled during normal or extended-trading hours.
Fidelity (via Redibook)
Hours: 7:30-915am and 4:15-8:00pm EST; restrictions on order types.
Harris Direct (via Redibook ECN)
Hours: 8-9:15am and 4:15-7pm Eastern; limit orders only; round lots.
Schwab (via Redibook ECN)
Hours: 7:30-9:15am and 4:15-8pm Eastern, Monday - Friday; limit orders only.
TD Waterhouse
Hours: 7:30-9:30am and 4:15-7:00pm EST

3. I like Scottrade.

4. Personally I did some investing with Ameritrade and i was satisfied.

I guess it depends on what you would like to do. If you are planning on simply investing in several mutual funds for an extended period then one of the more well known brokers (Ameritrade, Schwab, ect.) are best equipped and well definitely leave you satisfied with their results.
However, if you are considering taking a more active approach and are planning on investing in individual securities then let me suggest a relatively new player in the game: Zecco.com. A broker who I currently use now. 0$ per trade, up to 40 per month. I have paid them not a cent since I opened my account several months ago. They are able to survive off option trades and a very financially tight budget. Also there is a great community to help you and advise. My only complaint is the relative hassle compared to the more well known borkers of purchasing mutual funds

5. Hi,

You can do so instantly. You can even check with your own bank if they offer the service. You can also visit http://stocks.advisorinternet.info and learn about opening an online trading account. Good luck!

6. TD Ameritrade is the one I currently use and I have used others in the past. They have a proven record and a great set of tools. Also you can set the account up electronically and transfer funds in and out of your bank account free and quickly. To me they are the best of the group. Also I think you will get a good number of free trades for opening an account with over $2,000.

7. I would recommend Scottrade. Grant it, I am a little bias, but Scottrade's reputation and service speaks for itself, and you can open an account with as little as a $500 deposit.

Also, Scottrade does not charge for inactive accounts or for account maintenance, and there are no minimum number of transactions (trades) required. Scottrade has a flat rate ($7) for most online market and limit equity orders, regardless of your trade frequency, account balance, or the number of shares in a transaction. You can compare the commissions/fees of several brokerage firms at: http://www.scottrade.com/online_broker_comparison/discount_brokerage_comparison.asp .

I hope you find this information useful. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. I'd be happy to help.

Scottrade
www.Scottrade.com
1-800-619-7283

8. I used to have etrade, datek, ameritrade, and sharebuilder as my online stock broker, currently Zecco is my online stock broker.

etrade charges fees for inactive acct, it's a stupid policy to me.

datek merged with another online broker.

Ameritrade: Hmm...something happened between they and me, I reported them to BBB. I dont like how they treated me.

Sharebuilder: They had a stupid plan, if you buy stocks on Tuesday, comission fee is $4, if you buy and sell stocks on other days, comission fee is $14. I left them after I found out what it is.

Zecco: They charge $0 for comission fee for 40 trades a month, this one beats all other online broker, no contest here. Do they provide the best service? hmm.... hmm... Btw, their customer service isn't a toll free line.

Over all, I recommend Zecco not because they are my current online stock broker but because $0 comission fees are too good pass.