Online brokers are all over so it's hard to figure out which one is really the best. I've compiled a list of the different ones out there and give a brief description of my thoughts on each.
Etrade Financial really messed up with its mortgage division. During the past 2 years, the brokerage have been posting consecutive quarters of losses and it doesn't even have anything to do with its brokerage firm. It's really letting Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade take its share and it's just going downhill slowly.
I don't really like TD Ameritrade because it's user interface is really bad. However, the commercials obviously is working because many people use them to trade stocks. The one price trading fee makes things less confusing though which is welcomed when everyone else has a ton of different pricing structure.
Charles Schwab is a full fledge solution like Etrade (they offer a bank, client services as well as credit cards along with their trading platform). Ever since Etrade went into trouble with its mortgage business, Charles Schwab have been on fire, taking market share and everything else.
TradeKing is the stock broker that I use after years with Etrade. While I've made a lot of money with Etrade, I just don't want any problems with it going bankrupt. TradeKing also offers commissions at half the cost of Etrade.
Zecco has the worst marketing ever but it is one of the few broker that offers free stock trades. If you have over $25,000 or trade 25 times or more, the trades are free. Otherwise, it's $4.50 per trade.
SogoTrade is a nice option because it's $3 per trade. However, it nickel and dimes you on other things like a SEC fee (what is a SEC fee you ask? Exactly!). You may just need to run the numbers to see whether it's going to be cheaper. SogoTrade does seem to do many trades though but it doesn't seem to offer options trading.
WellsTrade is Wells Fargo's self trading platform offering. The user interface is lacking and the logistics of trading is a little weird but if you have $25k with them, trading is free (actually, up to 100 trades a year). It's not for the frequent trader but for retail investors, it's a great option (who can say no to free?).
Bank of America basically has the same offering as Wells Fargo. It matches them with the free stock trades with the same conditions ($25k minimum to qualify for the free trades). I wouldn't be surprised that they will change something though after they set their feet and start integrating with Merrill Lynch though.
OptionsXpress is less known in the retail investor realm but it's very popular for frequent traders who love options. They have the best tools for options trading and they also charge three different prices for options commissions (as opposed to pricing based on the exact number of contracts). - 22871
Etrade Financial really messed up with its mortgage division. During the past 2 years, the brokerage have been posting consecutive quarters of losses and it doesn't even have anything to do with its brokerage firm. It's really letting Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade take its share and it's just going downhill slowly.
I don't really like TD Ameritrade because it's user interface is really bad. However, the commercials obviously is working because many people use them to trade stocks. The one price trading fee makes things less confusing though which is welcomed when everyone else has a ton of different pricing structure.
Charles Schwab is a full fledge solution like Etrade (they offer a bank, client services as well as credit cards along with their trading platform). Ever since Etrade went into trouble with its mortgage business, Charles Schwab have been on fire, taking market share and everything else.
TradeKing is the stock broker that I use after years with Etrade. While I've made a lot of money with Etrade, I just don't want any problems with it going bankrupt. TradeKing also offers commissions at half the cost of Etrade.
Zecco has the worst marketing ever but it is one of the few broker that offers free stock trades. If you have over $25,000 or trade 25 times or more, the trades are free. Otherwise, it's $4.50 per trade.
SogoTrade is a nice option because it's $3 per trade. However, it nickel and dimes you on other things like a SEC fee (what is a SEC fee you ask? Exactly!). You may just need to run the numbers to see whether it's going to be cheaper. SogoTrade does seem to do many trades though but it doesn't seem to offer options trading.
WellsTrade is Wells Fargo's self trading platform offering. The user interface is lacking and the logistics of trading is a little weird but if you have $25k with them, trading is free (actually, up to 100 trades a year). It's not for the frequent trader but for retail investors, it's a great option (who can say no to free?).
Bank of America basically has the same offering as Wells Fargo. It matches them with the free stock trades with the same conditions ($25k minimum to qualify for the free trades). I wouldn't be surprised that they will change something though after they set their feet and start integrating with Merrill Lynch though.
OptionsXpress is less known in the retail investor realm but it's very popular for frequent traders who love options. They have the best tools for options trading and they also charge three different prices for options commissions (as opposed to pricing based on the exact number of contracts). - 22871
About the Author:
discount stock brokers all want our business but we should only use one primarily. Which one we pick is very important because some charge more, some offer better service and others offer fast execution. Find out which one offers what you are looking for at Stock Trading Brokers
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