What is a good online brokerage firm?

Question

I would like the opinion of experienced on line traders what brokerage firms they liked the most in terms of ease of use, fees, researching tools, and overall help.

I have about $5,000 to start investing and want to do it before I get out of school.

Answer 1

I currently use Firstrade ( http://www.firstrade.com/ ). They're much cheaper than big name brokers such as Etrade, Ameritrade, and Schwab. I also like them over Scottrade because not only are they slightly cheaper than Scottrade, but they also offer free dividend reinvestment (DRIPs), which Scottrade doesn't.

Firstrade might not be the cheapest broker in the industry, but I believe they're the best deal.  Cheaper brokers like Zecco, SogoTrade, and Interactive Brokers are spotty in terms of the service they provide.  Just take a look at SmartMoney's most recent brokerage reviews: http://www.smartmoney.com/brokers/index....  Zecco was rated worst for the research and customer service categories.  SogoTrade tied Zecco in last place for research.  I've heard that both Zecco and Interactive Brokers have complicated website that are not recommended for beginners.  I'm not too sure about TradeKing though.  They're high on SmartMoney's rankings, but I've heard that they're on the slow side for trade execution.  You wouldn't want to miss out on a good trade now would you?

I would definitely recommend that you check out Firstrade. Their website is very easy to use, making them perfect for beginners. I've been with them for years now and have had no problems at all. Firstrade currently has a refer-a-friend program, so if you're interested in opening account with them, email me for a referral code. It's a win-win situation because you'll get your first 5 trades free.

Answer 2

I recommend an online brokerage firm that has good beginner qualitys {like tutorials or an easy to understand set up}, i use zecco, better then schwab, etrade, etc. they are the only ones with free stock trades, no minumums..all the others will charge you fees for trading, but compare and see for yourself. Good luck and happy investing!

http://friends.zecco.com/r/a7a2877caab81...

Answer 3

My trading is done with several on-line brokers, all with different advantages. For small trades, and only a $4 fee per trade, Sharebuilder works well. I use this for my grandchildrens gifts. For most of my own trades, I use TD Ameritrade, $9.99  per trade and good customer service. I also use Ameriprise, where you can trade for $4 with a sufficiently large account. They also have good customer service.

For ease of use and fees, especially for relatively small opening balances, sharebuilder.com would be my recommendation. The research tools are available is so many places on the internet for no charge, that really is not a consideration. The best method of finding the "best overall help" is to just call some of these places with your questions and see who gives the best answers. That will usually narrow down the choices fairly quickly.

Zecco may be a good choice as well, but I would be leary of a recommendation from someone that will benefit financially if you sign up for an account.

Answer 4

Fidelity

Answer 5

www.SogoTrade.com

They offer cheap stock trading at $1.50 - $3.00 Online Equity Trades.

Some of the features this brokerage offers:

1. $1.50 - $3.00 Online Equity Trades

2. Fast Order Execution

3. Excellent Customer Service

4. Scheduled Investments and Fractional Shares

5. 3 Great Trading Platforms: SogoTrade, SogoElite, Laser

6. Enhanced Online Security and SIPC Protection

7. Powerful Trading Technology

8. No Account Inactivity or Account Maintenance Fees

9. Free Dividend Reinvestments Service

10. Complementary Stock News and Stock Charts

11. No hidden fees.

You can research stocks at Sogotrade.

http://www.sogotrade.com/Research/Defaul...

View Quotes and Charts for any stock or ETF.

Find a company´s ticker symbol using all or part of the company´s name.

Stocks and ETF screeners are available and you can view news for a particluar stock or ETF.

Create and track stocks with easy to use portfolio tool, login as a guest if you are new.

You can also login as a guest here:

https://www.sogotrade.com/account/guestl...