Best broker for options eas

Commissions can add up considerably for active options traders, which is why finding a broker that charges a low rate without compromising their customer service is very important. Which Discount Broker is Best for Options Trading? Credit Card for the savings account, which might be interesting for some traders. What is the Best Investment? Many brokerages also offer customers attractive incentives to open accounts. FDIC insured savings account when opening a trading account. Basically, finding the best discount options broker involves first knowing what you require for your options trading business, and then researching which broker is best able to satisfy your needs for the most attractive price. Most traders sophisticated enough to trade options, generally prefer discount brokers, since many options traders typically do their own research. Dealing with a reliable and diligent broker is an important element contributing toward trading options successfully. Some discount brokers offer other interesting services in addition to options execution.

Options trading involves more than just buying and selling a single stock, with a myriad of spread combinations and other complicated strategies available to more sophisticated traders. What to Look For in a Discount Options Broker Finding the broker which charges the lowest rate may not always be the ideal situation for many traders. Some discount options brokers offer a flat rate on all trades. The regulation requires the broker to give the customer the best bid or offer price immediately available upon receiving a market order. Look to open an account with a broker who guarantees that their executions meet or exceed the NBBO requirements. Another consideration regarding opening a discount options trading account is what other brokerage services and markets the broker offers. Most discount options brokers charge a flat fee, plus a per contract fee for options trades. In addition to equities, some brokers will offer trading in bonds, mutual funds, exchange traded funds or ETFs, treasuries, certificates of deposit, commodities and foreign exchange. Other fees and applicable minimums may apply.

Leveraged ETFs are inherently more volatile than their underlying benchmark or index. Standard commission applies for liquidating orders. Best Broker for Frequent Traders. Broker Review for the full review. All with the hightest level of customer service. Promotions are subject to change at any time.

Supporting documentation for comparisons, recommendations, statistics, or other technical data, will be supplied upon request. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. With a comprehensive and customizable platform, eSignal offers advanced charting tools, technical analysis studies, back testing and streaming quotes from hundreads of exchanges and indices worldwide. Please read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before trading in options. Systems response and account access times may vary due to a variety of factors, including trading volumes, market conditions and system performance. Tradier works at the crossroads of financial services and cloud technology. Accounts are carried and cleared with Apex Clearing Inc. Please consider your financial condition, investment objectives, time horizon and expenses before making any investment decision.

Please contact customer support for details regarding fees for Mutual Fund and Bond transactions. ETFs involve unique risks and you should carefully consider the risk factors, which are outlined in the prospectus. Third party research, analysis and other tools obtained from companies not affiliated with Tradier Brokerage, Inc. However, because some options trading strategies require the purchase or sale of an underlying stock, we consider each broker for stock trading as well. Having said that, things like trading platforms, customer service, and advanced options trading capabilities still matter. We truly only include the best options brokers in our reviews. One of the biggest factors we consider in our reviews is cost.

Our goal is to provide thorough and indepth reviews of the best options brokers so you can spend less time searching for the right broker and more time placing winning trades. All of our reviews include actual account and platform screenshots, so you can see what the trading setup will look like before you dive in. And although we review brokers with options in mind, we also take into account futures trading. The cheaper the better. Everything at The Options Bro is FOR traders BY traders. We truly hope our reviews give you the knowledge you need to make an informed decision and find the best option broker. Not all of these features are available at all discount brokerage firms, and some stock brokers offer better value than others. Some of them will even show you your asset allocation and make recommendations on how and where to rebalance your portfolio. OptionsXpress has no inactivity or maintenance fees regardless of how much you have in your account, and does not charge for streaming quotes or standard withdrawals. Zecco and TradeKing is really amateur hour stuff.

TradeKing account almost 10 years ago. This is most common for accounts that maintain a certain minimum account balance, or for accounts that exceed a set number of trades per month, quarter, or year. All the mentioned brokerage firms on this page should also be a good starting point, as they all offer something unique. Scottrade is the only discount brokerage on this list featuring brick and mortar offices where you can visit a broker for face to face meetings. Not all mutual funds and ETFs are available at all brokerages. Zecco and then moved to TradeKing because of the extremely limited trading platform at Zecco. We also have a list of prominent IRA providers if you are considering opening an IRA. Capital One Investing used to be known as ShareBuilder, which was part of the ING Direct brand that was purchased by Capital One after the financial crisis in 2008.

Thank for the great website. The above feature lists should give you a good starting point to consider which features are important to you. There is an Active Trader Rate for options which kicks in when you makes 35 or more option trades per quarter. Use your personal feature list to narrow down your choice to the best option for your needs. ACAT fees if transferring, etc. They were pretty much in line with my own experience of the various companies. When I have money to invest, I need to refer back to this to help me decide which online service to use.

Consumer Reports for brokerages yet, but I did some online research on blogs and forums. The online brokerage community has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years, which is great for investors who like to participate in online stock trading. By the way, did I mention they even have a live chat with operators who can see your account and answer questions in LIVE TIME? Kindles, free GPS units, computers and computer monitors, and more. This works best for investors who regularly have a little extra cash to invest each month. Many investors have more than one brokerage account.

This is very similar to investing in your 401k at work. Firstrade gives stock traders and investors low commissions, low margin rates and a three second execution guarantee. There can be good reasons for this, including specialized trading needs, taking advantage of lower trading costs, utilizing premium features or services through a different broker, avoiding the expense or time involved with consolidating accounts, or other reasons. It blows away the streaming charts at TradeKing. Why nobody talks about sogotrade? From what I understand, TradeKing usually does a giveaway offer about once a year.

You also get 100 free trades when you open your account. Which Investment Firm is Best? That said, investing is a very personal matter, and both companies offer investors a great product and a ton of value. One thing I found particularly helpful when deciding on a brokerage were Consumer Reports ratings. Again, the purpose is to give yourself familiarity with the platform before moving the bulk of your investments to that company. That was a big surprise and a deal breaker for me. ThinkorSwim software is free. Capital One Investing also offers an educational and training center and a variety of premium features. Sogotrade is not a nobody like zecco, it comes from a big broker and not a broken bank underinvestigation by the us gov.

These software programs will link all your assets to automatically show you your net worth and other valuable information. Not all online brokerages are created equal. At TradeKing you have to have a minimum of 25 trades per month to use their real time streaming charts. Many investors prefer to automatically reinvest their dividends so they can continue having their money work for them without having to think about it. But our use and needs may differ from yours. This can be convenient, as you can keep all your savings, checking, and investments under one roof. The competition has forced innovation, cheap online stock trades, and additional features such as educational and training centers, articles, videos, free webinars, chat rooms and forums, social networking, free tax software to track gains and losses, and more. Tee, Zecco and most discount broker offer a wide variety of mutual funds. This brokerage comparison chart will give you some basic information on pricing structures, and below the comparison chart are some unique features about each of these online brokerage firms. Given that, I still want to have the lowest transaction costs as well as lowest recurring fees while holding a fund or ETF.

Many firms offer these types of accounts for free. Choose the one that you like. Full Service, Banking, and Other Features. Vanguard for most of my investments, simply because I have been with them for so long and they offer everything I need. Mutual Fund and ETF Availability. To top it off, you can not difficult link your Capital One 360 account to make money transfers in or out fast and not difficult.

Zecco and TradeKing accounts over to TD Waterhouse. Hopefully you can use this information to find the discount online brokerage that is best for your needs. Just look for the one that best meets your needs. Sogotrade web interface is not really good, but you can get used to it because if you trade a lot like me. Just saw the post from Brad. That is what lead to the surprise of them holding onto my cash that I wired to them for 1o days until I could get it back! But there are some different types of investments you may wish to trade that may or may not be available at every brokerage firm. For more information, or to open a Scottrade account, visit the Scottrade website. Our goal is to show you some of the best values in the discount brokerage space, and show you some of the top features they offer.

SOGOTRADE is pretty good. But if you do like to trade individual stocks, the discount brokers are often better options as they tend to offer lower cost trades, more tools, and a better interface for trading. For more information, or to open a an account, visit www. Another option is to open an account and test the waters before making actual live trades. TRADE has won numerous awards for both their brokerage services and their online savings accounts. OptionsHouse boasts no maintenance fees, volume requirements, or monthly minimums. However, if you wire money into TradeKing, and then need to get part of it back, they will not let you take out your money until after 10 days have passed from the time they received your wire.

Think or Swim account with a small amount of money in it so that you can use all the free tools. TradeKing is the better choice of the two evils. Some brokerages charge extra if you need personal assistance when making a trade. We have a list of some free online tools to help you do this. Having multiple trading accounts can have benefits, but it can also complicate your finances. TOS stands for ThinkorSwim.

He is polite, knowledgeable and efficient. They did it in October and November of last year, so it may be awhile before they do it again. Do You Have More Than One Brokerage Account? Schwab, Fidelity, and several other companies also offer wonderful alternatives to Vanguard. Many brokerages charge a flat fee per trade, while others offer differential pricing. Thankfully, they transitioned into good hands. You can read our Firstrade review for more information, or visit their website to open an account. If you know what you are doing, you can save a lot of money by eliminating the middle man.

Some investors prefer to automatically invest the same amount of money each month in the same stock, bond, or mutual fund. Am I missing something regarding the fees? Of the three I mentioned, TradeKing is my favorite because of the interface, free tools and education, and the low prices. They have an outstanding software platform you can download or you can manage it online like rest of the companies out there. That is crazy and for that policy alone I would not trade with them ever again. Sim, I moved from Zecco to TradeKing. Here are some brokerage coupon and promo codes that can get you some free trades or free bonus money when you open a new account. But otherwise this idea could save money in the long run. However, not all brokerages make it not difficult to do this.

While options traders may be able to find a lower average cost based on their trading habits, OptionsHouse scores points for their user interface, software, and other features, making them a solid option for investors of all types. Free Stock Trades for 60 Days. Individual reviews are also important. This feature allows investors to create their own investment schedule and stick to it. Make sure of the features a site has in conjunction with the price per trade. For more information, or to open a Ally Invest account, visit the Ally Invest website. Differential Pricing for Commissions. Ally Bank acquired TradeKing, which is a personal favorite of mine.

You should also consider whether they offer phone support, chat, email, or other forms of service. TradeKing does some sort of bonus. Options House offers the lowest prices for a standard online stock trade out of the brokerages listed in this review. While their trades are not the cheapest of the listed brokerages, they offer a wide array of services and features not found with many other online discount brokerages. And if possible, give the brokerage a test drive before committing all your investments to their service. This is a great brokerage for investors who are concerned with cost per trade. Here are some more factors to consider when comparing discount brokerages.

While lower is generally better, the overall cost per trade may not be the most important factor if you are not a frequent trader. There were a couple things that really bothered me with TradeKing. For more information or to open an account, visit: optionshouse. TradeKing and Zecco charges. Thanks for the comparisons. And every investor may have different needs. If your a grown up and want to have REAL customer service, some of the lowest rates on trades, fast execution and a way to make it easier to make money, I recommend Lightspeed WebTrader and the team of people over there!

The brokerage community is very competitive, and many brokerage firms are willing to give new customers some form of bonus for opening a new brokerage account. Zecco is really bare bones; no pre or after hours trading allowed, no way to trade on mobile platforms, no service after hours, and a poor trading platform without any advanced order entry options. Zecco and TradeKing, but prefer TradeKing overall. Thanks for the tips, Wojciech! Personal Capital is free, not difficult to use, and will help you understand your total financial picture, including your net worth, asset allocation, how much you pay in fees, and where you can rebalance to get your portfolio in shape. However, you may find they offer ETFs or mutual funds based on commodities. Scottrade has 25 years of experience and one of the best reputations in the brokerage industry. TradeKing and Zecco accounts. The comparisons were very helpful though.

It could have been very serious if the market moved against me while I repeatedly tried to get the system to accept my order. It will blow you away. Some brokerage firms are willing to hold your hand, while others expect you to be able to handle everything more or less on your own. One of the first features many investors look at first is cost. Visit the Personal Capital website to learn more or to open a FREE account. Do most brokerages trade mutual funds or only single stocks? Ally Invest offers a slick and not difficult to use interface, cheap stock trades, an exceptional learning center, free webinars, free access to Maxit Tax Manager to track your gains and losses, and more. ACAT Transfer fee to transfer your assets out of their brokerage.

The individual trades are slightly more expensive, but not enough that it made a difference for me. Tradeking requires little document to open an account there, but it has a fun interface. They are simply holding onto your clear cash to float your money and that is pretty crappy of them to do that. This should be an industry standard and Lightspeed does this for free. Firstrade offers regular brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, and Education Savings Accounts with no minimum initial deposit and no maintenance or inactivity fees. TD Ameritrade has no yearly fees. You can invest with a small starting investment, as there are no minimum requirements to open an account, no inactivity fees, and no minimum trade requirements. Most brokerages now offer apps for your smartphone or tablet. US based stock trades.

TD Ameritrade is well worth it for all the free tools, advanced orders, and real time streaming charts you get. They have good online and phone support, quick execution and a good inventory of shares that you can short! From the moment I opened my account at Lightspeed the customer service has been outstanding. This is perhaps the most exciting area that separates the different online brokerages. These plans allow investors to automatically reinvest their dividends without being charged another commission. TOS, which is why I did not mention them. Capital One rebranded the brokerage and made a few important changes, many of which appear to bring their trading platform more in line with the competition. At the end, all cheap one line trade brokers are fast. No maintenance or inactivity fees, low stock trades, free online workshops, the Scottrade community, research and educational tools and tax tracking software make Scottrade a great fit for day traders and the casual investor alike.

This means you have a rep who works with you in an ongoing basis, understands issues and develops a rapport with the customer. OptionsXpress offers free webinars, free trading tools, free advanced research and the option of a personal coaching program. For more information, you can read our OptionsXpress review. Many of the major mutual fund and ETF families are widely available, but be sure to check with your brokerage before assuming you will have access to everything. Brad: Thanks for the info. We do our best to review a variety of products and services on this website. Then use TradeKing for your actual trades. Good examples include certain mutual funds and ETFs. Founded in 1985, Firstrade.

Most brokerage firms allow investors to trade just about any stock held in the major US markets. ACAT transfer fee refunds are a popular sign up bonus because it removes a barrier to moving funds to a new brokerage. As you can see by the above comparison chart, there is a wide range of prices and features with these brokerages, which should cover just about anyone. Add in no account minimums, no monthly maintenance fees, and the ability to make trades online, on your mobile phone, or at one of over 100 physical locations, and you have a winning combination. Interactive Brokers or ThinkOrSwim who charge far less per transaction and you can truly manage your portfolio. ETF on 4x margin where the system would not let me enter my stop order. Spread is the difference between the price at which a forex trader is willing to buy you the currency pair and the price at which he is willing to sell you the currency pair. Since the currency market is not regulated in both the trading and clearing, a forex trader may be exposed to counterparty risk, which arises if the forex broker defaults or does not keep up his end of the bargain. The currency market allows anywhere, anytime trading.

The number of currency pairs traded are limited, making research and asset picking not difficult. It also provides webinars, live trading, blogs and newsletters, which serve as rich educational tools for a greenhorn. When his position loses value to the extent of him not meeting the margin requirement, the broker will begin to liquidate his assets just so that the account complies with the margin requirement. There is no dearth of risks in the forex market. Meanwhile, Oanda reigns when it comes to cost, the currency pair option it allows and its overall platform simplicity. This is unlike the equity market, where a plethora of stocks are trading. That said, the forex market is not regulated and therefore, lacks transparency. The market participants in a forex market include traders, investors, governments, banks, businesses, etc. Without question, TD Ameritrade is the leader on this metric, with Oanda closely breathing down its neck.

The CFTC requires that all online forex dealers be registered and meet strict financial standards enforced by the National Futures Association, or NFA. If this happens, a currency trader will be straddled with huge losses. The market is open 24 hours, five days a week. Once an investor decides to take a plunge in the forex market, he does by opening a margin account in a brokerage, which provides him with leverage or loan for trading. Conventional wisdom states that high returns are always associated with high risks. Forex trading is regulated by bodies such as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, which regulates leveraged trading offered to retail traders. Exchange rate risk or currency risk arises when an investor needs to close out a long or short position at a loss of money due to adverse movement in the exchange rate of the currency pair he is trading. Oanda also butts in as a top contender, with its practice account that spans for an unlimited time frame and zero minimum balance.

TD Ameritrade offers 77 currency pairs compared to 71 by Oanda, 52 by Forex. With customer support from Charles Schwab optionsXpress offers broker assisted trades and a pleathora or educational tools when a trader is ready to enter the stock market. TD Ameritrade ranks as the top broker in terms of research, with the thinkorswim platform offering powerful research tools, including screeners, news feeds and a detailed economic calendar. The volatility associated with a currency pair also poses a risk to currency traders. In other words, it is the difference between the bid price and ask price. Essentially, the broker acts as a market maker and sells the currency pair to you and not another trader. If you fret about the volatility and risk associated with stocks, then forex trading is likely not your cup of tea.

TradeStation, over 50 pairs by Ally Invest Forex, 22 pairs by Interactive Brokers and 21 by optionsXpress. TD Ameritrade wins because of is technological prowess through platform, tools, and research, although it is slightly disadvantaged because of higher commissions and fees. There are hundreds of brokers who offer a multitude of platforms for trading currencies. On the contrary, high volatility also exposes one to high risk. Forex quotes are offered by central banks and what our broker quotes is the average of all the quotes received from the banks. This exposes a forex trader to enormous leverage risk if his bet goes wrong.

The selection a forex broker offers is also important, as it offers traders an opportunity to trade currency pairs. Although there is no physical marketplace for the forex markets, important world trading centers for currencies are located in Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Frankfurt, Zurich, Paris, London and New York. Here is brief on a few major risks one should be wary of while trading currency pairs. High volatility associated with the currency market offers sizeable profitable trading opportunities. It also garners the added advantage of a good mobile trading platform. Volatility refers to the change in the value of the currency pair held as an investment, annualized and expressed as a percentage. It also provides a rich haul of educational resources in the form of webinars, scheduled learning events, video on demand, etc. TD Ameritrade owns the forex trading space when technology is concerned. The tight spread in terms of pips facilitates trading even with low capital.

Forex traders charge commissions as a fixed spread, or variable spread, or a commission based on a percentage of spread. It is best to do a background check on the agency under whose regulatory jurisdiction the broker falls. There are a plethora of risks involved, including leverage, transaction, country and interest rate risks, to name a few. Compare us to your broker! Live Chat, phone or email. And although we are known for our innovation and deep discounted commissions, our real value is providing the help and support you need to achieve your investing and trading goals. Fundamental company data provided by ActiveTick LLC.

SogoTrade, Inc and Market Riders, Inc LLC are separate but affiliated companies. See our commission and fee schedule. Why would you pay more for the same trade when you can do it for less at SogoTrade? Our clearing firm Apex Clearing Corp has purchased an additional insurance policy. Learn more about our trade idea tools! Complement equity ideas with option plays. Form ADV Part 2A, which describes, among other things, affiliations, services offered and fees charged. SogoTrade makes it not difficult and inexpensive to invest money online.

Clear display of the risk and reward of a trade. This powerful technology helps you make informed investment decisions and react more quickly to market events. And, check out SogoPlay, our new trading tool that fully integrates with the SogoOptions platform. Market data displayed under Research is provided and hosted by Barchart Market Data Solutions. SogoTrade does not provide tax advice. Our real value is providing the help and support you need to achieve your investing and trading goals.

We offer a wide range of investment products, powerful online trading platforms and market research tools to help you achieve your investing and trading goals. This agreement is effective at all times when using this site. SogoOptions is a customizable and powerful option trading platform. SogoTrade is known for innovation. Help tools have been integrated into our platforms for your convenience. Our technology is second to none.

By logging in and accessing your account, you consent to the Account Agreement. We believe that our customers deserve a higher standard than what our competition offers. From the Morning Call Newsletter to our SogoPlay options tool, we provide a variety of market research and trading ideas to help you achieve your financial goals. Portfolio management and advisory services are offered through Market Riders, Inc, an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investment advisory services are offered through Market Riders, Inc, a Registered Investment Adviser. Please see details regarding all offers as terms and conditions may apply. Whether you choose to use only one trading platform that we offer or several, we strive to offer the best online trading platforms in the Industry. You should read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Transfer Reimbursement Request form and proof of transfer fees. Please contact SogoTrade if you have any questions. Please read Terms and Conditions for details. If you trade with futures, could you trade them intraday and could you do that each day? There is no minimum deposit requirement to open a retirement account, custodial account or Coverdell Education Savings Account. Now, the flash crash. Yet again, our SEC stands and hears, and sees nothing.

Think or Swim, and will do so soon. The answers to these questions will help you narrow the selection and ultimately pick the best broker for you investing needs. They have a great desktop platform and the data feeds are free with your trading account. Scottrade is good in this respect. Good and safe options for cash. What criteria are you using to define them as pioneers? Note: TD Ameritrade has entered into an agreement to purchase Scottrade. How smoothly will customer accounts transfer to their new home? Among discount online brokers, Scottrade has the largest network of branch offices.

Scottrade is high on my list of potential discount brokers for my IRA account. Trade: Etrade offers a global trading platform that covers exchanges in Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and the UK. Again, TD Ameritrade decided to cater to both casual and advanced investors by creating two separate mobile apps. Marilyn, increasing domestic value stock seems like an odd suggestion. What this analysis completely ignores is margin interest rates. Best for new investors and those looking for a very not difficult website to navigate. Ideal for more experienced traders looking for a rich set of tools and resources. You need to know the exchanges, symbols, etc. You can get more information in our Scottrade review. It was cheaper to buy from them.

Trade is not great, but good. FDIC and other guarantee limits. The most expensive discount broker on our list, TD Ameritrade, counters its cost with some of the best online trading tools. But there are also great businesses with great management that make excellent investments. Fidelity: Best for those looking for a robust broker with offices nationwide. They are real brokers, and give advice if nec.

And the same is true when selecting a discount broker. Sogo is reasonable but the rest of them charge exorbitant rates. Others have been very disappointing. Thanks for sharing such a vast wealth of information. Would you rate those company the same way today. Because these fees vary among discount brokers, the starting point is to understand how you will use your stock trading account. Brokerage houses that trade bonds on a principal basis are generally ripping you off.

And the stock trading tools available to you vary from one discount broker to the next. Security, Expertise and Economy. So what are the factors besides cost that we should consider when selecting a discount stock broker? Zecco was one of the pioneers of online discount stock brokers. Betterment or Wealthfront, Ally Invest manages the portfolio, including dividend reinvestment and rebalancing. Sue, thanks for the comment. The reality, however, is that unless you are an active trader, the cost of a few trades a year will be small. They break up your cash among several banks, if necessary, to keep full FDIC coverage.

It offers a number of account types, including IRAs and other retirement accounts. There are several, and they include ease of use, customer service, types of accounts offered, investing tools, type of investments you intend to buy, and account minimums. And with a Scottrade IRA account, there are no opening, closing, annual or custodian fees. In addition to online trading, it also offers managed portfolios. First, there are a lot of them. Still, the cost of the discount brokers is relatively low, depending on your trading volume. If you are trading options, seriously consider thinkorswim. Scottrade has one other feature that I like; physical locations. TD Ameritrade has entered into an agreement to purchase Scottrade.

They are all anybody would ever need. And the website is incredibly not difficult to use. Robinhood does offer free trades. How will the loss of money of competition in the space affect fees and features? Its website is one of the easiest to use among all banks, including online banks. For low rates and reasonable commissions, look at investrade. And of course it offers an excellent mobile experience. TRADE offers trading platforms and tools for any investment style. The key to remember, however, is that many of these firms charge additional fees, depending on how you use your account.

For Toeser, I use Scottrade, and am looking for cheaper but with good support. Will you be buying stocks and mutual funds, or do you also plan to trade options? All of the firms make a point to advertise how much you pay to buy or sell stocks, mutual funds, options, or other equities. If you would like to try them out you can get 3 free trades just to see if you like them They have a good streamer. The flurry of acquisitions has left the industry in a state of flux. Interesting insight on bonds. They also have the longest list of ETFs with this feature.

You can invest with an advisor, if you so choose. One feature that makes them high on the list is their no fee list of ETFs where you can purchase as little as one share for no cost. You hit on the main problem, however. Forex on IB until you take a little exam they have, and have prior experience. But just like most anything we buy, the cost is just one of many factors to consider. Scottrade: Scottrade has foreign exchange trades and offer separate commission schedules for Canadian Orders versus other foreign stocks. Yes, there are bad people and bad investments on Wall Street. For those who trade at most occasionally, however, the trading costs are not the most important factor.

For those of us that trade less frequently and take a more passive approach to investing, there are better options for online discount brokers. For example, not all of them offer the same account types. You can trade in most international markets. TRADE Pro for active traders. That might be ideal for an active trader. Do you have more details you can provide. Note that I have accounts at each of these firms and have personally tested their trading platforms, research, and other tools.

SEC never sees anything. Interactive Brokers for the past two years. TRADE has been on a buying spree. Merrill Edge is one of my favorite platforms. The Think or Swim platform is really designed for very sophisticated traders. They have great options and futures capability but seem to exist out of the spot light.

Bill, there are several alternatives for discount brokers that enable you to buy stocks on foreign exchanges. Back in 2014 TradeMonster and OptionsHouse merged. Ally Invest was previously TradeKing, until the online bank purchased the broker in 2016. TRADE has acquired the combined entity. Formerly ShareBuilder, Capital One Investing offers a full range of trading services. Ally also offers a managed investment service. Are there any new companies you would like to add to the list? Do you want to set up an automatic investment plan?

Several brokers have acquired other online trading platforms. Good bond trading capabilities on a commission and not a principal basis. In addition to online DIY investing, they offer a managed portfolio. Europe and interesting for Toronto and Germany.