Best Broker Sites to Start Investing in Stocks Online

Someone asked the question, what is the best site to get started in investing in stocks. Well this is the forum to discuss just that question. There are plenty of online discount brokers. Who is the best and why? And this thread isn't just for the beginning investor, all investors can benefit.


This is just one sites opinion, but here is a pretty good article to get the discussion started:



5 Top Online Stock Brokers

Investors should know the best online stock brokers to trade with. The following top online brokers offer traders the most value for their investment portfolios.

Some online brokers are known for their award winning customer service while others are known for inexpensive or even free stock trades.

This review will highlight the best stock brokers available based on trading fees, the cheaper the better.

1. Zecco

Zecco with its free stock trades is one of the best stock brokers for any investor regardless of how often they trade. The main advantages of choosing Zecco are:
• The first 10 trades each month are free
• No Account Minimums
• Access to the ZeccoShare Community of over 150,000 investors
Zecco has the best offering as far as trade commissions are concerned. This discount broker has done a very good job building its online stock community from scratch and even let’s members share trade ideas right on the site. When comparing online brokers in the end $0 stock trades are hard to beat. –> Open an Account.

2. TradeKing

TradeKing has emerged to become one of the top brokers for online stock trading because of its $4.95 flat fee trades, its award winning customer service, and investor experience overall. Like Zecco, TradeKing also has a very popular and growing community of investors. Broker highlights include:
• $4.95 trades with no hidden fees ($.01 per share extra for stocks under $2)
• Ranked #1 Discount Broker by SmartMoney two years in a row
• Account protection up to $25 million
The awards TradeKing has won in recent years has helped to fuel its success as a discount broker, and with its strong advertising budget TradeKing only continues to grow each day. –> Open an Account.

3. Scottrade

Scottrade is well known for their customer service, which is represented by the many awards the discount broker has won. They boast 290 local branch offices in the United States, and also have flat-rate commissions of $7 per trade. The main points:
• Flat-rate $7 Trades
• Only $500 to Open an Account
• Great Investment Research Tools
The Scottrade Elite service is a well built and valuable asset for any experience trader. Scottrade is not publicly traded though and is a privately held corporation. Their customer service is outstanding, they have a Chinese division, and they are a top player in the online broker market with their few million plus clients.

4. TD Ameritrade

TD Ameritrade offers a great combination of both competitive trade prices, customer service, and research tools. What investors need to know to compare TD Ameritrade in a nut shell is:
• Flat-rate $9.99 commissions
• 13,000+ mutual funds
• Award Winning Investment Research
TD Ameritrade was voted #1 by Barron’s for the 2007 review of online brokers, have over 6 million clients, and are publicly traded under the stock symbol AMTD.

5. Etrade

Etrade is another online broker ranked in the elite. Investors can trade for as low as $6.99 depending on the account and number of total trades made (Similar to Fidelity). The reason Etrade is not rated higher is because to obtain cheaper trades you have to trade more often. Etrade highlights include:
• 24/7 Help with everything from phone to professional investment guidance
• 7,000 mutual funds with low commissions
• 3.3% Return High Yield Savings Accounts
• International (See also our Interactive Brokers Review for international trading)
With the recent push by top online brokers for account security, Etrade has lead the way. When it comes to protecting your assets while they sit in your trading account encryption security keys and other great tools are offered. Overall Etrade is another strong discount broker with a lot to offer, and they have definitely earned every bit of positive feedback they have received over the years since going public in 1996 under symbol ETFC.
–> Open An Account.

7. ShareBuilder

ShareBuilder leads the industry when it comes to automatic investing plans. Most people know ShareBuilder by their $4 commissions on stock trading, but don’t be caught up in the hype, there is a catch. To take advantage of the $4 or cheaper trades members need to be on one of their automatic investing plans which cost a monthly fee. ShareBuilder highlights include:
• Retirement Accounts
• High yield savings accounts
• Research Tools to explore stocks and ETFs
In 2008 ShareBuilder was bought out by ING and is now part of the ING Direct family. Alongside stock trades now offered are also bank accounts, cds, and other investments.

Other Notes
Free trading can also be attained through Bank of America and Wells Fargo but a minimum of $25k is needed alongside other requirements. For the simplicity of this review both brokers were not included. Furthermore, brokers that do not have flat rates and charge per share (Interactive Brokers for example) were also not included.


Source: www.stocktradingtogo.com