Comments on: List Of The Best Online Brokers By Smart Money 2009

By: Wes

Wes — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:11:14 +0000

To Susan: Please read any book by Peter Lynch, Charles Schwab or any other reputable investment guru. Gain your own knowledge and make your own decisions. It’s not that hard to pick great companies to invest in. Read a few books, gain some experience, and you will become your own expert. Watch Jim Cramer’s MAD MONEY on CNBC and read his books. Soon you will be able to glance at a company’s fundamentals and see if they are even worthy of further research. It’s really fun and easy. Never depend solely on advice and recommendations from ANYONE! Always check Earnings and Growth Rate Data, cash flow, debt, etc. Books by Suze Orman are also great reads. I’ve taken in a lot of info and developed my own investment style, rules, and strategy which keeps evolving as I gain more experience. In time you will get a feel for the market and soon people will be coming to YOU for advice. Please read a few books and save alot of money, time, and heart-ache. I think any of these top ten brokerage firms are good as long as they are keeping up with their research data base.

By: Susan Smith

Susan Smith — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:02:28 +0000

Please help. I am looking for an online brokerage agency. I do want to speak with someone for recommendations of equities (stocks) and other investment options. I currently have an account with Scottrade and they do not offer that. Fidelity only offers mutual fund recommendations. The online research would be ok, however, I would like to speak to someone knowledgeable. So, do I have to use an expensive brokerage firm???

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:10:52 +0000

I haven’t used all the brokers but I’ve been using scottrade and I’ve I’m happy with their service. The $7 dollar per trade fee is lower than most competitors. They also have more branches if you’re looking for a broker that you can meet face to face. One last thing I’ll say is that they offer 3 free trades when opening an account with a referral code. For 3 free trades when you open an account at Scottrade you can use the code

By: sk

sk — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:01:34 +0000

I am think about opening an account with an online broker? I am contemplating between Scottrade or Trade King? I am surprised Interactive Brokers did not make it on the list when Zecco and Sogo makes the list? I guess may be IB is geared towards pro-traders and financialists, whereas Zecco and Sogo is for the Average Joe.

Between Scottrade and TK, I am leaning towards TK.

By: Wes

Wes — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:54:37 +0000

Etrade is awesome. It may take a few days to open an account due to the verificaton process but what’s the hurry? If you are that impatient you shouldn’t be trading in the first place. Be glad they are diligent to detail and security. There are dishonest people out there and Etrade, as well as the other online brokers, are only trying to protect you and your sensitive information. I have accounts at Sharebuilder and Etrade. Etrade does have a superior format and research tools. I’ve only had to call them a few times to place OTC trades but they have always been very professional and responsive over the phone.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:30:47 +0000

SmartMoney is right about Just2Trade. Be VERY careful. I used them for about a month, and then closed my account. I do my own record keeping to shadow the transactions I make in my account. Kept finding small discrepancies (10 cents, 20 cents, 90 cents, etc…) with no explanation as to where the money went. Also ran into a few strange computer glitches where my shares were suddenly worth -$60.00 a piece, causing errors in my margin buying power… Like I said, be real careful. Their computer system is buggy.

By: Delaware

Delaware — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:12:09 +0000

This article of top online brokers appears to be limited to web-based platforms. An annual Barron’s review put’s thinkorswim, MB trading, tradestation in the top three with tradeking #7, and etrade at #10. I wonder if software based platforms are really any better than web-based ones.

By: ruan

ruan — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:26:00 +0000

has anyone got some tips on muriel siebert?.charless scwhabb seems to be okay too?.is anyone with them.

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:16:42 +0000

I opened-up an account with Trade King 1 month ago. I was disappointed that the process to fund my account was rather difficult. I had to either wire, send in personal check, send in cashiers check, etc. This process would take too long and cost money to wire my fund.

Last week, I opened an account with Etrade and found out that I had to wait for a day or two so they can verify all my information to open an account. I spoke to a rep from Etrade yesterday who told me it would probably just take a few hours.

This morning @ 10:00 am I called Etrade and was informed I would have to wait perhaps a day more or several more hours. I logged into my Etrade account @2:45 pm today and was prompted to contact a rep to activate my account.

I called and the rep told me I had to send in a picture ID like a drivers license. I informed her why it was so difficult to open an account with them. I told her, Ameritrade and Tradeking are much easier to open my account.

She asked that I wait so she can see if she can have my account approved. She came back and told me she would have to ask me to talk to another rep who would have to confirm my identity. I spoke to the rep who pulled my credit report and started asking me questions. He asked 5 questions. I answered all of them. He said my address was incorrect. I asked him to use my mailing address instead of my physical address. He did and he said it was confirmed.

I was transferred to the original rep (a gal) who said it was all confirmed. She asked I call them back tonight or tomorrow so they can activate my account. I told her, did you know this would be my 4th phone call to Etrade. As good as your products are- brokerage and banking; I value customer service and ease of use more.

I told my wife, it was too much of a hassle just to open an account. I will just go with Ameritrade since their service was exceptional and funding my account was done with my fingertip. I can add an external bank to my account and transfer funds between my bank account and Ameritrade. Free of charge!!!

I opened-up the Ameritrade account after I was held back by Etrade the same day I open the Etrade Account. They will take several days to just open my account. If they don’t want my business. I will give it to Ameritrade. Too bad, my initial investment was quite substantial. Good customer service and ease of use was the overwriting factor for my decision. Thank you Ameritrade!!!

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:03:09 +0000

Your wrong simply send an email to TK and ask about the extra charge for stocks under $1 and others. Choicetrade is $5 a trade period and has prompt after hours trading, Zecco is alright except to my knoweledge they don’t have extended after market trading. Choicetrade must be the best kept secret in the brokerage market.

By: Robert L Mears

Robert L Mears — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:03:40 +0000

You are WRONG about Trade King. You need to ck out the ENTIRE list of tools. They have more than anyone else. There is not .01 per share either. I have been trading for over a month with them. the execution is blazing fast. the resolutions are the next day. Margin on $3 stocks. and also trail stops. trades are $4.95 PERIOD. i have used many brokerages over 15 years . and they are tops.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:48:49 +0000

I’ve tried quite a few discount brokerages and continue to have Izone via (TD)Ameritrade. I have also kept Choicetrade which has been rock solid for me. I looked into TradeKing and fail to see the benefit of this brokerage, if I happened to buy a stock below $1 the cost is $4.95 plus $.01 for every share!

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:37:36 +0000

Obviously smart money does not take into consideration the fees that E-Trade hides from their customers. Like $40 a quarter for inactivity! I guess they have to get their money from somewhere to pay for their commercials and paying people like smart money to rank them #1. E-trades customer service is nowhere near getting five stars. They are rude, inconsiderate and uneducated. Stay away!

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:01:15 +0000

There are usually codes online to get you a couple of free trades with scottrade. If you choose to open an account with them, you can get three free online trades (worth $21). Enter the code XEPG6413 in the box after selecting “referred by friend/received a promo code” on the application page.

By: ROBERT L MEARS

ROBERT L MEARS — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:13:37 +0000

TRADE KING is the best overall broker. with 4.95 trades and a host of trading tools it beats out some of the best. rated high in every survey taken. check it out