Posts Tagged ‘brokerage firm’

Don’t Overlook These Features of a Online Broker

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Most people know how to buy or sell a stock, but many are too lazy to bother looking into the different features that each brokerage firm offers. Here are a few ways that an online broker tries to help its customers.

It may be named retirement services or investing tools, but it’s nice to see a broker that gives you the tools to help you diversify, manage your risk and see your account in a whole different way.

No one will think of credit cards when they pick a stock broker but some will give you a 2% cash back credit card which is the best in the world. Imagine that everything you buy from now on will be 2% off. Sweet right?

Brokers will bill pay is ultra flexible, especially when combined with a margin account. No, you shouldn’t borrow money to pay your bills but the extra leeway is convenient when you need a few days to transfer your funds.

Security tokens offer one more layer of security to make sure that no one is trying to log into your account without your permission. These physical keys update its pin every few seconds and is very safe.

Most will give you an ATM card these days. On top of that, they will usually reimburse your withdrawal fees so you can take money from any ATM machine without getting charged.

Some online stock brokers come with physical branches, and may have employees there that can offer investment advices. They also provide face to face technical support should you have any questions with the account.

Reinvesting your dividends are a great way to build your investment portfolio but some unreasonable broker will charge you every time they purchase those stocks for you.

Several brokers are integrating a bank with their offering so customers can earn a high yield when their cash isn’t used to buy any investments. This is a great option for those that always have a high cash position.

Scottrade review is an awesome broker because of their great customer support. Don’t miss out by opening an account.

The Cheapest Stock Broker Trading Fees

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

The lower trading commissions have transformed how retail investors trade stocks. If you are looking solely on price, it’s quite easy. But if you are looking at the different options pass the price, then the decision isn’t so easy.

Unless you get free trades, there isn’t an option that’s cheaper than OptionsHouse. At $2.95, it’s the cheapest place to get your trades executed. However, the broker is relatively newer so you may want to do more due diligence.

If you don’t mind the bad publicity and the fact that they might change the rules again, Zecco isn’t a bad choice. Currently, they still offer free stock trades for those that have $25,000 in assets or trade 25 times a month.

OptionsXpress must be making a lot of money off customers because their trading commissions are highest of the bunch. It’s $14.95 for most people and $12.95 for high volume traders. Pretty expensive right?

Wells Trade offers 100 free trades a year for those that have a combined $25,000 assets with them. For those that already have a Wells Fargo account, this isn’t a bad option. However, just bare with the less than spectacular trading platform.

One of the best discount broker is TradeKing, because of its amazing customer support. Their $4.95 a trade made headlines back in the days and continue to be one of the best options out there.

I love Etrade because of their user interface. Even though the stock commission is $9.99 and $12.99 in some cases, it is still at the top of my list of recommended stock brokers.

If you love customer service, you need to check out Scottrade. They’ve always give out bonuses to their employees and they have the best customer support. Their stock commission is $7 per trade.

TradeMonster may be new to the game but it’s backed by celebrities like Guy Adami and the Najarian Brothers on Fast Money. It’s no wonder that they are quickly becoming a strong force in the industry.

The highest end stock broker in this list is Charles Schwab. While stock trades are $12.99, they do offer a 2% cash back credit card which makes up for some of the stock commissions.

I don’t really like TD Ameritrade but it works fine. Their stock commissions are $9.99 a trade and they have no hidden fees to boot. This option is fine, but it’s not one I recommend.

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