I signed up for sharebuilder a long time ago and it pretty much sucks. I've only been using it because of inertia while waiting for Robinhood to finally launch. My personal needs aren't huge, but I'm just sick of dealing with Sharebuilder.
What do you use and what do you like most about it?
by andymoe on 9/9/14, 4:29 AM
Meh. What sucks about it? I just use Schwab and their web interface and sometimes their mobile app. It's fine. If you are an active trader (but why?) you can get desktop software from them. If you have issues you can always get someone on the phone and you can file paperwork via their sites messaging system. I like them better than e-trade and have been a customer for a long time.
by Muted on 9/9/14, 10:15 PM
Well it depends very much on what kind of trader/investor you are. If you are an active trader you want something with a very low cost per trade while a monthly fee is not such a big deal. Interactive Brokers (IB) immediately comes to mind then. If you are located in Europe no taxes on dividends are withheld by IB and should be declared by yourself. That is if you want to declare them. Not sure if this is the same in US.
If you are an infrequent trader the cost per transaction is less important, you just don't want any monthly fees. I personally use thinkorswim (which is part of TD Ameritrade). But I'm sure scottrade, fidelity, etrade would be fine too.
Finally there is always the question if you want to pick stocks yourself. As Warren Buffett has often said, if you don't want to dedicate the time and effort you should buy an s&p 500 index fund. He recommends vanguards VFIAX or you could buy the ETF VOO. For most people this will do a lot better over time than picking stocks yourself!
by pptr1 on 9/9/14, 11:08 AM
I would use Merrill Edge with a Bank of America Account.
It's super easy and fast to transfer money between BOA account and the Merrill Edge. This is the killer feature. There are limits but its faster than other brokerage accounts to get money in and out of your brokerage accounts.
Depending on how much money you have in your combined BOA account + Merril Edge accounts. They will give X number of free trades a month. The highest is 100 free trades a month.
If you have over 100k combined (brokerage + checking + savings), they upgrade you to preferred rewards platinum. Biggest benefit you can use any non-BOA atm in the US with no fees.
by cyberjunkie on 9/9/14, 5:34 AM
Slightly off-topic.
I quite like Google Finance for monitoring stocks and the portfolios, but god, what an awful, completely ignored mobile app! It won't even sync data. The desktop version is so simplistic and nicer in comparison.
Anyone know of third-party apps that read Google Finance data?
by kolev on 9/9/14, 5:45 AM
Robinhood, of course! Just kidding. What's going on with that? It's been months and I haven't heard of them. It really doesn't make sense to make all that noise and then go offline for months so that people totally forget about you.
by t0 on 9/9/14, 4:42 AM
Interactivebrokers is the cheapest at about $1/trade. Thinkorswim has the best software.
by mcv on 9/9/14, 4:21 PM
I'm using Binck.nl. They've got several different tools with tons of data. Can't tell you much more, because I'm still figuring it out. Not sure how to buy index stocks (is that even possible?).
by chambo622 on 9/9/14, 6:25 AM
Vanguard. Website works well enough. Rarely find a need to use the Android app - I use Mint primarily to keep an eye on my accounts, and Google Now for timely updates of certain stocks/funds.
by Maven911 on 9/9/14, 6:19 AM
This is for Canadiens:
I personally use Questrade, though virtual brokers is much better in terms of low transaction costs.
by curiousDog on 9/9/14, 6:02 AM
Might be too mainstream but I use Scottrade to manage a fairly large portfolio and love it so far.
by dave1619 on 9/9/14, 4:58 AM
OptionsHouse has a decent platform and decent fees if you're not trading that much.