Recommend some online stock brokers.

[screw3d]

I'm looking to invest in the stock market.. what's the best online broker around?

I'll only be putting in <$500 to start off and I can't imagine buying/selling very often yet.

<-- complete newbie here

 

[snoopdoug1]

I hope your investing strategy doesn't follow your username.

That said, I use ameritrade... but if I had to get an account now I'd get scott trade. With 500 bucks though, you really don't have enough to even get started unless you're going for the penny stocks.

 

[DaveSimmons]

With the cost to trade you might be better off putting the money into an INGDirect.com account until you have more.

Penny stocks are a good way to lose money, it's gambling and pump-and-dump scams not investing.

The best long term investment you can make without a lot of study, risk, and ongoing work is in stock index funds, either Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) or mutual funds from Vanguard or Fidelity.

 

[everman]

There's tons of threads in fatwallet.com finance forum. You just want the lowest transaction cost and no extra fees.

 

[screw3d]

I'm in this more for the learning experience than to expect any income from it.. but I will keep the advice about penny stocks in mind

 

[drnickriviera]

Originally posted by: screw3d
I'm in this more for the learning experience than to expect any income from it.. but I will keep the advice about penny stocks in mind

Why not paper trade for a while?

With that little money, you may want to look at sharebuilder

 

[FelixDeCat]

scottrade


But wait until you have at least $2000, then you can open a margin account. :evil:

 

[Syringer]

zecco.com, free trades!

 

[dr150]

Firstrade.com

Cheap trades. Reliable. A no brainer.

Since you have only $500 and prolly a non-IRA/401k investment, why not try something simple like hsbcdirect.com? You get 5%+ and don't have to worry about frazzling up and down stocks.....

 

[jfall]

sharebuilder.com
scottrade.com
etrade.com

I wish I lived in the US so I could get a good online broker. The brokers in Canada suck, I can't trade for any less than $25/trade unless I'm an active trader

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: screw3d
I'm looking to invest in the stock market.. what's the best online broker around?

I'll only be putting in <$500 to start off and I can't imagine buying/selling very often yet.

<-- complete newbie here

Zecco, Sogoinvest...

Alternatively, there's Vanguard's Star fund...

 

[Alienwho]

Bump

Ok I am also a newbie at this. I've got about $1000 to put into a couple of stocks that I've picked out. I plan on buying, leaving it alone for anywhere for a few months to a year, and then getting out. Which broker should I go for? I was leaning towards scottrade, but the firsttrade and zecco also look ok. I don't want any hidden fees, and am planning on basically leaving it alone once i buy for a while. This is going to be a learning experience for me. Please give me any advice you've got.

 

[Blain]

What Brokerage provides...

1. Golden reputation for quality service
2. Lowish commisions ($25 or less per trade)
3. No account maintenance fees
4. Low or No inactivity or IRA fees
5. Good screening and research tools
6. Crystal clear statements

 

[IntrinsicValue]

There are some good suggestions for online brokers here, but keep in mind that many of them require a minimum balance.

Do what DaveSimmons suggested (savings account) until you save a little more money.

 

[NanoStuff]

If you're in Canada, BMO InvestorLine is reportedly very good. What's more, it's nicely intertwined with your bank account. You can manage stocks, bonds, registered retirement funds, etc.