Online Trading .....where is the best place?

[vanderhoeven]

My husband and I would like to take a dive into the stock market. We have never done any stock stuff before and we are looking at using online trading.

Does anyone have any recommendations on someplace good to go? Maybe a horror story from somewhere not to go??

We don't have a ton of money to put upfront so we are also looking for somewhere with a lower amount to start with.

Maybe one of you know someplace having a special right now with a lower amount to start?

Just thought I would see about someone else's opinion before we just choose something out of the blue.

Thanks!!

[devlina2u]

I'm not sure how sueful this information will be but thought that I would mention this. DH started trading stocks recently with Ameritrade and they seem to be pretty good. The trades of the first month are commission free. Even the customer service is pretty good. So, I would suggest Ameritrade.

If you would like to research your stocks and ask experts you can go to [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] They are good and you can even ask them for advice. This is free. There is another site which is great - [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - but their service is not free. But they predict some real good stocks! Hope this helps.

[rhea0717]

i personally like [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] or [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] (at the second one, you can buy fractions of shares if you want the big stocks, but can't fork out the money right away)...

the stock market can get very interesting! good luck to you and your husband.

[driverx]

check out [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]

and

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]

some traders I trade with for a living use them and like them (freetrade is owned by Ameritrade, but only offers email support, which may not be enough for a beginner)

I would recommend that you visit [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] also

it is a very good service ( he has seminars too)

"expensive", but in the long run when you are making money instead of losing it, not expensive at all

they have a free 1 month trial

tell them that driverx sent you

good luck

(whatever you do, make sure to always use stop loss orders. too many people hold while their stocks plummet towards zero...)

[mrbowler]

Ameritrade has a low minimum.

If you go over to [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
You will find a thing were you get 2,500 united miles
plus 10 free trades for opening a Ameritrade Account
with $500

I think the trades are $9.99

[qwho99]

I've been where you are so I can relate.
I strongly recommend Motley Fool (as previously mentioned) and Buy and Hold (as also mentioned).
I got my first IRA from Buy & Hold on 4/15 (Roth for yr 2000). I have few, if any, complaints about their site. Their online support was pretty fast to answer my questions. I haven't called them for anything so far.
My only complaint was that I think they should offer their $9.99/ month unlimited trades for IRAs too. Otherwise, it's a good system. The trades are among the cheapest. You have to pick out your own stocks (I don't think that's a bad thing) which may be a bit overwhelming. There are SO many choices. It helps if you have some idea what you want to invest in before you start "shopping".
You asked about low minimums. If you sign up w/ the EZ Vest feature, the trades are a $20 minimum-- done monthly, quarterly, etc-- your choice. The prices for EZ Vest are $2.99 for the 1st trade, $1.99 for others.
I plan to set up my 2001 IRA there too, so I am pretty satisfied w/ them.
OH! I almost forgot! My one regret is that I forgot to go there thru MyPoints to get my 1,000 points! (I'm going thru MyPoints for my 2001 IRA for sure.) Got to get those points.
It asks you if you have a code or something, so there may be other deals out there. I didn't know of any. (They didn't mean the MyPoints stuff.)

Hope that helps!

Good Luck!


Q

PS I had thought about using ShareBuilder, but their trade prices recently jumped -- as in doubled, I think!