Online Stock Broker Comparison Guide

By: InvestorGuide Staff, dated November 16th, 2009

Thinking about investing and need some help getting started? Or perhaps you are looking for a new brokerage firm that’s more suitable to your investment style? We hope this guide will help you compare online brokers and find the broker that’s right for you. Click on “Visit Broker” link to get more information about each broker, including commission schedules, in-depth feature lists, and contact information.

You can help us improve this guide by suggesting a broker or sending us a feedback at igfeedback@investorguide.com.

Note: Information was last updated 10/26/2009 current details and offers may be different. Please check broker’s web site for most current information.

Broker	Commissions ^{(a, b, c)} (Minimum Commissions)	Minimum Balance	Trade Types	Special Offers^(d)
OptionsHouse	Stocks: $2.95 Mutual Funds: $9.95 Options: 5 for $5.00, or $8.50 plus $0.15 per contract	Cash: $1,000 Margin: $2,000 IRA: N/A	U.S. Stocks Mutual Funds Options	Get 100 commission free trades when open a new account with $3,000 or more (promo code: FREE100) OptionsHouse will cover up to $100 in ACAT fee (transfer fee). Visit Broker
Sogotrade	Stocks: $3.00 Mutual Funds: N/A Options: $3.00 plus $0.70 per contract	Cash: $500 Margin: N/A IRA: N/A	U.S. Stocks Options	Open account today and get 100 free trades and up to $100 for transferring cost. Visit Broker
Zecco Trading	Stocks: $4.50 Mutual Funds: $10.00 Options: $4.50 plus $0.50 per contract	Cash: $0 Margin: $2,000 IRA: $0	U.S. Stocks Mutual Funds Options Forex	10 free stock trades every month with 25 trades/month or $25,000 balance. Zecco does not offer no-transaction fee mutual funds, all mutual fund trades are $10. Visit Broker
TradeKing	Stocks: $4.95 Mutual Funds: $14.95 Options: $4.95 plus $0.65 per contract	Cash: $0 Margin: $0 IRA: $500	U.S. Stocks Mutual Funds Options Bonds	TradeKing will cover up to $150 in ACAT fee (transfer fee). No additional cost for broker assisted stock trades. Visit Broker
Firstrade	Stocks: $6.95 Mutual Funds: $9.95 Options: $6.95 plus $0.75 per contract	Cash: $0 Margin: $0 IRA: $0	U.S. Stocks Mutual Funds Options Bonds	Firstrade will reimburse your ACAT fee (transfer fee) when you bring over the entire balance from your current brokerage account. Visit Broker
Scottrade	Stocks: $7.00 Mutual Funds: $17.00 Options: $7.00 plus $1.25 per contract	Cash: $500 Margin: $2,000 IRA: $0	U.S. Stocks International Stocks Mutual Funds Options Bonds	Switch to Scottrade and get up to $100 back! Just $500 account minimum. Visit Broker
Trade Monster	Stocks: $7.50 Mutual Funds: $15.00 Options: $0.50 per contract ($12.50 minimum)	Cash: $2,000 Margin: N/A IRA: N/A	U.S. Stocks Mutual Funds Options Bonds	Visit Broker
ShareBuilder	Stocks: $9.95 Mutual Funds: $19.95 Options: $9.95 plus $1.50 per contract	Cash: $0 Margin: $2,000 IRA: $0	U.S. Stocks Mutual Funds Options	Receive $100 bonus when you make a full brokerage account transfer of $500 or more into a new ShareBuilder account. Invest automatically in 6 stocks every month for only $12 (fee is waived for your first month). Visit Broker
Thinkorswim	Stocks: $9.95 Mutual Funds: $15.00 Options: $9.95 plus $1.50 per contract	Cash: $3,500 Margin: $3,500 IRA: $3,500	U.S. Stocks Mutual Funds Options Bonds Forex Futures	First three mutual fund trades in calendar month are FREE. After that it’s $15 per mutual fund trade. Visit Broker
TD Ameritrade	Stocks: $9.99 Mutual Funds: $49.99 (sell only) Options: $9.99 plus $0.75 per contract	Cash: $0 Margin: $0 IRA: $0	U.S. Stocks Mutual Funds Options Bonds	Open your account before December 31, 2009 to get 30 days of commission-free trades. When you fund any non-IRA account with $25,000, you’ll also get $100 cash. Visit Broker
Charles Schwab	Stocks: $12.95 Mutual Funds: $49.95 Options: $8.95 plus $0.75 per contract	Cash: $1,000 Margin: $1,000 IRA: $1,000	U.S. Stocks International Stocks Mutual Funds Options Bonds	Visit Broker
E-Trade	Stocks: $6.99 to $12.99 ^(e) Mutual Funds: $19.99 Options: $6.99 to $12.99 plus $0.75 per contract ^(e)	Cash: $1,000 Margin: $2,000 IRA: $0	U.S. Stocks International Stocks Mutual Funds Options Bonds Forex Futures	Get 100 commission-free stock and options trades when you open a new account. Visit Broker
optionsXpress	Stocks: $14.95 Mutual Funds: $14.95 or more Options: $1.50 per contract ($15.00 minimum)	Cash: $500 Margin: $2,000 IRA: N/A	U.S. Stocks Mutual Funds Options Bonds Futures	Open an account and get $100. OptionsXpress will reimburse your ACAT fee (transfer fee) when you bring over the entire balance from your current brokerage account. No additional cost for broker assisted stock trades. Visit Broker
Fidelity	Stocks: $19.95 Mutual Funds: $75.00 Options: $19.95 plus $0.75 per contract	Cash: $2,500 Margin: $5,000 IRA: $2,500	U.S. Stocks Mutual Funds Options Bonds	Fidelity’s advanced trading platform and tools can help you become a better trader. Visit Broker

IMPORTANT: While we attempt to provide the most accurate information possible, broker may make changes without notifying InvestorGuide.com. As such, the information and links on this page are provided for your convenience only and InvestorGuide.com doesn’t guarantee its validity or accuracy. Please consult with the individual broker before you decide.

All stock trade fees are for unassisted online market order trades.
All mutual fund trade fees are for No-Load Funds not in No-Transaction Fee (NTF) program.
All option trade fees are for unassisted online trades.
You must meet broker’s requirements to be eligible for special offers. Please check broker website for more detail.
The commission rate depends on the number of trades you make per quarter.

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