Top Online Brokers in 2017
Every trader knows the importance of the right broker for their investments. Brokers are the means through which you buy and sell stocks. Traders working for financial institutions usually communicate with their broker via phone. With the rise of the internet, however, numerous platforms have come up that offer stock trading services online. You can download their trading software, make a deposit and begin trading stocks real-time over the internet. However, numerous problems could plague you if you do not choose one of the best online brokers. There have been cases where one makes an online stop loss, but it is not processed by their online broker. That could be the difference between making a minimal loss and finding your account empty in a few hours. Here, we feature the best stock trading services and online brokers to guide you through your investment needs.
The Best Online Brokers Overall
These are the best online brokers across the board. Whether you are relatively new to the stock market or are an expert trader, these brokers’ stock trading services will benefit you significantly. Are you out of money for a while and thus can’t trade stocks? The best brokers overall have no inactivity fees. They also have no minimum amount for trading on your account. Using the resources on their platform, you can access in-depth research about different trading methods and trends. Additionally, they provide access to a broad range of investments.
Our picks for the best brokers across the board were:
• OptionsHouse – This online broker enables you to get amongst the lowest commissions charged to your account for trading. In case you want to keep your trading costs relatively low, then this is the platform for you. Amongst their both basic and advanced trading platforms, they charge no fees for inactivity or maintenance. The $4.95 commission they charge coupled with their fast and accurate services makes them a top-tier online broker. All active tradTers would greatly benefit from OptionsHouse’s services.
• TD Ameritrade – This broker charges higher commissions than OptionsHouse. However, their excellent services, customer support, and vast resources have them as our second pick in this category. TD Ameritrade’s platforms, Thinkorswim and Trade Architect are top rated by some of the best online traders in the market today. In line with its stock trading services, TD Ameritrade also offers no transaction fee mutual funds. You can also access ETFs that the broker charges no commission on.
For Beginners
The best brokers in this category will help you through your first trades. Through them, you can work your way through the market and become an expert trader. These online brokers offer customer support around the clock.
If you’re a beginner in trading, then TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab are the best online brokers for you. The fact that they offer full-time customer service for any of their clients living near one of their physical branches attracts most beginners to them. The brokers do not charge you maintenance of inactivity fees as part of their package.
Are you looking to diversify your portfolio with commission-free ETFs or mutual funds? The selection from both these brokers is sure to make you happy. TD Ameritrade charges a $6.95 commission while Charles Schwab charges slightly lower at $4.95
Whether you are an online stock veteran or newbie, we are sure our picks for the best brokers will give you the services you desire. Try them out today!