eOption provides an environment for investors interested in a reliable trading platform, fast execution and friendly service, without the high commission cost your trade needs to cover.

eOption is one of the newest discount brokers to hit the online scene but they have over 30 years of experience in trading options. Since 2007 they have offered one of the lowest commissions in the industry to win market share.

eOption average user rating: Above average
eOption Brokerage Reviews organization rating: Above average

Product and Services:

• Cash Management Services
• Direct Access Trading
• Sterling Trader Pro
• Sterling Trader Pro is a multi-purpose front-end trading platform equipped with features specifically designed with the input of experienced professional traders.
• RealTick
• RealTick is a customizable trading platform for direct access trading, decision support tools, and market analysis.
• Bon Trade Solutions
• Bon Trade Solutions (BTS) offers a turnkey ASP trading and middle office solution that will enhance any trading style.
• Omni Pro
• OmniPro is an advanced direct access trading platform designed for professional traders to handle high-capacity demands, proprietary trading firms, and black-box trading systems.
• eOption customers must maintain a minimum of $25,000 in equity in order to use RealTick, OmniPro, Bon Trade Solutions, or Sterling Trader Pro.
• Retirement Savings
• Open an eOption No Annual Fee IRA
• Fixed income securities
• Fixed income securities are attractive to investors who rely on their investments to provide a stable income stream, reliable returns and also reduce risk exposure.
• US Treasury Issues
• Municipal Bonds
• Zero Coupon Bonds
• Preferred Stock
• Structured Investment Products
• Certificates of Deposit (CD’s)
• Unit Investment Trusts (UIT’s)
• Convertibles
• Corporate Bonds
• US Agency Issues
• Margin Accounts

Education and Tools

• News and research provided by Quotemedia
• Daily stock option trading blog by 1 Option
• Zacks.com Stock and Mutual Fund Screener
• Option education and tools provided by the OIC
• Special savings offer from GainsKeeper for eOption customers
• Daily Option Trading Commentary
• eOption Daily Market Report
• eOption’s Daily Market Report is a timely and informative service detailing equities that have recently met classic chart pattern conditions.
• eOption’s Daily Market Report is provided by Recognia®, the industry leader providing actionable investment research products for self-directed investors and traders.
• This Stock Screener is brought to you by Zacks Investment Research

• Option Education
• Pricing Calculators Live Seminars -
• Position Simulator Strategy Screener
• Options Quiz
• Options Glossary
• Options DVD (free)
• Options Book

• GainsKeeper

• GainsKeeper provides a web-based tax lot accounting software package to help active traders manage their trading activities in a tax-efficient manner:

• Electronic importing and processing of your stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds and options on stocks and ETFs transactions, including short sale trades.
• Application of complicated tax rules for Wash Sale adjustments, Corporate Action processing and Option Assignments and Exercises for accurate cost basis calculation.
• Generation of a Realized Sell Activity report which populates your Schedule D on IRS prescribed forms, or can be exported to tax preparation software,
• Reporting on your Unrealized Positions based on current market pricing.
• IRS Form 6781 reporting for 1256 contracts (non-futures) and IRS Form 4797 reporting for traders qualifying for Marked to Market treatment.

• Tools to help you manage your tax position including warnings for potential Wash Sale adjustments, a “What-If” Simulation capability to test the impact of Buy and Sell transactions, and suggestions for portfolio symbols to Sell based on GainsKeeper’s proprietary “Sell Grades” to maximize after tax returns.

Investment products Offered:

• Stocks,
• Options,
• Mutual funds,
• Bonds,
• Foreign stocks,
• ETFs

Fees and Commissions

• Stocks and ETFs: $3
• Options: $3 ticket charge plus $0.10 per contract
• Option Exercise and Assignment: $9
• Foreign Stocks: $39 (must be placed with a broker)
• Extended Hours Trading: $25 for up to 5,000 shares, $0.003 per share for over 5,000 shares
• Mutual funds: $14.95
• Listed Bonds: first 25 bonds – $5 per bond, each additional bond – $3 per bond, minimum – $39
• Minimum to open eOption account: $500

Opening an account

The following accounts are available to open online:

• Individual
• Joint
• Traditional IRA
• Rollover IRA
• Roth IRA
• SEP IRA

In order to complete the application, keep the below information ready:

• Driver’s license
• Social Security Number or Tax ID
• Federal tax rate
• Information about your annual income, debt, expenses, and net worth
• Email address

Advantages of being with eOption

• Very low commissions – One of the lowest cost brokers online.
• Great margin rates
• Dividend reinvestment plan
• No IRA fees
• Offer a wide range of investment options including stock, bonds, options, and more.
• Supports international accounts (Accounts can be created for people outside the USA)
• One click execution of multiple leg orders.

eOption Challenges

• Very expensive extended hours trading commissions
• Slow and painful account opening process
• Limited trading tools and charts
• No way to modify orders
• Technical issues
• Customer service complaints
• Limited research
• Minimum of $500 to start an account required.
• Streaming quotes and live charts are an additional $15/month if you trade infrequently

Ratings:

• Overall: Below Average
• Commissions & Fees: Average
• Customer Service: Above Average
• Tools & Research: Average
• Ease of Use: Below Average
• Investment Offering: Below Average
• Education: Below Average
• Mobile Trading: Below Average
• Tools: Average
• Execution: Average
• Value: Below Average

Trade Commissions

• Equity Trades: $6.99
• Options Fee: $5.00
• Options Contract: $0.95
• Mutual Fund: $0.00
• Broker Assisted: $6.99
• Minimum Deposit: $0.00
• Stocks and ETFs: $6.99 with CobraOnline platform

Advantages

• Highly accessible customer service
• No extra charge for assisted trades
• After hours trading available
• Flexible commission for high volume traders
• Flat rate commissions have no surcharges and no hidden fees
• Very good customer service
• Fast executions
• Free check requests
• Free broker assisted trading
• Cobra’s selection of trading platforms Cobra IQ, OmniPro, Sterling Trader
• No additional charge for broker assisted trades.
• Six trade platforms supported.
• Trade futures and FOREX
• Customizable Account Features
• No Maintenance Fees

Challenges:

• Few trading products
• Limited tools and features
• No mobile capability
• Higher fees than some
• Very limited free web trading platform
• Few educational resources
• Mutual funds and bonds are not offered
• Annual IRA Fee: $30
• Annual Outside Investment IRA Fee: $200
• High monthly direct access trading platform fees (CobraIQ $125, OmniPr$100,
• Sterling and RealTick $250)

Customer Service

• Phone Support
• Email Support
• Live Chat Support

Customer Service is one of the most strong points of Cobra Trading. Even though customer service is not present through retail outlets its very essential when it comes to knowing all types of platform that cobra trading offers and wants to explore. Cobra Trading make customer service their number one priority. Each and every call is answered by their knowledgeable, helpful representatives who strive to personally answer each one of your questions.

Trade Types Available

• Stock Trading
• Options Trading
• FOREX Trading
• Futures Trading

Features

• Advanced Orders
• Custom Routing
• Foreign ADRs
• Forex
• Futures / Commodities
• Futures Options
• Mutual Funds
• Smart Order Routing
• Staged Orders
• Stock Futures

Trading Platforms:

• .005/share when you trade 250,000 shares per month
• .004/share when you trade 250,000+ shares per month
• All trades have a $1 minimum commission
• Options: $5 plus $1 per contract
• Futures: $1/contract per side for 30 days and only $2.50/contract per side after that

Platform fee:

• CobraOnline: Free
• CobraIQ: $125 (Full rebate if you trade 75,000 shares in a month)
• OmniPro:  $100 (Full rebate if you trade 50,000 shares in a month)
• RealTick: $250 (Full rebate if you trade 200,000 shares in a month)
• Sterling: $250 (Full rebate if you trade 200,000 shares in a month)

Additional Fee for research:

• Dow Jones News: $100.00 per month
• CME Mini Quotes: $25.00 per month
• CME Full Futures Quotes: $60.00 per month
• CBT Quotes: $60.00 per month
• NYMEX Quotes: $60.00 per month

Advantages of Platforms in details

RealTick
RealTick delivers real time market data, news and analytic, sophisticated trading tools, unrivaled access to exchanges and ECNs, and risk management tools to institutions, brokerdealers and individual investors.

Fully Customizable

• Real-time Data
• Total-view Windows
• Charts
• Multiquote Screens
• Tickers
• News Windows
• Integrated Web Browsers
• Financial Research
• Alarms + Alerts
• Flexible User Interface
• Addons

OmniPro
Provides financial technology solutions institutional, retail, and automated traders

• Realtime Charting & over 30 Analytics
• Realtime Portfolio Balancing
• Customizable Interface
• Realtime Profit and Loss
• Multiple API’s including Excel, HTTP, and FIX
• Live News from over 30 News Sources
• Realtime Alerts
• Complete Risk Management Tools

CobraOnline
Intuitive webbased trading platform for stocks and options.

• No software fee
• Dynamic, Real Time customizable charts and Technical indicators
• Live streaming Level I quotes
• Real time portfolio management
• Real time profit and loss
• Access to your account from any computer
• No software to download
• Charting

CobraIQ (InstaQuote)
Comprehensive trading system that integrates realtime trading with powerful analytics, advanced charting and unmatched electronic routing.

• Equities and options execution
• Alert windows
• Basket trading
• Market, limit, stop and trailing stop orders
• Dynamically updating P&L and buying power
• Configurable hot keys
• Level II and ECN books

Sterling Trader(R) Pro
Multipurpose front-end trading platform that is equipped with a list of distinctive features

• State of the art fully featured direct access trading platform
• Advanced charting package included in the Sterling Trader Pro software
• Advanced highly customizable level II order entry system
• Window linking and customization for faster market access
• Real time profit and loss information from the Sterling Trader Pro platform
• Advanced Pinpoint accuracy for order routing and management

Cyborg Trader
Automate entries and exits, including profit orders, stops, trailing logic, basket trading, spread trading, and automated signal trading with TradeIdeas

• Highly customized strategy templates
• Fully automated trading system.
• Prebuilt algorithms that can be used in any trading strategy

It’s simple to open an Account

• Complete Application
• Sign and Submit Your Paperwork sign electronically or print, sign
• Fund Your Account Funding can be done through a wire, ACH, or check.
• Start Trading Once the funds reach your account, you will receive an email providing you with log in instructions for your new trading platform

Accounts available

• Individual
• Joint
• Retirement Account
• Additional Accounts

Bottomline – Cobra Trading is recommended for investors who are looking for Options Trading. CobraPro, CobraOnline, Cobra FX Trader and a handful of futures trading platforms – provides different trading experiences for different styles of trader.

Set up in 1975. First Omaha Securities, Inc. opens as a discount brokerage firm (later named First National Brokerage Services, Inc. and then Accutrade, Inc. Currently, Accutrade is a division of TD Ameritrade, Inc.).

Brokerage Ratings:

• Overall: Exceptional
• Commissions & Fees: Below Average
• Customer Service: Exceptional
• Tools & Research: Exceptional
• Ease of Use: Exceptional
• Investment Offering: Exceptional
• Education and Research: Above Average
• Mobile Trading: Exceptional

Trade Commissions:

• Equity Trades $9.99
• Options Fee $9.99
• Options Contract $0.75
• Mutual Fund $49.99
• Broker Assisted $44.99
• Minimum Deposit $2,500.00

Highlights on Ameritrade

• Trade free for 30 days and receive up to $500 cash with any new account.
• Gain access to over 100 commission free ETFs.
• Investment research from S&P, Morningstar Associates, and Minyanville.
• TD AMERITRADE’s online tools can help you evaluate mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and many other kinds of investment possibilities.
• TD AMERITRADE clients can find Standard & Poor’s screens
• Best 10
• Power- Picks and
• three-, four- and five-star ratings to narrow the field of covered-call  possibilities.

Account Features

• Virtual Trading
• No Maintenance Fees
• No-Fee IRAs
• Online Trader Community
• Investment Education

Mobile Trading

• iPhone App
• iPad App
• BlackBerry App
• Android App
• Mobile Site

Customer Service

• Phone Support
• Email Support
• Live Chat Support
• Retail Locations
• 24/7 Customer Support

Trade Options available

• Stock Trading
• Options Trading
• Mutual Funds
• FOREX Trading
• Futures Trading

Specially recommended for investors:

• Long Term Trading
• Options Trading
• Active Trading
• International Trading

Online Account Application

All that you need for setting up an account:

• About 12-15 minutes to complete the application
• Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
• Employer’s name and address
• Banking information (electronic funding)
• Beneficiary Social Security Number (for IRAs only)
• Beneficiary address (for IRAs only)

Accounts offered at Ameritrade

• Individual & Joint Accounts
• Trade stocks, options and 100+ commission-free ETFs
• Get access to more than 13,000 mutual funds from leading fund families
• Trade futures and forex on the thinkorswim from TD Ameritrade platform
• Access a broad range of fixed-income investments including bonds & CDs

• Retirement Accounts
• Find the Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, or Rollover IRA that will help you pursue your goals.
• Get free help from a TD Ameritrade Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM.
• Explore the Retirement Center for investment strategies you can use at every stage of life.

Education & Specialty Accounts

• Make an informed decision about 529 College Savings Plans, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts and custodial accounts.
• Access investment accounts for business Partnerships, Limited Partnerships, LLCs and Corporations.
• Transfer assets to one or more recipients through TD Ameritrade’s legally established taxable living, revocable, irrevocable and testamentary trusts.

Investment Products offered

Stock Trading

• Invest on any stock at the comfort of your home.
• Experience the speed and exceptional performance of the trading platform

Options Trading

• Pursue your options trading strategies with low commissions and contract fees, fast order entry, even on multilegged orders, and a variety of ways to track your holdings.

Futures Trading

• Access investments including
• Oil and energy,
• Gold and
• Other metals,
• Interest rates,
• Indexes,
• Grains,
• Livestock,
• Currencies, and more.
• Be aware to market conditions and economic events nearly 24 hours a day, 6 days a week with live quotes

Forex Trading

• Learn how to add currency trading to your investment strategy.
• Trade more than 100 currency pairs on the thinkorswim platform or your mobile device.

Mutual Fund Trading

• Access to more than 13,000 mutual funds from leading fund families

ETF Trading

• Diversify your portfolio with 100+ commission-free ETFs selected by Morningstar Associates and offered by TD Ameritrade, as well as valuable resources to help you find ETFs that align with your investment strategy.

Fixed-Income Investments Including Bonds & CDs

• Reduce risk in your investment plan with a broad range of fixed-income vehicles designed to provide steady income over time.
• You’ll also have access to an investment professional who can help you find a fixed-income solution tailored to your goals.

Amazing Tools with Ameritrade

SnapTicket

• Save time and place orders more conveniently with this detachable order-entry tool. You can more easily seize market opportunities by being able to place orders anywhere on the Web.
• Buy stock online quickly, as well as options and ETFs, and get real-time streaming stock quotes using SnapTicket
• Trade with flexibility
• Trade quickly
  Access key information (stock quote and last price, plus the micro chart)
• Best of all – SnapTicket is free

Order Types

You can choose from a multitude of order types that can help you automate your entry and exit strategies

Help protect gains while limiting losses and respond quickly to changing market conditions.

• Automate orders
• Automatically enter orders for you, in your account, based on market conditions you specify.
• Choose from stop markets, stop limits, trailing stops and conditional orders.
• Help protect gains while limiting losses
• Automate your entry and exit strategies
• Use market conditions to your advantage

Trade Triggers

• Set trade alerts and orders with Trade Triggers
• Automated trading and alerts
• Maximum flexibility
• Trade Triggers is freeTrade. You can trade even when you’re away from your computer with prep-rogrammed trades. Just define a market condition in advance, and when that condition happens, your trade is automatically entered into your account.

Order Execution

Your orders are routed through proprietary routing technology which dynamically sends orders to different market centers that seek to fill your order quickly and at the best available price.

• Working to get you the quoted price or better
• Taking action for you
• Routing your orders aggressively

Research and Ideas Tools available for all:

• Markets
• Stocks
• Options
• Mutual Funds
• ETFs
• Bonds & CDs
• IPOs
• Alerts
• Charts
• Screeners -
• Stock Screener
• Options Screener
• Mutual Fund Screener
• ETF
• Also get access to Pre-Defined Screens
• Ideas – Get access to third party ideas on investing

A plethora of Online Trading Tools

• Alerts
• Analytical Option Chains
• Customizable charts
• Conditional Orders
• Fundamentals – Balance sheets, income statements and cash flow information
• Market Edge – Weekly web cast to give you market insights
• Market Motion Detector
• Mobile Trading
• Options Exposure
• QuoteScope – Get real-time liquidity information
• S&P Reports
• Screeners
• SnapTicket
• thinkorswim platform – Free professional-level trading tools
• Trade Architect – Customize your screen with real-time quotes, heat map,
• Live-streaming CNBC, etc
• Trade Triggers
• Trailing Stops

Bottomline

TD Ameritrade is more expensive than its other discount brokers but provides with a exceptional overall platform offering, excellent and knowledgeble customer service, and as you would have notices is an industry leader in product innovation.

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. operates as an automated global electronic market maker and broker.Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut.The company provides bid and offer quotations on approximately 620,000 securities and futures products listed on electronic exchanges. Interactive Brokers is a direct access brokerage. It offers access to exchanges in the US, Europe, and Asia and allows trading of their markets via a single interface known as their Universal Account.

Brokers Ratings

• Overall Above: Average
• Commissions & Fees: Above Average
• Customer Service: Above Average
• Tools & Research: Above Average
• Ease of Use: Below Average
• Investment Offering: Average
• Education: Average
• Mobile Trading: Exceptional

Trade Commissions Preview

• Equity Trades $5.00
• Options Fee $0.00
• Options Contract $0.70
• Mutual Fund $14.95
• Broker Assisted $100.00
• Minimum Deposit $10,000.00

Highlights

• Investors can trade on over 80 different exchanges and market centers in 19 countries.
• Equity trades are $.005 per share with a minimum of $1.00 and a maximum of .5% of trade value.
• Active day traders can take advantage of IB Smart Routing technology for trade executions.

Account Features you enjoy with IB

• Virtual Trading
• Investment Education
• Mobile Trading
• iPhone App
• BlackBerry App
• Android App
• Mobile Site

Customer Service Available through multiple channels

• Phone Support
• Email Support
• Live Chat Support

Trade Types available with IB

• Stock Trading
• Options Trading
• Mutual Funds
• FOREX Trading
• Futures Trading

IB is specially recommended for investors who are looking for

• Discounted Trading
• Long Term Trading
• Options Trading
• Active Trading
• International Trading

Note:

To open an account with Interactive Brokers there is a $10,000 minimum.

Interactive Brokers comes with a $10,000 minimum funding and is not suited for non-seasoned investors , it however provides exceptional support for international trading and offers active traders a very competitive commissions schedule for low cost trading.

Fees and Commission in details:

• Stocks:
• .005/share min 1.00 OR max .5% of trade value
• Options:
• .70/contract min 1.00
• Futures:
• 2.40/contract
• Forex:
• spread + 20 per 1Mil min 2.50
• Minimum:
• 10,000
• Interest:
• 1.68% – 0.00%

Interactive Brokers Information System – IBIS

You no longer need to spend more than USD 1000.00 per month for timely market information. With the Interactive Brokers Information System, you can get it all for just USD 69.00 month.

The Interactive Brokers Information System is a comprehensive and customizable market information workspace.
Subscribe to the Research Platform and receive

• Real-time quotes,
• Time and sales,
• Stock scanners,
• Charts and
• Alerts,
• Risk analytic for your stock portfolio and
• IB’s daily Options Brief.

To enhance the power of IBIS, subscribe to the Research Data Bundle or select  from various option subscriptions to receive

• Reuters Fundamentals
• Reuters StreetEvents
• Calendars
• Dow Jones Real Time News
• Reuters Global Newswire and
• Dow Jones News Service.
• Watch-lists to monitor multiple tickers
• Market Scanners to automatically scan for the top performing contracts
• Level II market depth to see the depth of book, plus Time & Sales
• Option chains
• Display multiple charts including thumbnails with comprehensive technical indicators
• Customizable time period parameters and on-chart annotations.
• Using the Alerts Wizard you can
• Set Price
• Time
• Trade and
• Volume alerts
• Quickly find the top contracts that meet your filter criteria, such as
• High and low P/E Ratios and
• High Dividend Yield using real-time market scanners.
• A sampling of our stock scanners includes:
• Top % Gainers/Top % Losers
• Most Active
• Hot by Price
• Hot by Contract • High Dividend Yield
• Top Trade Rate
• Most Active by Option Volume
• 52 Week High/52 Week Low
• Get real time streaming news for multiple companies, a single company, or by subject via subscriptions to
• Dow Jones Real Time News,
• Dow Jones News Service and
• Reuters Global Newswire.
• Assess slices of your “portfolio” such as risk by position, industry and underlying.
• Use Option Analytics and the Model Navigator to modify option pricing assumptions, including the volatility, interest rates and dividends
• Live News Update – SO you do not miss on any opportunity
• Major events, consensus estimates are provided and then actual values are updated within milliseconds of announcement.
• Reuters StreetEvents Calendars include four calendars of critical events, including:
• Corporate Earnings
• Economic Indicators/Events
• Dividends/Splits
• IPOs/Secondaries
• Subscribe to Reuters Worldwide Fundamentals
• Receive comprehensive, high-quality financial information on thousands of companies worldwide.
• Get quick access to eight pages of mission-critical data including:
• Business Summary
• Financial Statements
• Analyst Ratings/Forecasts
• Comparable Companies • Dividend Calendar
• Financial Ratios
• SEC Filings
• Insider Trading Report

IBIS Data Services Include

• Research Data Bundle
• Reuters Fundamentals
• Reuters StreetEvents Calendars
• Dow Jones Real Time News
• Reuters Global Newswire
• Theflyonthewall.com
• Reuters Fundamentals
• Reuters StreetEvents Calendars
• Dow Jones Real-Time News
• Reuters Global Newswire

Education at IB

• IB Market Brief
• Stay tuned to intraday market action with our options, currency, and interest rate market commentaries, which are updated throughout the trading day by our own in-house team of analysts.
• Highlights
• Browse all of our offerings from a single convenient page to learn more about the advantages we offer to traders.
• QuickStart Guides
• Find an abridged version of the product users’ guides, to help you get started with basic functionality.
• Traders’ University
• Traders’ University offers a series of Flash based courses designed to provide basic trading product knowledge, along with down-loadable widget and gadget trading tools that you can add to your desktop.
• User Documentation
• Provides a centralized spot with links to all available software trading platform and account management Release Notes, Users’ Guides, Getting Started guides and QuickStart guides.
• IB Student Trading Lab
• Provides details and application information on our trading partnership with universities and schools around the globe.
  Chats & Bulletin Boards
• An educational forum for customers to exchange information with other IB customers.
• The Marketplace
• Lists sponsored commercial, freelance tool, programming consultants, and education providers offering add-on technology and for customers who require trading assistance and for vendors or educators who wish to publicize their services.
• Live Events
• A calendar of upcoming free seminars and live events.
• New Features Poll
• Customers can submit suggestions for new features and technology enhancements, and vote on submitted suggestions from other customers.

Bottomline

The initial price of ten thousand dollars is way too much for someone who is trying out for the first time. But their IBIS is very informative and fills in for the steep price. Besides their fees is very competitive as compared to other traders and makes up for the steep mimimum required.

]]> http://buystockonlinetoday.com/broker-reviews/interactive-brokers-review/feed/ 0 http://buystockonlinetoday.com/broker-reviews/sogotrade-platform-review/ http://buystockonlinetoday.com/broker-reviews/sogotrade-platform-review/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:25:44 +0000 edliston http://buystockonlinetoday.com/broker-reviews/?p=74 About Sogo Trading:

SogoTrade, previously SogoInvest is an online deep discount brokerage firm, affiliated to Wang Investments Associates Inc. and is based out of New York City. It was launched in the year 2006 by Genesis Securities LLC.  SogoTrade has a direct market access platform called Laser which connects to the exchanges through ECN.

Key offerings:

SogoTrade provides option to invest in Investment classes like ETFs, stocks, Mutual Funds and options.  It offers both online and standalone platforms to its customers. Apart from that Sogo is a member of Financial Industry regulatory authority (FINRA) and Securities Investor Protection Fund (SIPC) and insures its clients up to $150 million USD.

Advantages:

• Low commissions are charged both for cash and margin trade.
• No Inactive account maintenance charged
• One of the lowest account opening charges to the clients.

Drawbacks:

• SogoTrade does not offer trade in bonds, commodities, OTC market and Forex.
• Poor Customer Service offered to the clients.
• The trading platforms are considered to be primitive for active traders and also for investors.
• Practically no risk management tools offered. Hence, it would be difficult to maintain the portfolios.
• Speed of execution is slow and customer complaints are high.
• Surcharge of $.005 per share for extended market hours.

Commission and Fees:
Equity trades are charged a flat $3 per transaction. Penny stocks are charged an additional 0.5 % of stock value. Apart from that there is a surcharge of $.005 per share for extended market hours trading.  Margin trading is charged an interest rate of 6.50% up to $50000 and gradually reduces to 4.50%.
Option trade costs 5.00 % per share plus and additional 50 cents per contract.
Mutual Funds can be purchased at a rate of $15 per trade.

Trading Platform and Tools:

Currently three different trading platforms are offered by SogoTrade and they are SogoTrade, SogoElite and Laser.  Laser is the DMA platform and SogoElite is the standalone platform. SogoTrade is the web based trading platform.  SogoTrade offers basic facilities for orders and execution of the trade. Stocks can be selected based on their quotes. A window on the left hand side displays the basic information about the trading on the share like open, close, 52 week high, low etc.  A chart is displayed for the same share, which contains information about the price and volume. Links are provided for research and news. The research centre contains some simple information such as information on various exchanges, top stories, market movers and IPO Center. There is a stock screening tool which filters stocks based on parameters like Profitability, Dividend yield, market cap, growth rate etc.
The Order Status module displays various orders and their statuses performed during the day. It also provides a watch list to track the movements of different stocks. Level I tick information is provided in the streaming Quote module.
The Company research tool offers some basic information on a company, such as charts, news and trade history. ETFs can be analyzed using the compare ETF tool and also a hypothetical ETF portfolio can be constructed and performance can be tracked.

Customer Care Service:

Customer service is available online through phone and live help is provided online. However it is not considered to be great owing to the lack of co-ordination and huge delays in solving the client’s problems.

Awards:

Received 4 star rating in Barron’s 2011 Stock Brokers Survey.

Peer Comparison:

SogoTrade operates in the low commission market and its competitors are firms like E*Trade, LightSpeed, MBTrading , TradeKing etc. SogoTrade wins among the competitors when it comes to commission charges where as it is behind others in terms of the trading platforms, diversity of asset classes and tools provided. It is trying to limit itself to the individual traders who trade who indulge in low volume and no frills trade and to those traders who do not need much research from analysts and are capable of choosing their own stocks. It also is also in the execution of the orders compared to other firms. However it has an advantage when it comes to things like no inactivity charges and also free electronic fund transfers.

Synopsis:

SogoTrade with its very low charges is targeting the deeply discounted market. It does not charge any fees for account inactivity and hence is very useful for a novice who does not wants to trade actively and pay high account opening fees. (Which is also low at $500)? However SogoTrade platform is very basic in nature and does not provide wide range of tool for research and investment management which is a turn off for active traders and also long term investors. The chart tools and stock screeners are also primitive. They do not support mouse click trade. Active traders would seek high level of technical analysis indicators where as investors would like to manage their portfolio and would like to manage their risk.  Also the latter would like to have specialist advice which this service provider does not have. Active traders would also complain about the surcharge applied on extended market hours trade. Also, for an investor who likes to diversify his portfolio SogoTrade is not the one he is looking for because it does not provide the option to trade in bonds, futures and other otc market products.

SogoTrade also does not help the cause of professional traders willing to perform rule based trading. Apart from this the customer service is considered to be poor with many complaints. There is no proper co-ordination between different executives as a proper database of customer calls in not maintained. Overall SogoTrade falls behind in many aspects of trading and leaves a lot to be desired.

Choice Trade is a New Jersey based discount brokerage service provider with primary focus on low cost trading service and state of the art technology. It is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, a member of NYSE Arca, the BATS Exchange, National Stock Exchange and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

ChoiceTrade’s Offerings

ChoiceTrade enables trade in various asset classes like stocks, options, futures, Forex and in products like mutual funds. It offers the facility of both cash and margin trading; IT also provides direct access to exchange through electronic communication network (ECN). Both web and standalone trading platforms are provided for trading.

Advantages

• Availability of web based trading platform.
• Forex trading option is provided with the help of metatrader4 platform.
• Low commission rates and deposit fees. Both flat fee option and per share plans are provided.
• No minimum charges required for option trade.
• No hidden charges as everything is listed under normal and miscellaneous fees. It also does not charge for account maintenance and inactivity.
• Mobile trading facility.
• Latest technologies like advanced charts, quote streams in the trading platform.
• An online investor community is provided to discuss and solve various problems and also helps in investor education

Disadvantages

• Lack of availability of 24/7 customer care service on phone. It is only available from 9 am to 5 pm.
• Poor quality of tools used for investing, portfolio management and stock selection.
• Most advanced trade options are provided only
• Automatic trading is done through third party tool and is somewhat restricted to a specific set of predefined strategies. In other words an algo development kit is not provided unlike other brokerage service providers.
• Mutual’s fund trading cost is high considering ChoiceTrade targets discounted market
• The surcharge for trading during non market hours is a bit on the higher side.
• High fees charged for the advanced trading platforms.

Trading Platform

Choice Trade offers both web based and stand alone trading platforms. Two types of standalone platforms are provided, they are ChoiceTrade Direct Pro and the more advanced ChoiceTrade select with esignal.

The web based platform is called Quotestream, it provides tick by tick real time streaming data, with level I and level II data for each tick. A user can create up to 30 portfolios containing upto 300 stocks each and, multiple portfolios can be viewed in the respective portfolio manager windows at the same time. The windows can be resized, toggled and modified.  Similarly, all other windows can be customized.

Historical time and sales data can be viewed, which provides information on historical trade based on the exchange, volume and percent change criteria. The data can be downloaded to a spread sheet. The Level2 data window provides advanced order book information such as for different exchanges like NASDAQ, OTCBB for a given stock.

Integrated charting module displays data in graphical formats like Line, Mountain Bar, Candlestick, OHLC, HLC and Dot. It also provides technical analysis using various simple to complex  indicators like Simple moving averages, Exponential moving averages, MACD, Bollinger % B, Aroon Oscillator etc.

Options related data like option Greeks, implied volatility, in the money, at the money and out of the money options is provided.

A stock screen to select stocks is present, which helps to filter stocks based on parameters like share performance (%gain /loss), volume, analyst estimates and other financial statement indicators. There is a separate company research module as well.

IPO and ETF related information is provided in separate modules.

Forex trade can be done using the Forex module which has separate windows like that stocks. 30 currency prices can be displayed from, about 100 available foreign exchange symbols.

The advanced platforms like DirectPro provide trading using keyboard shortcuts. The ChoiceTrade select using signal enables algo trading using third party algorithms CFSB’s AES (Broker dealer plus) , JP Morgan E.A.S.T. It also facilitates other advanced order types such as pegged, discretionary and reserve types. It also provides trade using ECN.

Tools and Education

ChoiceTrade has limited number of tools in its kitty and its economic analysis tool analyses the impact of various macro economic factors and their effects on the stock prices. One such economic indicator is the customer confidence index

Commissions and Fees

Stocks can be traded at a flat fee of $5 per trade. Options can be traded with the same cost except that one has to pay an additional $.55 per contract. Mutual Fund trade is priced at $25 per trade.

Another option of direct access to exchange is also provided and it costs a trader $.005 per share, with a minimum of $1.00 per trade.

Data feeds are charged separately, with Level I quotes being provided for free whereas level 2 quotes and pink sheets are charged. Apart from these there are many other types of miscellaneous fees e.g., outgoing and incoming checks, transfers of securities to other banks/firms (ACAT – Automatic customer account transfer), DTC charges etc.

No minimum deposit is required for cash account where as margin account needs $2000.

Summary

ChoiceTrade like any other discount broker focuses more on the low commission fees rather than customer service. Its fee structure is attractive to active intraday traders who place a lot of orders in a single day. Long term and fundamentals based investors shy off from this brokerage service provider, especially after considering the low quality of research tools available to them. However, Choicetrade is an attractive option for retirement planners owing to is low IRA fees. Even, in the active trader segment, the fees are a bit on the higher side when compared to its peers, e.g. it charges some surcharge on off market trade. There is no separate development kit provided for writing algorithms for rule based trading, making it another drawback. The charting tools and trading platform is on par with other competitors, with some scope to improve in the web based platform. Charging a high fee for mutual funds is another drawback.

Through its platform the company offers trading in several investment products like stocks, options, no-load mutual funds, and exchange traded funds (ETFs). The commission structure and other requirements are as follows:

• Stocks and ETFs can be traded for $14.95 per trade if less than 1000 shares of stock are traded. An additional surcharge of $0.015 per share applies if the no of shares traded exceeds 1000.
• Options can be traded for $1-$2 per contract that is determined by the trade size and the underlying option price. A minimum charge of $34 is set for option trades with a 10% discount given to on-line option trades. Assignment and exercise fees are additional.
• Mutual funds can be purchased and sold for 35 per order. The company offers over1700 no load funds.
• Corporate bonds can be traded for $2.50 per bond if the number of bonds exceeds 100, when the number of bonds is between 50 and 99 the commission rises to $3 per bond, this further rises to $3.50 per bond if the no of bonds traded is less than 50. A minimum commission of $35 applies to listed corporate bonds.
• Annual fees of $30 apply to IRAs. The fee is waived if the total assets in the account exceed $10,000. A termination fee of $50 is charged at closing.

.Key Features:

• No minimum deposits.
• Telephone and email customer service support.
• Wide range of investment products offered that include stock and ETF trading, options trading and trading in a wide range of fixed income investments.
• Independent research tools offered to its clients
• Range of mutual fund offerings to choose from.

Advantages:

• Wide range of fixed income investments.
• Very good customer service.
• Free dividend reinvestment.
• No inactivity or maintenance fees.
• Low margin rates.
• Independent research is offered to its clients.

Drawbacks:

• The commission rate of $14.95 charged for stock and ETF trades is quite expensive and the firm is one of the most expensive in terms of commissions charged for all investment products.
• An additional surcharge of $0.015 per share is levied while trading stocks if the number of shares exceeds 1000.
• High IRA annual fees.
• Outdated website that lacks investor appeal.
• The company does not offer trading in futures and forex which are becoming increasingly popular with traders..

Peer Comparison:

When compared to the leading player in the industry Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) Stockbrokers.com rates SiebertNet well below on the commissions incurred by the end user. SiebertNet also ranks significantly lower than Charles Schwab in several key areas such as the range of investment offerings, the available research tools, customer service, the ease of use, education of its users and mobile trading facilities.

When compared to E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ETFC) SiebertNet fell behind in all the above areas rating much lower on its offerings despite the wide range of investments offered.

When compared to rival ShareBuilder SiebertNet ranks less favorably on the commissions charged and the mobile trading platform provided to its clients.  SiebertNet however does much better on its range of investment offerings. Both companies rate equally in other areas such as the available research and education tools and the ease of use.

SiebertNet ranks below its rival Scottrade when rated on the basis of its mobile trading platform, ease of use, customer service provided, commissions charged and its investment research capability. It matches Scottrade only on the wide range of investment choices offered to its clients.

Summary:

SiebertNet is an on-line brokerage firm that primarily distinguishes itself from its rivals on the wide range of investment alternatives it offers its investors. It is one of the few brokers that offer a broad choice of fixed income investments. It also offers dividend reinvestments. The firm primarily attempts to target high net worth individuals.

SiebertNet is also known for its very good customer service. It also offers quality independent research to its clients. However its fee structure is among the highest in the industry across a wide range of asset classes and this causes it to rate well below its industry rivals.

The biggest disadvantage of SiebertNet is that the commission charged for stock and ETF trades is very high. Significantly higher surcharges apply when trading a large amount of shares. The company rates as the most expensive broker on the street on its fee structure across a wide range of investments offered in a Barron’s 2010 survey. Additionally the trading tools offered are sub par at best.

SiebertNet does not currently offer its users trading in futures, or forex which are two investment classes gaining in popularity with traders. This combined with the high fee structure means its offerings are largely inadequate for real time trading. The company charges very high annual IRA fees. Thus it is not suitable for retirement accounts.

The company thus has a lot to do before it can be successful in a highly competitive industry with low margins.  The company has to wake up to the reality that its cost structure is way to high to attract new clients no matter how sophisticated they may be.

To compete effectively with its rivals the commissions charged by the firm must be drastically reduced and enhanced trading tools must be made available to its clients. While its range of investment offerings is noteworthy it falls behind in several other areas like trading and retirement accounts. There are other top brokerage firms like Charles Schwab and E*TRADE that offer competitive commissions, wider investment options, and are free from the excessive costs that Muriel Siebert users experience.

Through its platform the company offers trading in several investment products like stocks, options, futures, futures symbols, no-load mutual funds, and exchange traded funds (ETFs). A distinguishing feature of the company is that it offers a number of automatic investment plans. The commission structure and other requirements are as follows:

• The company has a basic automatic investment plan for which it charges $4 for each investment.
• The company also has a standard automatic investment plan for which it charges $12 a month. The investor gets 6 automatic investments and subsequent investments cost $2 per investment.
• In addition the company has an advantage automatic investment plan for which it charges $20 a month. The investor gets 20 automatic investments and subsequent investments cost $1 per investment.
• Stocks and ETFs can be traded for $9.95 per trade; this reduces to $7.95 per trade under an advantage plan. Telephone orders cost $19.95. Short selling stocks is not possible.
• There are two plans for options trading. Under the basic plan options can be traded for $9.95 plus $1.25 per contract. Under the advanced plan options can be traded for $7.95 plus $0.75 per contract. An assignment fee of $30 per exercise is charged for early exercise of options and a fee of $20 is charged for each automatic exercise.
• Mutual funds that have no entry and exit loads can be purchased and sold for $19.95 per order. The company offers 170 no load funds and 70 free funds that include funds from ING.
• There is no minimum required for opening an account.

.

Key features:

• Account opening is relatively easy.
• No minimum initial deposit is required.
• Funding of the account can be easily done electronically.
• Automatic investments offered in several stocks.

Advantages:

• Wide range of automatic investment plans with very low investment costs.
• Free reinvestment of dividends and capital gains.
• Investors can accumulate shares over time and even fractional shares can be purchased.
• No inactivity or maintenance fees.
• There is no minimum balance required for opening cash accounts and a minimum balance of $2000 is required for margin accounts.

Drawbacks:

• The commission rate of $9.95 charged for stock and ETF trades is quite expensive.
• An additional surcharge of $0.07 per share is levied while trading stocks priced under $1 per share.
• Difficult to know the exact prices at which automatic investments could be purchased before hand.
• The trading tools offered are very basic and often inadequate while making trading decisions.
• A number of customer complaints have been reported particularly in areas of trade execution.
• The choice of mutual funds offered is very limited.

Peer Comparison:

When compared to the leading player in the industry Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) Stockbrokers.com rates ShareBuilder on par only on the commissions incurred by the end user. ShareBuilder ranks below Charles Schwab in several key areas such as the range of investments offerings, the available research tools, customer service, the ease of use, education of its users and mobile trading facilities.

            When compared to E Trade Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ETFC) ShareBuilder fell behind in all the above areas rating at level only in terms of the commission it charges its end users.

            When compared to rival SpeedTrader ShareBuilder ranks less favorably on the commissions charged, the customer service provided and on the range of investment offerings provided.  ShareBuilder however does better on its mobile trading platform. Both companies rate equally in other areas such as the available research and education tools and the ease of use.

            ShareBuilder ranks below its rival Scottrade when rated on the basis of its investment offerings, ease of use, customer service provided, commissions charged and its investment research capability. It matches Scottrade only on the mobile trading platform provided to its clients.

Summary:

ShareBuilder is an on-line brokerage firm that primarily distinguishes itself from its rivals on the wide range of automatic investment plans it offers its investors. Investors can thus take advantage of dollar cost averaging and accumulate shares over time on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. It also offers a unique feature to its users wherein they can buy fractional shares. Investors can take advantage of this and accumulate positions in highly priced shares which they otherwise can’t afford to purchase.

ShareBuilder has no minimum balance requirements and accounts can be opened with a $0 balance. The company also doesn’t charge inactivity and maintenance fees that several other brokers levy. The company also does not charge IRA set up and annual IRA fees.

The biggest disadvantage of ShareBuilder is that the commission charged for stock and ETF trades is very high.  Additionally the trading and research tools offered are sub par at best. Clients of the firm have raised several complaints on its executions. ShareBuilder does not currently offer its users trading in futures, bonds, or forex. It also does not allow traders to short stocks. Thus its offerings are largely inadequate for real time trading.

The Smart Money magazine 2011 stock broker survey rated ShareBuilder as the worst in customer service in. It takes several days for the company to answer client email queries. It also rated at the very last position in the research and mutual funds & investment products categories. The company thus has a lot to do before it can be successful in a highly competitive industry with predatory pricing.

To compete effectively with its rivals customer service provided by ShareBuilder must be significantly improved, the commissions charged must be competitive and an enhanced platform of research must be made available to its clients. While it’s automatic investment plans are unique and can be used by the average investor to accumulate shares it falls behind in several other areas like trading and research. There are other top brokerage firms like Charles Schwab and ETrade that offer competitive commissions, wider investment options, and are free from the problems that ShareBuilder users experience.

thinkorswim, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Chicago, is an online brokerage company. thinkorswim support retail and institutional traders through their own unique trading platforms. thinkorswim is an online broker that offers low cost stock trades to its large client base of investors.

Ratings on thinkorswim

• Overall: Excellent
• Commissions & Fees: Average
• Customer Service: Excellent
• Tools & Research: Excellent
• Ease of Use: Excellent
• Investment Offering: Excellent
• Education and Informational material: Above Average
• Mobile Trading: Excellent
• Quote & Execution Speed: Above Average
• Range of Services: Above Average
• Training & Tech Support: Above Average
• Overall Reliability: Above Average

Thinkorswim Stock Commissions

• 100 shares $5
• 500 shares $7.50
• 1,000 shares $15
• 5,000 shares $75

Thinkorswim Options Commissions

• 1 contract $2.95
• 5 contracts $14.75
• 20 contracts $39.95
• 50 contracts $84.95
• 100 contracts $159.95
• 1,000 contracts $1,509.95

General Trade Commissions

• Equity Trades: $9.95
• Options Fee: $9.95
• Mutual Fund: $15.00
• Broker Assisted: $27.00
• Minimum Deposit: $3,500.00

Commissions/Fees for Trading Stocks (USD)

• $0.015/share ($5 min) or
• $9.95 / trade (5000 shares max).
• There is no additional fees for calling trading desk to make a trade.

Commissions/Fees for Trading Options (USD)

• $1.50 / contract with min of $7.50 / trade.

Account Features

•  Virtual Trading
•  No Minimum Deposit
•  No Maintenance Fees
•  No-Fee Individual Retirement Accounts
•  Online Trader Community
•  Investment Education
• Mobile Trading
• iPhone App
• iPad App
• BlackBerry App
• Android App
• Mobile Site

Customer Service

• Phone Support
• Email Support
• Live Chat Support
• Retail Locations
• 24/7 Customer Support

 Trade Types Available at thinkorswim

• Stock Trading
• Options Trading
• Mutual Funds
• FOREX Trading
• Futures Trading

Trading at thinkorswim is suitable for

• Investors who are heavy on Options Trading
• Investors who do Active Trading

 What is so special that is available at ThinkorSwim

Trading Platform – thinkorswim from TD Ameritrade

• You can easily see new opportunities with TD Ameritrade’s powerful trading tools and independent, third-party research.
• You can even test your strategies with paper-money.
• Implement them with the powerful thinkorswim platform:
• Available on your desktop,
• Available even in your browser, or
• Even available on your mobile device.
• The time is right for you to subscribe and see what and why elite traders use thinkorswim technology from TD Ameritrade.

Simple steps for opening an account

• Opening an account takes about 12-15 minutes to complete the application
• Things required when you open an account with thinkorswim
• Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
• Employer’s name and address
• Banking information (if you qualify and wish to use electronic funding)
• Beneficiary Social Security Number (for IRAs only)
• Beneficiary address (for IRAs only)

Trading Platforms

1. thinkDesktop – a software based trading platform
2. webBasedTrading – their web based trading platform.
3. thinkAnywhere – smartphone/pocketpc based trading platform.
4. thinkMobile – regular cell phone trading for phones with mini browser capabilities.

Advantages

• Ability to call trading desk to make trades at no extra charge.
• The additional options in trading platforms.  Although I wouldn’t trade over my mobile browser, it is a nice option to have.
• Low commissions.
• Thinkorswim is best known for its options-trading capabilities, but the company’s biggest strength is actually customer service. They are incredibly responsive either on the phone or online via chat (my preferred contact method). They don’t have the cheapest commissions in the industry, but they’re far from worst.
• Account transfer rebate to cover ACAT fees up to $100
• High-Speed Internet Rebate for those who make 40+ trades or 4 million RT in   currencies per month
• 3 Free Mutual Fund Trades Per Month
• Free Stuffed Monkey
• Flat $9.95 fee schedule, four mobile phone apps, good incentives, powerful trading platform
• They always come with new products and innovations and are always improving

Challenges with thinkorswim

• Cannot hold Canadian currency within a Think or Swim Account.
• No RRSP’s.
• No Canadian office.  All paperwork/cheques need to be shipped to their head office in Chicago.
• No mutual funds.
• $500 account balance minimum, higher trade rates than many online brokers
• Commissions still more pricey than competitors.

thinkorswim Mobile

All your favorite trading features are now available on your

• i-Phone,
• iPod Touch,
• Blackberry or
• Pocket PC:
• Mobile trading at thinkorswim offers a unique mobile trading experience and the features available on mobile trading are simply awesome making the whole process of trading seamless
• It is free of charge

Features available on thinkorswim mobile trading

• Monitor the market and simulate trades even without a funded account.
• Trade stocks, options, currency and futures quickly and easily.
• paperMoney enabled so you can safely explore all the features before putting real money on the line.
• Customize your trading with our advanced order editor.
• Track and modify working orders.
• Manage positions and view risk and performance metrics.
• Live, streaming audio (iPhone only).

Unique features that make thinkorswim experience exceptional

• Best trade platforms with a collection of amazing tools;
• Dependable and informative customer service;
• After being acquired by TD Ameritrade has added to its potential

Did you know thinkorswim offers special plans

thinkorswim offers investors several different commission plans which are all broken down in the various sections below:

• Stock Trades – Two plans are available to clients.
• The first offers a flat rate of $.015 per share with a $5.00 minimum and is designed for more active investors and institutional traders. The pricing plan uses a “best” execution routing algorithm to obtain the best available price at that given moment. The rate of $.015 is the same regardless of trade type, time of trade, trade size, etc.
• The second plan offers up to 5,000 shares per trade for a flat commission of $9.95. For orders over 5000 shares, any order types other than market or limit, or extended hours orders the commission for the entire order is the per share rate of $.015 per share with a $5.00 minimum.Also note that for OTCBB (pink sheet) stocks or any stocks priced under $2.00 the rate is $9.99 per trade regardless of size or order type.
  

• Options Trades – There are three different rate plans offered to clients:

• Designed for investors trading less than 5 contracts per order – The lesser of $2.95 per contract or $9.95 plus $1.50 per contract.
• Designed for investors trading at-least 5 contracts per order – $1.25 per contract ($12.95 minimum)
• Designed for investors trading at-least 16 contract per order – $.95 per contract ($19.95 minimum)

• Mutual Funds – The first three mutual funds trades are free each calender month. Thereafter the rate is $15 per trade.

• Other Investment Types – thinkorswim also offers
• Bonds,
• t-bills,
• Futures and
• Forex trading.

Stock Commissions per Executed Trade (includes Exchange Traded Funds)

• Online Trades – $8.95
• Broker-Assisted Trades – Online commission + $25.00
• Please note that $8.95 flat commission does not apply to foreign stock transactions
• Equity Trades     $8.95
• Options Fee     $8.95
• Options Contract     $0.75
• Mutual Fund     $49.95
• Broker Assisted    $33.95
• Minimum Deposit    $1,000.00

How to apply for a Schwab One International account

• Step 1 – Complete Account Application and W-8BEN
• Step 2 – Prepare Required Supporting Documents
• A clear photocopy of the personal information section (with photo) and signature page of a current passport for each applicant.
• One bank (or financial institution) statement dated within the last six months
• One utility bill dated within the last six months
•  Step 3 – Fund Your Account
• A minimum of US $25,000 is required to open a Schwab One International account.
• Mail a check or money order along with your application forms
• Wire transfer to your new account
• Transfer from another brokerage firm
• Step 4 – Mail Your Completed Applications and Supporting Documents to Us

Standard U.S. Mail
Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.
Attn: International Operations
PO Box 2912
Phoenix, AZ 85062-2912
USA

International/Overnight Mail:
Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.
Attn: International Operations
2423 E. Lincoln Drive
Phoenix, AZ 85016
USA

Commissions, Fees and Investments

• Stocks and ETFs: $8.95
• Options: $8.95 plus $0.75 per contract
• Mutual funds: $49.95. Mutual Fund OneSource® Funds – free
• Investment products:
• Stocks,
• Bonds,
• Mutual funds,
• Futures,
• Treasury issues,
• Options,
• CDs,
• Insurance,
• ETFs,
• Annuities,
• Non-U.S. securities and ADRs,
• WEBs and
• Canadian foreign orders
• Minimum to open account: $1,000 to open a simple trading account

Charles Schwab Advantages

• Traditional banking features: credit cards and checking accounts
• Around 300 offices for personal visits and deposits and 24/7 support
• Varied and educational research
• Rich selection of investment products
• Low minimum balance requirement: $1,000
• Excellent customer service
• Free dividend reinvestment

Additional Features

• Traditional banking features: credit cards and checking accounts
• Around 300 offices for personal visits and deposits and round the clock support
• Great, varied research
• Rich selection of investment products
• Low minimum balance requirement: $1,000
• Excellent customer service
• Free dividend reinvestment
• Offers complete investment package,
• Charles Schwab offers many investment services.

 Challenges

• High commissions on stocks, options, mutual funds and ETFs
• Average trading tools
• Outdated and difficult to navigate website
• They do not offer Blackberry or iPhone apps, margin rates can be as much as 8.5 %, they charge $25 for broker assisted trades.

 Awards and Accolades

• For the year 2010 it won Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality, Human Rights Campaign, 2010
• For the year 2009 it won America’s Top Companies, Forbes, 2009
• For ths same year , 2009 it won Barron’s 500, Barron’s, 2009
• For the year 2008 it won World’s Most Admired Companies, Fortune, 2008
• For the year 2008 it won Barron’s 500, Barron’s, 2008
• For the year 2008 it won Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality, Human Rights Campaign, 2008

Schwab Advisor Network

The Schwab Advisor Network provides referrals to advisors at no cost to you. Advisor services are available for an asset-based fee that varies by advisor. Schwab Advisor Network recommendations are made to clients with investment assets of $500,000 or more.

Enjoy personal service customized to your needs

• Customized investment advisor recommendation—We’ll assess your financial needs and investing style to recommend an investment advisor who may be right for you.
• Specialized planning expertise—Investment advisors provide comprehensive guidance in a range of areas such as investment management, financial planning, and more. An investment advisor can work with you to develop a personalized financial plan.¹
• Ongoing portfolio management—An investment advisor can monitor your portfolio on an ongoing basis, identify investment opportunities aligned with your goals, and may provide in-depth reporting and portfolio reviews.

Offers personal assistance and the tools you need to select investments

• Stocks & Options
• World Securities – Investing via America makes foreign markets accessible (for non-US residents)
• Fixed Income
• Offshore Mutual Funds (for non-U.S. persons, where permissible)
• Margin Loans
• ETFs

Schwab Equity Ratings

• Charles Schwab states “Schwab Equity Ratings is our proprietary methodology for identifying stocks that we believe will outperform or underperform the market over the next 12 months. And this industry-leading guidance is available to all Schwab clients.”
• Every week, Schwab Equity Ratings rates approximately 3,000 U.S. corporations.

Unique Offerings at Charles Schwab

• Schwab Brokerage Account – Offers International investors in U.S. markets excellence control, confidence and value.
• Investment Guidance – One-on-one guidance and actionable research to achieve your investment goals.
• For Active Traders – Schwab is dedicated to empowering Active Traders through personal service and advanced trading technology.
• Foreign Currency Wire Transfer Service – Transfer your money internationally, to and from your Schwab account, by utilizing Schwab’s low rates and faster credit.
• Money transfers
• Account Protection
• No-fee U.S. dollar debit card
• Option trading
• e-Statements
• Portfolio allocation planning tools
• Online trading
• Personalized email alerts

A wide range of Investment Choices Available to You

• Stocks & Options
• World Securities
• Fixed Income – Bonds – corporate, mortgage-backed securities, government agencies and bond funds
• Treasuries – treasury bills, notes, treasury bonds, treasury inflation-indexed securities and STRIPS
• Other fixed-income type investments—preferred securities and bond UITs.
• Offshore Mutual Funds
• Margin Loans – Borrow Funds at Attractive Interest Rates. If you have marginable securities in your Schwab account, you can borrow funds from Schwab to buy additional securities. Your securities serve as automatic collateral for low-cost margin loans.

Care

• You can request a prospectus by calling Schwab at +1-415-667-7870
• Care team at Charles Schwab is amicable, informative and effective
• They have round the clock support for care.
• They are highly efficient and respond to all your queries.