# How to pick an on-line trading/banking company

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-pick-an-on-line-trading-banking-company/428961>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 5, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-pick-an-on-line-trading-banking-company/428961 "2007-12-05T22:32:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-pick-an-on-line-trading-banking-company/428961/1 "2007-12-05T22:32:20Z")

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I have some funds in index funds and would like to move them to a more user friendly outfit (right now they are at E Trade). Does anyone have any suggestions of what one should check out to select the best one? Are they ranked somewhere? Personal experience.  
I have not found E Trade difficult to deal with. Help people - not so much.

Any insight would be appreciated.

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**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-pick-an-on-line-trading-banking-company/428961/2 "2007-12-05T23:33:58Z")

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If you’re staying in index funds, go with Vanguard. Low fees, good online tools, great reputation and respectability, and good customer service at least with what little I’ve needed from them.

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**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-pick-an-on-line-trading-banking-company/428961/3 "2007-12-06T01:57:52Z")

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I use [Sharebuilder.com](http://Sharebuilder.com). It’s cheap and simple. They’re probably best if you’re not too active of a trader, though. They focus on doing bulk trades every Tuesday but that’s fine if you’re like me and in the stock market for the long run. 🙂

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-pick-an-on-line-trading-banking-company/428961/4 "2007-12-06T02:14:53Z")

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Since this involves opinions, let’s move it to IMHO.

**samclem** GQ moderator

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**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-pick-an-on-line-trading-banking-company/428961/5 "2007-12-06T14:11:52Z")

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[QUOTE=samclem]  
Since this involves opinions, let’s move it to IMHO.

**samclem** GQ moderator  
[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Sorry I posted it to the wrong forum.

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-pick-an-on-line-trading-banking-company/428961/6 "2007-12-06T15:54:18Z")

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I have a Scottrade account. They are nice to deal with… they have local offices all around, so you aren’t just calling into a call center somewhere. I call into Hartford, CT, and I can actually go in person if I felt like it. And they don’t charge you insane fees to talk to a person either.

OTOH, Ameritrade tends to have nice sign-up bonuses. So I have an Ameritrade account just to get the sign-up bonus they have for Starwood members.