Interactive Brokers is a monthly payment. Only if you're VERY active in trading (many trades every month) should you consider IB. But yes, they're very premium service, but I don't think they're for typical investors (who might only trade once or twice a month).
Your standard brokerage firms all work: E-Trade, TD Ameritrace, Schwab, Fidelity etc. etc. Stocks are easy, they all got them covered. It really doesn't matter who you go with for stocks.
Fidelity is a bit better with bond offerings. TD Ameritrade is known for their nicer interface (Think or Swim), especially for options trading. E-Trade IIRC has some good international offerings but still has a pay-per-trade business model.
It depends on what you want. But... stocks are real easy, everyone does stocks just fine. Its more about asking what your secondary investments are going to be: Forex, Options, Bonds, and the like
Interactive Brokers also offers a "Lite" version that is pointed at a similar market to RobinHood (no fees, no comissions). Also worth noting that they run their own clearing house.
Yeah, it certainly seems that way. Even Vanguard Brokerage Services, of all places, is offering $0 stock trades. They were never really a discount broker like Schwab, Fidelity or TD Ameritrade. (Schwab offering $0 trades, on the other hand, was very predictable)
Don't use Interactive Brokers. They halted GME today. Interactive Brokers chairman on CNBC, asked why they halted trading: "Honestly, to protect ourselves": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RH4XKP55f
E-trade and TD Ameritrade halted GME today as well.
TD Ameritrade was the only brokerage firm that agreed to open an account for me, living in Algeria, when I was a student about a decade ago. They even mailed in all the required paperwork at the time, got on the phone and explained the details and answered my questions.
Every other firm I tried to open an account with refused for policy reasons. It was shortly after that that PayPal blocked my account without giving any reason, even after exchanging with their support team. They insisted it was a definitive, irrevocable, decision with no recourse.
Your standard brokerage firms all work: E-Trade, TD Ameritrace, Schwab, Fidelity etc. etc. Stocks are easy, they all got them covered. It really doesn't matter who you go with for stocks.
Fidelity is a bit better with bond offerings. TD Ameritrade is known for their nicer interface (Think or Swim), especially for options trading. E-Trade IIRC has some good international offerings but still has a pay-per-trade business model.
It depends on what you want. But... stocks are real easy, everyone does stocks just fine. Its more about asking what your secondary investments are going to be: Forex, Options, Bonds, and the like