can someone recommend a place to invest

[cramerica1972]

like sharebuilder,what are the pros-cons of it,and are there any cheaper ways?

[AJLightning]

Scottrade is awesome!!! $7 trades, good research tools

[Justmakinmoney]

I use scottrade also, but it is kind of a pain to get your money in and out. There bank transfer takes a few days. Other than that it is pretty nice.

[TonyM]

I use scottrade also, but it is kind of a pain to get your money in and out. There bank transfer takes a few days. Other than that it is pretty nice.


Huh? That's one of their better features, you can get a Visa card tied to your trading account and checks for withdrawals. There are also many local offices where you can deposit funds.

[aiki14]

Depending on your situation, you should consider a full service broker. I use Merrill Lynch and the level of service they provide is unmatched. Access to research and the broadest platform of investment vehicles period also is attractive. Admittedly you pay for the service (and I still maintain an E*trade account for certain plays) but what you get is so extensive that it is beyond worth the money.

[Justmakinmoney]

Huh? That's one of their better features, you can get a Visa card tied to your trading account and checks for withdrawals. There are also many local offices where you can deposit funds.

My bad... looks like scottrade has added some new services in the last few months. I haven't added or taken money out in awhile... In the past I have utilized the local offices because scottrade did not do direct transfers... only wire transfers.

But if you are are dealing with accounts over 25k (either savings or loans balances) you should look into wells fargo or bank of america. They are offering free trades with certain balance requirements.

[TonyM]

My bad... looks like scottrade has added some new services in the last few months. I haven't added or taken money out in awhile... In the past I have utilized the local offices because scottrade did not do direct transfers... only wire transfers.

But if you are are dealing with accounts over 25k (either savings or loans balances) you should look into wells fargo or bank of america. They are offering free trades with certain balance requirements.

Sounds like your local branch manager isn't doing his/her job very well; the checks and Visa card have been available since before this time last year.

BoA has the worse customer service of any bank I have ever dealt with and those free trades are not so free when you take into account the riduculous requirements.

Wells Fargo I have not dealt with.

[Justmakinmoney]

Sounds like your local branch manager isn't doing his/her job very well; the checks and Visa card have been available since before this time last year.

BoA has the worse customer service of any bank I have ever dealt with and those free trades are not so free when you take into account the riduculous requirements.

Wells Fargo I have not dealt with.

I don't know why I typed wire transfers. I meant i just mail in a check. But yeah BoA requirements are crazy. If you are day trading though the requirements should be met. I think it is only 25k in the account.

[MoMoney4Me]

like sharebuilder,what are the pros-cons of it,and are there any cheaper ways?

Check out MyStockFund.com http://www.mystockfund.com/index.aspx

You asked for a cheaper way to invest, so I assume you're interested in building an account over time and not as likely to be actively trading.

MyStockFund keeps investing simple and cost-effective with a dollar-based platform, flexible investing plans, automatic investment options and free dividend reinvestment.

There are three ways to invest with MyStockFund.com

Autovest :MyStockFund's signature dollar-cost averaging tool! Purchase fractional shares of stock automatically (every month or every week) for as long as you'd like by creating your own automatic investment schedule.
One-time Plan Purchases :Want to buy stock, but not ready or interested in adding it to your Auto Vest Schedule? If you don't need to execute a real-time market order, make a Plan Purchase during their weekly investing window (executed every Thursday )
Real-time Market orders: For your convenience, you may buy or sell ANY security with a real-time market order for $12.99. If you don't find a security on the posted security list, you have the ability to purchase any security available on the market today through the Real-time purchase feature. (All sales are executed real-time and are not included in Investing Plan pricing.)MyStockFund.com has several pricing and investing plans available

Basic Plan : $5.98/month, includes 2 purchases
The Basic Plan offers a flat rate Plan Purchase commission of just $2.99 per order. The low monthly fee of $5.98 includes two Plan Purchases each month. There is no membership fee associated with the Basic Plan, and additional Plan Purchases cost just $2.99.

Flex Plan : $59.99/year, $1.99/purchase
The Flex Plan has an annual membership fee of $59.99, and offers a reduced Plan Purchase commission of just $1.99 per order. There are no purchase requirements or minimums associated with the Flex Plan.

Diversified Plan: $39.99/year, $0.99/purchase
The Diversified Plan has an annual membership fee of $39.99, and offers unlimited Plan Purchases for just 99 cents per order. The low monthly fee of $9.90 includes 10 Plan Purchases each month, and additional Plan Purchases cost just 99 cents.

***Sell orders are not included in Investing Plan pricing. All sales are executed as real-time market orders and cost just $12.99 each. ***

All investors have different needs and objectives. Each investing plan is based on the quantity of Plan Purchases you intend to make each month. A Plan Purchase is a scheduled purchase executed during one of their weekly buy cycles, which take place every Thursday. Plan Purchases can be made two ways – through the AutoVest Schedule or through the One-time Plan Purchase process. Your AutoVest purchases can be set for weekly or monthly investments, with a minimum purchase amount of $10.00 (or as much as you want). By investing in this manner, you will keep your commission costs to a minimum, while making it simple to dollar-cost average and diversify over time.




http://www.mystockfund.com/images/m-spacer.gif

[1birdman1]

Well well... I guess no one likes $1 trades (market or limit) for the first 90 days and them $3 after that.

Anyway... I use www.sogoinvest.com