New user

[Jason wise]

Hi, I’m new to the stock trading business and would like to start trading small amount to gain experience. I’m interested in trading online through some of the online firms any suggestions on any good ones? Thanks in advance.

Also, I’ve just started to watch the show been wondering what the bulls and bears represent, again I’m new. Thanks again

[Thierry Martin]

Bulls = traders who think stocks are going up in price

Bears = traders who think stocks are going down in price

Ameritrade (http://www.ameritrade.com) is a good all-purpose and cheap place for you to start trading.

Welcome, but be careful, trading without losing money is harder than it looks!

[xboilermaker]

I use Scottrade (http://www.scottrade.com) and love it. $7 for limit orders (the only way to go because you specify the price you are willing to pay or accept)

Highest satisfied customer percentage 5 years running according to JD Power & Associates. Rep always on the phone in seconds for any questions.

[Boydric]

I am in an investment club and we went with options express. It fit our needs the best. I believe that we pay 9.95 for a trade.

[jm2552]

I have all my accounts linked through Wachovia and they charge an exorbitant fee. However, it seemed convenient (since the bulk of our funds are locked in there) to just use them. Plus, from what I've seen, don't most of these "discount" firms require a substantial deposit to qualify for the low trade fees? All our assets are tied up with Wachovia and I'd have to take a penalty to transfer them to a discount house.

[optimus25]

I have all my accounts linked through Wachovia and they charge an exorbitant fee. However, it seemed convenient (since the bulk of our funds are locked in there) to just use them. Plus, from what I've seen, don't most of these "discount" firms require a substantial deposit to qualify for the low trade fees? All our assets are tied up with Wachovia and I'd have to take a penalty to transfer them to a discount house.

Some discount brokerages like Schwab & Etrade did high minimums to qualify for low trading fees, however, Ameritrade & Scottrade do not do this. Their fees are cheap no matter how low your balances are. I highly recommend Scottrade because of the low commission and good research. Its a no frills site but you get a lot for what you pay for. I use the scottrader streaming quotes from the time the market opens till it closes. Its a great little tool to follow stocks.

For the newbie I suggest you do some paper trading before you put some real money into the market.

check out www.clearstation.com

That website will allow you to create mock portfolio's to practice your trading skills. The site will also teach you some investing basics. Good luck.