Best Stock Brokers for Long Term Trading

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As part of our 2010 broker review we took a close look at the best brokers for long term trading. Investing long term is about having access to quality 3rd party research, comprehensive trade tools, and an overall feature rich website. Compare the top 3 results below:

We found that TD Ameritrade had the best overall offering for long term investors. The broker continues to outdo itself with extra perks for its clients. Most recently the broker has begun offering over 100 commission free ETFs for its clients coupled with 3rd party analysis from Morningstar. New clients will also find Suze Orman now on the site promoting "The Save Yourself Plan". Combine all this with the thinkorswim trade platform and TD Ameritrade outshined its competitors.

All three top brokers - TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, and optionsXpress - had very similar commission plans and platform offerings. All three brokers charge just under $10 per equity trade ($9.99, $9.99, and $9.95, respectively). While this is more pricey than some of their discount peers, it was the overall offerings that made the biggest statement. From substantial access to 3rd party research, quality customer service, and trading on the go, these brokers delivered.

In our testing we found it to be a close matchup as each broker had specific features they really shined with. For example E*TRADE had the best mobile application with E*TRADE Mobile Pro while TD Ameritrade and optionsXpress offer their clients access to trading stocks, etfs, mutual funds, bonds, forex, and even futures. Both E*TRADE and TD Ameritrade currently offer great incentives for opening a new account with free trading alongside up to $500 in cash depending on your deposit amount. The list goes on.

Overall the top brokers for trading long term may not have the most discounted commissions but deliver the best overall value to their clients.