SmartMoney 2011 Broker Review

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View results and highlights from the SmartMoney 2011 broker review. This annual broker survey included 10 popular online brokers and ranked them in multiple categories.

Fidelity Investments

Fidelity Investments Review

Online trades only $7.95, all the time.
25 different iShares ETFs available for commission-free trading.

Stock Trades*	Options Base*	Options Contract*	Minimum Deposit
$7.95	$7.95	$0.75	$0.00

TD Ameritrade

TD Ameritrade Review

Trade free for 60 days and receive up to $600 cash with any new account.
Gain access to over 100 commission free ETFs.

Stock Trades*	Options Base*	Options Contract*	Minimum Deposit
$9.99	$9.99	$0.75	$2,500.00

Scottrade

Scottrade Review

Straight forward commissions for both stocks and options.
Gain access to over 500 local branch offices throughout the United States.

Stock Trades*	Options Base*	Options Contract*	Minimum Deposit
$7.00	$7.00	$1.25	$500.00

TradeKing

TradeKing Review

Rated #1 Online Broker for Customer Service in the StockBrokers.com 2012 Review.
Transfer your broker account to TradeKing and have up to $150 in transfer fees reimbursed (Learn More).

Stock Trades*	Options Base*	Options Contract*	Minimum Deposit
$4.95	$4.95	$0.65	$0.00

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab Review

Offers $8.95 flat-rate trades regardless of trade size, account balance, or share price.
Was rated highest in investor satisfaction with self-directed services by J.D. Power and Associates, 2009.

Stock Trades*	Options Base*	Options Contract*	Minimum Deposit
$8.95	$8.95	$0.75	$1,000.00

ETRADE

ETRADE Review

Trade for free your first 60 days (up to 500 free trades) with any newly funded account of atleast $2,000 (Learn more).
Rated the #1 Online Broker by SmartMoney for three straight years**

Stock Trades*	Options Base*	Options Contract*	Minimum Deposit
$9.99	$9.99	$0.75	$500.00

Vanguard

Vanguard Review

Access to Vanguard funds and ETFs.
Discounted commissions available for portfolios over $50,000 in total assets.

Stock Trades*	Options Base*	Options Contract*	Minimum Deposit
$7.00	$20.00	$1.00	$3,000.00

Merrill Edge

Merrill Edge Review

Receive up to 30 free trades per month with a $25,000 minimum balance.
Link any Merrill Edge account to any Bank of America bank account.

Stock Trades*	Options Base*	Options Contract*	Minimum Deposit
$6.95	$6.95	$0.75	$2,000.00

optionsXpress

optionsXpress Review

Acquired by Charles Schwab, giving clients an even more thorough broker offering.
Receive $100 when you fund a new optionsXpress account with $500 (Learn More).

Stock Trades*	Options Base*	Options Contract*	Minimum Deposit
$8.95	$0.00	$1.50	$0.00

ShareBuilder

ShareBuilder Review

Transfer your broker account to ShareBuilder and have up to $100 in transfer fees reimbursed.
One Month Free Trial with all new accounts.

Stock Trades*	Options Base*	Options Contract*	Minimum Deposit
$9.95	$9.95	$1.25	$0.00

For SmartMoney's 2011 broker survey, they lowered the number of brokers included overall from 14 last year to 10 total brokers this year. Zecco, SogoTrade, Muriel Siebert, and Just2Trade were the four brokers not included in this year's review from last year. The 2011 winner was Fidelity followed by TD Ameritrade.

SmartMoney covered the following categories in its 2011 broker review: Commissions & Fees, Customer Service, Trading Tools, Mutual Funds & Investment Products, and Banking Services. SmartMoney focuses on finding the best broker in each category followed by the worst performer in each category. It then awards each broker up to five stars and takes the averages to determine an overall winner.