Scottrade Review

If you want a no-nonsense online broker, Scottrade is your best bet.  Trades are only $7 and there are no hidden fees.  This may indeed represent the best value in online brokerage.

The account summary gives a short term growth history and shows the amount availble for trade.  Daily gains and losses are also readily visible on the homepage.  Statements are available online.

Trades are executed promptly with confirmation sent via email.  Free trades are available by referring others to the service.  

One complaint I had before was the inability to electronically fund the account.  However, Scottrade recently launch this capability with two methods of account confirmation.  

Ticker information is quick and accurate with stock charts and relevant news for review.  Proxy materials are also delivered satisfactorily.

Users have the option to form a watchlist of stock tickers that will show on the homepage.  The is quite useful.