If you are looking to get started with investing and personal finance, but don't know how to get started, you have come to the right place.
The first step to any successful investment plan is to find the right broker, and we at Investing Simple are committed to helping you make that crucial decision.
The two brokers we are looking at today are Firstrade vs TradeStation, two popular choices in the brokerage industry today. We will take a look at their features, pros, cons, and fees to help you decipher which is the best choice for you. Now let's get started!
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TradeStation Review 2020: Best Brokerage Account? |
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Firstrade Review 2020: Best Zero Fee Brokerage? |
Firstrade is an online broker that offers a wide array of financial products to its users.
Stocks, options, ETFs and more can be found on Firtrade, not to mention the diversity of account offerings you can find on the broker.
Firstrade's features are what make the online broker unique.
Cutting edge research, an array of financial products, and educational services are just a few of its many attractive features. Not to mention its mobile app that makes everything that much easier.
Firstrade's main goal with its mobile app is to take all of its website features and make a readily accessible platform to its users.
Available on both the App Store and Google Play Store, this mobile app simplifies the investment process so you can be a more efficient investor, trader, saver, and more.
A very important aspect of Firstrade is its $0 commission fee structure.
Almost all of Firstrade's investment products including stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, options and fixed income can be traded with no extra cost. For Firstrade, keeping the cost of investing for its users at a minimum is a crucial aspect of its service. No complaints here!
You can choose from a wide variety of companies listed on both the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ, or OTC (fixed income) products through Firstrade.
You can also access over 11,000 mutual funds to increase the diversity of your portfolio, and margin investing. If you are more interested in stocks, ETFs, and options, Firstrade has you covered as it offers thousands of these securities on its platform!
Market research is a unique feature of Firstrade that separates it from many other brokers.
By having the ability to access thousands of stock reports from some of Wall Street's most well-known analysts, you can gain a market edge. These reports are updated daily so you have the most up to date information!
Firstrade offers many different account types, but the two we will be covering are the Traditional and Roth IRA accounts.
In a traditional IRA account, contributions can be made tax-free and the investments in the account can then grow tax-deferred. Firstrade offers this account type on its platform.
The other type of IRA account is the Roth IRA which unlike the Traditional account, is not deductible. The difference in a Roth IRA account is that the earnings on investments are free of taxes.
Remember that the sooner you get started, the faster you can save for retirement!
While $0 in brokerage commission fees are helpful in cutting costs, there are still some fees that you should be aware of before opening a Firstrade account.
Let's take a look at a few now!
If you buy a mutual fund with a total position of $500 on Firstrade and want to sell it within 90 days, you will not be charged a fee.
However, if your total position value on a mutual fund is below $500 and you decide to cash-out within 90 days, you will be charged a $19.95 redemption fee. This is definitely something to think about if you are interested in trading mutual funds in shorter durations with a smaller amount of money.
Rates vary on short borrow fees depending on the amount of money you are borrowing and how much you are looking to short of a stock or ETF.
TradeStation offers many different investment products ranging from stocks to CDs.
With so many investment features offered on its platform, it only makes sense to take a deep dive into some of the most popular ones.
TradeStation's features are vast, but to keep it short: the broker specializes in trading.
As the name suggests, TradeStation acts as a one-stop station for all your trading needs. Now let's stop the talking and check out some of the features that TradeStation offers!
Like Firstrade, TradeStation charges no extra commission on the stocks & ETFs that it offers.
This will lessen the burden of excess fees on your trading account and help you minimize your cost base. $0 commissions have made the financial markets more accessible to smaller investor's and TradeStation has kept up with this trend!
TradeStation's mobile app gives you the same capabilities as its desktop platform, but on the go and at your fingertips.
Whether it be technical charts, direct trading, or learning about the market through TradeStation's educational content, TradeStation Mobile covers it all. Speaking of educational content on TradeStation, the broker has some fantastic articles that you can view on its website.
Beyond trading in the financial markets, TradeStation also offers a diverse array of accounts that you can choose depending on your financial goals.
One of the main account types is the IRA account, and TradeStation offers four versions: Traditional, Roth, SEP, and Simple.
When it comes to fees, investors always make it a priority to eliminate as many fees as possible.
And when TradeStation has managed to do this for many of its products, there are still some fees that are associated with the broker. Let's take a look at a few now.
The main fee with a TradeStation account is the margin fee. Margin is money borrowed, and if you plan on investing on borrowed money it is important to understand the margin rates that you will be charged.
While these fees vary depending on how much money you are looking to borrow, in general, you will be charged 8.625% for taking out a loan less than $25,000, 7.5% for a loan between $25,000 - $99,999, and if you are looking to take out more than $100,000, give them a call.
TradeStation's account service fee is one of its largest, totaling $99.95.
They waive this fee if you: trade 5,000 shares, trade 50 contracts, or maintain a $100,000 balance. If you are a smaller account looking to buy and hold for the long run, you may want to look into this more.
Overall, both Firstrade and TradeStation execute on what they intend to do. The both offer exceptional investment services at low costs. The question does not necessarily come down to "which broker is better," but instead to which broker suits you best.
If you are a more long term investor, Firstrade may be a great option due to its favorable mutual fund pricing and lack of an account maintenance fee.
If instead you are looking for a broker that puts emphasis on an active trading platform, TradeStation may be a great choice. In the end, it all comes down to your personal investing style and what you are looking to get out of an online broker.
Thank you for reading and we hope this article helps you make a decision on which online broker may be the best fit for you.
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