At someone else has already mentioned, I would do my best to avoid Etrade at all costs. But the bottom line comes down to what kind of trader you are, and what kind of broker you need. I was with Etrade for 2 years, and for some reason I thought that I didnt need to look elsewhere. Ignorance sure is bliss when you cant get the blindfold off. I finally have taken the iniative to switch for many reasons. First off, their commissions are high for an active trader (you can save 80% by switching to a share based broker). Secondly, and most importantly, their platform is absolute crap. Sure, the exchange fees are included, and the data feed is integrated and free, but the overall fuctionality/control of the program is amongst the worst I have seen. This is especially the case if you are looking for a reliable charting application. I could go on and on to describe the limitations of their charting, but if you took one look at their stochastics I think you would understand. Its the craziest thing Ive ever seen. Not only that, but you cant necessarily zoom in/zoom out (compress, depress bars) at all. Its not even an option. Ive mentioned this to them many times, and while I think all of their other customer service aspects are top notch (in my experience) they havent done a thing about it. I kinda think of it like this: If the stochastics is one of the most widely used indicators (something that has been around since the late 50s), and they cant program it correctly, then what is the reliability of everything else Im looking at? I would look elsewhere. Just my .02 jm
I'm a HarrisDirect transplant and I have to say that eTrade sucks. I already had an eTrade Money Market account and getting the two linked has been a NIGHTMARE! After three weeks I've had three people call and NOT ONE has helped me do this simple task yet. When I had HarrisDirect, I could pickup the phone and get someone reasonably quickly. Alot of times I could get questions answered via email BY A HUMAN BEING. From eTrade, I get stock form letters that don't even answer the question I asked. If I didn't have to hold on to a good number of my positions, I'd have moved my money out already! THEY SUCK!