I am thinking about opening an accoutn at TOS. Currently I am with OX and I don't have a problem with them. I am at work during business hours and behind a firewall. I installed the TOS platform but it seems to not let me connect .... it just hangs there. I know that it is due to the firewall and I doubt I can talk to the Network admin about getting connected as my job has nothing to do with my trading. This is the only drawback I can see right now with TOS, even though they have web based trading, it is VERY limited. Plus, most of the time when I get home, it is too late to do meaningful analysis on the platform, or to actually learn the platform. Anyone has any idea to get connected behind a firewall? I know there was a separate thread on this topic but I didn't see any viable solutions. Thanks.
Contact TOS tech support, extremely helpful people! They'll help you work around this issue, if there's a workaround, of course.
I dealt with the same issues. My solution was to buy an inexpensive laptop with a wireless card. In a couple of months trading, it was paid for.
When I saw this thread, I couldn't resist jumping in with a shamefully enthusiastic plug for thinkorswim. I am a very very happy camper with every aspect of this company. I've been to four of the free educational seminars and am about to attend a fifth - and have plans to go to Chicago for one of the 2 1/2 day events. You spend the first half day on the floor of the CBOE hearing from market makers and the next two days in their offices getting some education. They wine and dine you, and it's a grand total of $199. To say that their commissions are negotiable is laughable. I sent an email to the company founder suggesting to him what I would like to pay for options, equities, and futures. Ten minutes later, he had emailed me letting me know he had adjusted my account accordingly. And no, I didn't send them a particularly big check to open. At the end of the business day on which they received my initial funds, I was puzzled (but not upset) that it wasn't posted to my account, so I dropped an overnight email of inquiry. At 7am the next morning, I had a note of apology from (again) the company's founder, and his mention that he had funded my account internally since he "recalled" seeing a copy of my check on someone's desk. Their software, support, and education are excellent - the best I've seen. And even if you're not a client, give a look at their equities day trading chat room Shadowtrader.net. It's really a lot of fun, and the moderator, Peter, has excellent market knowledge and finds some pretty darn good trades - and of course some poor ones. No way I'll bad mouth any other firm, but I am pretty pumped on thinkorswim.
Someone earlier said, "I have a funny feeling about tos, I think they're traders and not brokers." he's right, they are traders w/ floor experience. tos is a great firm, but I'd like to comment on their operational/non trading customer service. -It's vastly improved from 2 years ago w/ experienced financial professionals filling the shoes of unqualified girls. Unfortunately there still appears to be one lame duck in the group that must've slept w/ somebody to still be around. She's horribly incompetent and has screwed every matter up that I have ever had the disdain frustration of having to communicate w/ her. Since I'm commenting harshly, I won't mention her name, but for those of you who have dealt w/ her, I have come to term her Roach ( a play on her name). Fortunately, since this girl can't handle the simplest of inquiries, she seems to barely answer the phone and when she does I'll atleast eventually get passed onto a knowledgeable co-worker or the department manager. This gets immediate results, but my complaints about Roach have not yielded any results. She's still there, and she is completely incompetent. Makes you wonder why a progressive firm would put up w/ this. The rant is to warn all you guys and girls, if you need back office assistance...stay away from Roach!!! If you do that then I promise you you'll be extremely happy with thinkorswim.
Someone earlier said, "I have a funny feeling about tos, I think they're traders and not brokers." he's right, they are traders w/ floor experience. tos is a great firm, but I'd like to comment on their operational/non trading customer service. -It's vastly improves from 2 years ago w/ experienced financial professionals filling the shoes of unqualified girls. Unfortunately there still appears to be one lame duck in the group that must've slept w/ somebody to still be around. She's horribly incompetent and has screwed every matter up that I have ever had the disdain frustration of having to communicate w/ her. Since I'm commenting harshly, I won't mention her name, but for those of you who have dealt w/ her, I have come to term her Roach ( a play on her name). Fortunately, since this girl can't handle the simplest of inquiries, she seems to barely answer the phone and when she does I'll atleast eventually get passed onto a knowledgeable co-worker or the department manager. This gets immediate results, but my complaints about Roach have not yielded any results. She's still there, and she is completely incompetent. Makes you wonder why a progressive firm would put up w/ this. The rant is to warn all you guys and girls, if you need back office assistance...stay away from Roach!!! If you do that then I promise you you'll be extremely happy with thinkorswim.
I think I know who you are talking about....however remember they are in Chicago/NY east coast kind of thing.... she has been very nice to me and although occassionally they do answer the phones without identifying themselves (which drives my husband crazy) they have all been helpful without compaint. That would be my only suggestion to Joel or anyone who has a piece of the company. At all levels the response SHOULD be "hello or thanks for calling TOS ...THIS is so and so...how may I help you?" As a customer its always kinda intimadating to say..."soooo WHO am I talking to?"
Your civility is appreciated, but Chicagoans are midwesterners, nothing like the ny east coast attitudes. This compliance associate is simply retarded and no one at thinkorswim cares. She has to have something on someone at that firm. How can someone of Joel's intellectual capacity or Donny's "lets take care of this problem now" attitude favor such a pathetic employee, not realizing her hindrance to this intellectually innovative growing firm. I guess it bothers me cuz it's a huge contradiction to everything I'm come to love about thinkorswim. Oh well.
Hey Michael, For your auto-trading, don't the monthly fee and commissions eat up your gains? I don't auto-trade (not yet anyway), so it would be tough to leave IB which charges only .75 per option. Thanks for starting a great thread. Dale