I currently pay .01 per side. When I added up all my costs, my trading in the past 2 months put me down $2500. -$210 from trading........ -$2290 from commissions. So, without costs, I'd be ok....so here's the rub. How does a newbie trading 100 shares get a good deal? I know high volume equals low rates. The "Head Trader" at my firm says the only way to learn is to trade alot. I am starting to believe that while this is true, he just wants to cut his costs. At this firm 1m a month is .005, which I gather is high compared to other firms. I know I have to trade to learn, but if I get beat by the juice before I learn.....game over. I should probably stop real trading and just use the demo. At least I would lose money while learning what to do. Any thoughts? And thanks to all who have helped me out through all this. B