I always like to hear the reasons people have for making important decisions. So this is about my search and decisions for choosing TradeStation over the competition. Having a good broker is essential. I was very happy with PD, loved the software and the customer service was very good. but, something happened. I don't know what exactly or why, read the other threads. I'd looked at low cost brokers and eliminated them based on reviews, software, record keeping, forum chatter, and of course cost. After narrowing the field I used other criteria. The yard sticks I used when talking to numerous firms were how easy are they to access, how helpful are the reps, how user friendly is the software and the site. Happy, easy going, knowledgeable people is a sign that things are working well. Robust, easy to use software with available tech assistance is vital. A site that is informative, thorough and answers all your questions speaks highly about their commitment and ability to serve you. Notice I use the word "easy" allot. I did tons of research and what jumped out at me was that some brokers made it readily apparent that they were trying to and going to make life easier for me. Trading and all that it entails is hard enough and time consuming--why make it harder than it has to be? I didn't chose TradeStation for its amazing platform(click on the Sample Screen Shots under Trading platform) but for all the other reasons. My Sales rep., Darryl Stevens(1 888 223-9674). made arrangements for overnite delivery of my signed application. Easy, nice. No, I have no affiliation with TradeStation. I'm just giving back to the group and trying help others . Of course, if bad things happen I'll be the first to let you know.