I hope I did not sound discouraging. I just expressed variables people do not consider to be better equipped and prepared.
Not as simple as all that: • Every state has different regs with regard to the number of for-fee clients for which accounts can be traded before registration has to occur. • tax implications of fee/status are manifest at the state and at the federal level. • tax efficiency directs fees to be expensed from client accounts, rather than paid to the trader through post-tax dollars. (figure a rough 33% gross-up.) • as soon as you charge fees, IB must classify you as a professional (with what is really a modest bump in per-month {data} charges). • if you charge fees, your tax picture and your clients tax picture is *much* simplified by IB's account architecture. Presumably, the accounts/architecture aspects would apply to other brokers that offer them as well, but I have no direct knowledge.