My wife inherited a couple of mil recently. I consider myself a buy and hold investor, but it would be nice to have access to international trading. Also safety is important for me - Weiss (TheStreet.com) ratings used to rate brokerages but unfortunately they don't do it anymore. IB looks like it has the most features but they don't do Beneficiary IRA's. And their customer service doesn't seem that great. Maybe I'll open a regular account with them. Are these guys safe? They have exposure to the market-making business. Etrade has global trading - but I don't like their involvement with the mortgage business. Fidelity seems expensive. Muriel Siebert - Weiss rating A, a bit expensive if buying lots of shares. no international trading. TD Ameritrade - no international trading, low cash rates Banc of America - free trades, no international trading. All of them have cons. Out of all these choices which one would you recommend? Any other suggestions?
There's lots of regulation coming down on retail forex dealers lately from the NFA. You should understand the rules, and make sure you choose a broker that isn't at risk. Here are two links with info: On the new revenue requirements: http://www.pfxglobal.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=459&Itemid=188 On the new IB rules http://www.pfxglobal.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=937&Itemid=188 John