Stock Broker Reviews



Compare TD Ameritrade versus Charles Schwab



TD Ameritrade review 2009 Charles Schwab review

Ameritrade vs Charles Schwab Trading Fees and Investments Offered



Ameritrade
Charles Schwab
  • Stocks and ETFs: $9.99
  • Options: $9.99 plus $0.75 per contract
  • No-load mutual funds: $49.99
  • Investment products: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, options, ETFs
  • Minimum to open account: $1,000 equity is required to open an IRA, and $2,000 to open any non-IRA account
  • All TD Ameritrade fees
  • Stocks and ETFs: $8.95
  • Options: $8.95 plus $0.75 per contract
  • Mutual funds: $49.95. Mutual Fund OneSource® Funds - free
  • Investment products: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, futures, treasury issues, options, CDs, insurance, ETFs, annuities, non-U.S. securities and ADRs, WEBs and Canadian foreign orders
  • Minimum to open account: $1,000
  • All Charles Schwab fees



Compare Ameritrade and Charles Schwab Pros



Ameritrade
Charles Schwab
  • No surcharges for penny stocks, large orders and after-hours trading
  • Large and well known company with many branches
  • No maintenance and inactivity fees
  • Large selection of third-party research
  • Traditional banking features: credit cards and checking accounts
  • Around 300 offices for personal visits and deposits and 24/7 support
  • No account service fees
  • Rich selection of investing products
  • Minimum balance requirement: $1,000
  • Excellent customer service



Compare Ameritrade and Charles Schwab Cons



Ameritrade
Charles Schwab
  • $9.99 commission for stocks/ETFs is high, $49 commission for mutual funds is extremely high
  • Poor order execution
  • The website is sometimes very slow or even down on the most crucial days
  • High commissions on stocks, options, mutual funds and ETFs
  • Average trading tools
  • Outdated and difficult to navigate website



Ameritrade or Charles Schwab: Comparison Summary



Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade are some of the most recognized online brokerage houses in the country. They have very similar trading commissions and fees and target the same category of customers.

Charles Schwab provides much better customer service. It also does not have order execution and website performance problems that happen to Ameritrade on high volume days.

Ameritrade and Charles Schwab have no account inactivity and maintenance fees and no surcharges for large orders, penny stocks and after-hours trading. There are also no IRA fees, but neither if these firms made it into our Best IRA Brokers list.

Both brokerages are not bad, but investing costs are high comparing to many other firms. There are five Recommended Stock Brokers which offer lower stock and ETF commissions and excellent client services.


TD Ameritrade Website

TD Ameritrade review 2009

Charles Schwab Website

Charles Schwab review

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