TD Ameritrade Review

TD Ameritrade consistently ranks among the top of our list of best stock brokers for their powerful Website and research tool, widely available branches, and no maintenance or inactivity fees.

TD Amertirade is a good pick for self-directed investors who want robust trading tools and lots of free research.

TD Ameritrade Fees and Commissions

TD Ameritrade Minimums to Open Account

The minimum balance to open a TD Ameritrade cash or margin account is $1,000. The minimum to open an investment account is $1,000.

TD Ameritrade Review

TD Ameritrade ranks among the largest online brokers and is a subsidiary of TD Bank, one of North America’s largest financial companies.

TD Ameritrade is best for fairly active stock traders who want powerful technology and access to the latest research. After their acquisition of ThinkorSwim, TD Ameritrade probably has the best trading technology going. That said, TD Ameritrade is not the least expensive broker. Although $9.99 per stock trade isn’t the most expensive, it’s definitely not the place to buy no-load mutual funds, which will cost $49 per trade.

Another area TD Amertirade stands out however, is that they don’t have many surcharges other brokerages levy. TD Amertirade does not charge fees for after-hours trades, large orders, penny stocks, or for account inactivity. There’s also no IRA setup or annual fees, making TD Ameritrade a good choice for people who want to open IRAs and fill them with stocks or ETFS.

Given its online community of investors and research tools, TD Ameritrade was ranked the best broker for beginning investors by Barron’s in 2012 and one similar accolades from Kiplinger’s in 2012. They also have a generous promotion where you can trade free for 60 days and get up to $600 cash bonus on your opening deposit. (See their site for details.)

How to Open a TD Ameritrade Account

You can open a new TD Ameritrade account online in about 15 minutes without mailing and forms; there’s no minimum to open an account unless you want to fund your account electronically, in which case you’ll need to send at least $500. You can link your bank account electronically without waiting for small verification deposits to clear your account.

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