Online broking is simply buying assets through a brokerage firm that has an internet-based trading platform. The late 90s witnessed the evolution of the high-speed internet. This enabled online trading of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which gave rise to online brokerage companies. These companies help investors trade their money in different investment options. Online trading is also referred to as e-trading or self-directed investment.
Based on factors like affordability, platform versatility, and customer service, here are some of the best online brokerage companies that you should consider for trading your investments.
Vanguard
It is one of the top brokerage firms, which is popular among low-cost investors. It is mostly utilized by retired and buy-and-hold investors who have a high account balance. Long-term investors should consider using this online broking company as it has a low expense ratio of ETFs and index funds.
It is one of those online brokerage companies that list the safest trading options, promising a long-term growth. Vanguard offers around $7 trades for accounts worth $50,000. The same trades cost $2 for accounts with $500,000. The trades become free once the account reaches a million dollar. Investors who frequently trade (for at least 25 times a year) might be charged with a nominal fee.
Ally Invest
If you are a seasoned investor, you should consider Ally Invest. The online trading company offers forex trading and automated portfolio management. Although there are no minimums, the commissions on trades are around $4.95. Frequent investors who trade for 30 times or more within three months are required to pay only $3.95 for their trade.
Ally Invest has a versatile PC and smartphone platform. You can make your own customized dashboard with a diverse set of trading tools. Some other useful features are a profit and loss calculator to evaluate your earnings. It also has Maxit tax manager, which informs the investors about changes in the taxes based on the trades. The probability calculator tells the likelihood of the desired target for each share.
TD Ameritrade
This is one of the best online brokerage companies. This is because it has some of the best resources for both, beginners and advanced investors. The company offers portfolio-building advice, more than a hundred ETFs, and a trading platform for both mobile and PC. TD Ameritrade has online programs for beginner traders called “web platform” where it helps investors build a balanced portfolio including ETFs, mutual funds, stocks, and bonds. TD Ameritrade also provides free resources if you like to do your own research.
You can also communicate with a panel of specialists with whom you can chat personally and get advice on the best investment options.
Scottrade
The online brokerage company has about 500 offices across the country, where investors can visit and consult a knowledgeable investor. Scottrade has more than 1000 consultants for all your investment-related queries. They do not have an account minimum as you have to pay around $6.95 as a commission for a single trade. Scottrade offers 50 commission-free trades on depositing $10,000 in the Scottrade account.
They have also lowered their contract fee from to $1.25 to $0.70 in the recent years. Another factor that makes Scottrade one of the best online brokerage companies is that it only costs around $17 to sell and buy no-load funds. The number of such transaction fee-free funds is a whopping 2600.
Robinhood
The online brokerage companies are best for commission-free stocks and ETF trades. The investors don’t have to pay the account minimum. They can immediately trade $1000 to invest in various stock options. A free upgrade enables investors to sell stocks and ETFs and buy the same elsewhere.
The online brokerage company has a great mobile app that saves you from the hassle of switching to your PC to track your stock earnings. It allows you to transfer your money automatically to your bank account and vice versa, whenever you want.
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Common signs of colon cancer
Read moreIn a majority of the cases, a colon cancer goes undetected at the earlier stages because the symptoms are not obvious. Patients usually mistake colon cancer symptoms for other minor issues. The patients must consult a doctor if any of the below-mentioned warning signs and symptoms of colon cancer are present for a prolonged period.
- Abdominal pain – Abdominal pain is a common issue and everyone might have faced it at some point in time. Most of the times, an abdominal pain might not be because of a serious issue. Although the pain might be severe, the reason behind the pain might not be that grave. However, if someone experiences prolonged pain in unfamiliar areas, it is best to consult a doctor. The doctors might provide effective medication to soothe the pain. If further diagnosis is needed, they might even prescribe for a number of tests to gain a better understanding of the situation. Knowing the body and taking a note of the symptoms make things easy to understand.
- Blood in stool – Blood in stool is something that everyone should consider seriously, irrespective of the cause. It is best to consult a doctor in such a situation so that they can determine the cause, which could be hemorrhoid or something more serious like a colon cancer. Bright red or dark red blood with pain is a common symptom of colon cancer. If one experiences this, they should immediately consult a doctor. The doctor will examine and might prescribe for a colonoscopy to check for tumors.
- Abnormalities in bowel habits – Diarrhea and constipation are some of the common bowel disorders. It could be due to change in food or simple flu. However, if one experiences these for a long period, then it is something serious. If the diarrhea or constipation lasts for more than a week, it’s advisable to consult a doctor. Stool narrower than the normal ones are the symptoms of a colon cancer.
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer among people in the country and is the second leading reason for cancer deaths. There is awareness among people, however, there is a lack of a proper diagnosis. Early detection is the best to avoid such a severe disease.
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Here are the things you can do with Google Home Mini
Read moreThe Google Home Mini is an audio-controlled speaker that one can use for many functions namely- playing music, controlling smart home gadgets, and answering trivia questions. This mini speaker can also be used for adding tasks to a to-do list, adding reminders and appointments, and playing videos on a screen that is Chromecast enabled.
You can welcome the smallest version of Google Home and Google’s famous voice assistant by purchasing a Google Home Mini. If you already have a Google Home Mini, there here are some unusual features you should definitely try out!
Make it tell you jokes
Google Assistant is known for its sense of humor. Therefore, apart from using it for the usual things, you can just ask your Google Home Mini to tell you a joke. For this, all you need to do is, say “OK Google, tell me a joke”, then sit back and let it amuse you. Additionally, if you don’t find the jokes funny, you can tell your Mini to simply tell Mini the same and it will change its idea of funny without getting offended.Use third-party services
Both, Google Home and Google Home Mini, let you interact with certain professional services. These services include Netflix, YouTube, Uber, Domino’s Pizza, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR One. To use these services, all you have to do is say that you want to use the service (service’s name) and that’s it, you will be directed to the service instantly.Additionally, while the device does not allow you to book flight tickets yet, you can easily look up flight information and add a reminder telling you to book it later!
Make it remember things for you
You might have a really sharp memory, but at some point, we all need a little reminder. Google Home Mini makes this job effortless for you. If you have certain tasks that you cannot afford to forget, you can simply ask the device to remember something for you. So, if you cannot remember where you have kept your keys, you can simply tell the Google Home Mini that you have kept it in the front drawer, and it will remind you the next time you ask it.Use it to set a timer and event reminder
You can also use the Google Home Mini to remind you of big and small events. So, if you are cooking a meal and have kept food in the oven, requiring you to wait for 30 minutes, your Google Home Mini will remind you to check the food after exactly 30 minutes. Likewise, you can ask Google Home Mini to remind you of other important events as well.