Sharebuilder is a useful online brokerage site. I knew little and am still learning but Sharebuilder's basic tools favor a long term approach which can be easily implemented without the constant skimming off the top that many brokers take with their commission fees. The user interface is very easy to use. Also since the recent merger with ING, the product appears to be better in both style and substance. Before, the models on the frontpage just weren't the kind of people that seemed like intelligent investor types. Also, the trading fees have been reduced to a flat price of $9.99 which is good when you don't have that much money to play with. No inactivity fees is a big plus. The biggest limitations are that they almost never have IPO's that you can get in on and that they don't let you invest in many stocks listed in the pink sheets. Over all though, for Joe Blow this is a good tool. I agree with previous reviews that this is not for active traders.
Sharebuilder is a useful online brokerage site. I knew little and am still learning but Sharebuilder's basic tools favor a long term approach which can be easily implemented without the constant skimming off the top that many brokers take with their commission fees. The user interface is very easy to use. Also since the recent merger with ING, the product appears to be better in both style and substance. Before, the models on the frontpage just weren't the kind of people that seemed like intelligent investor types. Also, the trading fees have been reduced to a flat price of $9.99 which is good when you don't have that much money to play with. No inactivity fees is a big plus. The biggest limitations are that they almost never have IPO's that you can get in on and that they don't let you invest in many stocks listed in the pink sheets. Over all though, for Joe Blow this is a good tool. I agree with previous reviews that this is not for active traders.