This site's readers have always been requesting a compilation of incentives being offered by various online brokerages to open new accounts. My excuse has been that the incentives change quite frequently and so such an article would become obsolete pretty quickly. In order the make your comparison easier, I have complied a table below that shows the incentives b eing offered by various online brokerages at April 2001. I have also made available the commission that were being charged by them for limit orders up to a particular number of shares. As compared to my previous article comparing commission rates , you will notice that some firms have increased their rates.
Brokerages also attach various conditions to such incentive schemes.
A common condition is the maintenance of a minimum level of assets in the account for a year. Hence, I have provided that information. Please read the fine print carefully before you sign since other conditions like a minimum number of trades per year are also prevalent. Finally, some offerings are available for a limited time only. Do consider that your existing brokerage may charge you transfer fees, and it may take weeks to move your assets.