Almost always, phone staffs were knowledgeable and courteous and, with few exceptions, our requests for information packets were received in a reasonable amount of time. Read the Web site carefully for a complete list of fees. The cheapest way to trade is to place a market order online. A market order means you'll accept the going rate for the stock whether you're buying or selling. A limit order allows you to specify the price at which you will buy or sell.
Many firms charge extra for limit orders.
Unfortunately, five of the brokerages don't offer touchtone trading. This eliminates a mid-tier pricing level for trading. Live broker Calling your brokerage and asking for a representative to help you make a trade is the most expensive method. If you know which funds or fund families you want to invest in, be sure to see if it is rated as an NTF fund with a brokerage that you are considering. The NTF group of funds is not the same from one brokerage to another.