Also note the attention you get after you sign up. While online trading leads the financial services in growth, it has lagged behind other businesses when it comes to customer service. Give them a call and see how quickly they pick up the phone. Your online brokerage may suit your needs depending on the breadth of products available. Your new brokerage may offer free research, so you can investigate a company before you buy.
Some firms offer free real-time quotes, others charge a fee.
As technology moves with rapid speed, brokerages are even expanding extra services into live customer service chat areas and after-hours online trading. In 1999, financial research company Jupiter Communications found that less than forty percent of Web sites offering financial services responded to customer inquiries within twenty-four hours. Many took days to reply. As with most investment information in this Internet Age, there are plenty of Web sites offering current news and advice. Gomez rates broker performance with their Internet Broker Scorecard.