Being responsible about finances is terribly unsexy. In the book I talk about cutting down on consumption and seeing every last dollar as an investable asset. Young people get caught up in the convenience of blowing your money on crap. Look at it from a global perspective, and a broker is not a terrible idea when it comes to taxes and complex financial matters. One thing that's changed over the past few years is to see account minimums come down over the whole spectrum of financial services.
Same thing goes for brokers.
What worries me is how stock accounts are marketed to young people. Ad campaigns for online brokers teach them that it's a lottery, where it's just a matter of time until their winning number comes up. That to me is troublesome. You pick solid mutual funds, you make saving a priority, look to reduce consumption and let compound interest work its magic. There's a difference between investing and speculating.