More and more people around the world are using the Internet to do all of their stock trading, bypassing brokers, and saving a bundle. On all three of these sites you can buy, sell, and research stocks, mutual funds, and government securities.
Trades made after-hours occur when the market opens the next day.
During the last stock market dive, these services received huge amounts of traffic as people first tried to sell their stocks during the downswing and then re-buy them a day later on the upswing. Tests were done on all three services to see which had the biggest delays. However, with the financial clout behind Schwab, I can bet they won't lose that contest again. Find out on Thursday. The Virtual Garden offers a wheelbarrow full of resources for the beginning or professional gardener.