There are many online stock brokers to choose from today, so it can be tough to figure out which one is the best of the bunch. In a careful comparison, there are four companies that stand about the rest in this area: fidelity.com, tdameritrade.com, etrade.com and schwab.com. These four firms all have several features in common that make them stand out from the competition. Each offers excellent online research tools, an wide range of investment choices, very easy-to-use websites and very reasonable commissions.
Charles Schwab offers the most extensive list of mutual funds that includes no-loads and no-transaction fee funds. All of these firms have been in the online brokerage business for decades, and their experience gives them a leg up over competing firms. Merilledge.com is one of these new competitors, and although it is backed by big name banks, it doesn't offer compelling value to the investor in any of the areas that matter most.