Scottrade

I walked into the Irvine Scottrade today, and got what I didn’t expect. I went in thing that they would try to sell me a plan to make money and their plan is the best. I didn’t get that at all. Tim Brady was a down to earth guy who really care about me and my family on a personal level. I highly recommend Scottrade in Irvine, but I strongly recommend Tim when you make an appointment.

The staff here is very patient and professional. Even though I am not investing nearly as much as other people do, the staff here still provide the same service/​respect over the phone or in person as though I were investing a million dollars. I feel like I have called plenty of times with questions and issues and they have always addressed my concerns with a respectful tone and demeanor over the phone and in person.

These guys are really friendly and super helpful until you need to withdraw money from your account.
I’ve had a scottrade IRA for about 4 years, and the trading process is pretty smooth. The web UI isn’t bad, the support is good, etc. However, as soon as I tried transferring some of my money to a different IRA custodian, it was like dealing with a different company.
Scottrade denied the transfer request twice, citing a «minimum account balance» rule that nobody over there seems to know about. I called them the first time the request was denied, and was told that no such rule exists. So I attempted it a second time, and again the transfer was denied. On the 3^rd attempt, I tried transferring all of the money out of the account — and that actually worked, though they did keep $ 25 as a wire transfer fee.
So again, when you want to deposit, you’re in good shape. It’s quick, free, and their UI actually will connect directly to your bank account so that it can check your balance and make the deposit almost immediately. When you want to withdraw… well, in my case it took over a month of trying to appease a rule that at least 4 different reps swear doesn’t exist, and was capped off by a $ 25 transfer fee.
Enjoy the $ 25, guys. Have a blast.

If you’ve ever done any sort of trading you’ll know that at the moment, Scottrade is the only way to go. While other online investment companies charge a percentage, Scottrade charges $ 7 per trade regardless so it is the only sensible choice for those who may be day trading or those who are new to this sort of thing.
Their website is easy to maneuver and gives you real time updates which is so convenient if you’re the type of person who is a bit obsessive about needing to know how your stocks are doing right now.
The don’t pressure you like other similar investment companies do. They take your business whether it be small or large. This is the every person’s investment partner! I would say if this is your first foray into investing, you should definitely go with Scottrade!!!