Charles SchwabReviews of schwab.com

Good customer service, Daniel from Dallas was very helpful and helped me resolve my issue. 24/7 customer service, what isn't there to like? May have to wait a little bit but hey " Patience is a Virtue."

Of the big banks, this is the best one I've used. Love the refunds on ATM fees

Pros: no commission trades online, lots of investment choices, website easy to navigate. Cons: so so research info, sometimes inaccurate stock prices.

I and 4 other members of my family have used Charles Schwab for US securities investment since 1996 i.e. over 23 years in my own case. Overall they provide a very efficient and excellent service at a very reasonable indeed cheap price. The website is very good and easy to use and the research information provided free is comprehensive. One can easily obtain a loan secured on the portfolio (margin loan) to invest further although the interest rates charged are quite high for most people . Example costs for US share purchase is $ 8 a trade regardless of the amount bought or sold. One can also trade Options i.e. Calls and Puts on US securities (including international shares quoted in the US as ADRs) but their rates for this are a bit high. Only once in over 20 years did I have a problem with my and Schwab was already onto it before I raised it with them. Their call centres in the US (with freehone access from the UK) are very efficient. Why not 5 stars ? Well one can only trade US quoted shares not other countries shares that are not quoted in the US. Also they do not let you trade Futures. Further they do not offer Junk Bonds so cutting out a large part of the Bond Market. Also one does not get income from securities Lending (they appear to lend your shares but they seem to keep the income from this). But these are minor quibbles. Overall an excellent and cost effective service (except for options)