Charles Schwab's ratings can be found throughout the platform experience, such as when you view a watch list or stock screener.ĮTFs and mutual funds research: Looking at researching ETFs and mutual funds with Charles Schwab, there is a lot to like. Stock research: Beyond offering traditional third-party ratings, Schwab's proprietary equity ratings add value to the research experience.
As a cherry on top, Schwab delivers live daily broadcasting across 11 shows, a feat matched only by TD Ameritrade. Additionally, market commentary found through the Schwab Insights portal is consistently fresh and engaging. Market commentary: Schwab's in-house research is terrific, thanks to its staff of experts, including Liz Ann Sonders, Randy Frederick, Lee Bohl, and Kathy Jones, among others. This means you cannot use the main Schwab website, nor StreetSmart Edge, to place futures trades.Ĭharles Schwab provides among the highest quality research of all the brokers I've tested here at. Trade Source is available to Schwab customers through the website and is essentially a standalone platform in its own right.įutures trading: While futures trading is offered, trading must be conducted on the StreetSmart Central platform specifically. Trade Source: For casual investors seeking a simple tool that includes clean charting, streaming quotes, and purposely excludes all the bells and whistles desired by active traders, Trade Source is my recommendation. In 2021, Schwab finished Best in Class in the Active Trading category. For options traders, Schwab's All-in-one trade ticket, alongside the proprietary Walk Limit order type, are both excellent. I find the platform easier to learn than TD Ameritrade and TradeStation, although the latter two provide a richer experience overall.
StreetSmart Edge: Schwab's flagship downloadable trading platform, StreetSmart Edge, provides most of the bells and whistles options traders and day traders need to succeed. While each platform has its highlights and lowlights, all in all, Schwab will satisfy most traders. Schwab pricing summary:Īlongside the Charles Schwab website, Schwab offers customers access to two primary platforms: StreetSmart Edge (desktop-based active traders), and StreetSmart Central (web-based futures trading). For investors seeking No Transaction Fee (NTF), No Load (NL) funds, Schwab offers over 150 OneSource Funds, selected using various quantitative and qualitative factors. There is no additional charge for selling.
Note, unlike most brokers, Charles Schwab, alongside Fidelity, only charge for the original purchase. Mutual funds: All transaction fee mutual funds cost $49.95 per trade. Penny stocks: Our research found Charles Schwab charges $$6.95 for penny stock trading, which makes it one of the more expensive brokers for trading OTC stocks. No, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin are not available to trade at Charles Schwab.įractional shares: Called Schwab Stock Slices, customers can purchase fractional shares of any company in the S&P 500. Even better for investors, Schwab is the only broker alongside Fidelity to list the price improvement received on eligible orders, which is important transparency for order execution quality. At Schwab, stock and ETF trades are $0, and options trades are just $0.65 per contract.