TD Ameritrade Review

Hailey By: Hailey | Last updated June 22, 2017

 td ameritrade logo online stock trading

9.3 / 10

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PROS:

  • No minimum deposit required
  • Mobile App
  • Great for beginners
  • Rich education center

CONS:

  • Expensive options trading
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SUMMARY:

TD Ameritrade is one of the most reliable and experienced online stock trading companies in the industry. It offers great stock opportunities on a well-designed intuitive platform that is equally accessible by beginner and professional users. Its learning center offers many different ways you can learn more about using your new account, configuring new strategies, making charts and doing different types of research. The platform also offers a simulated trading account beginner users can use to hone their skills before using their own, real funds.

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COMPLETE REVIEW

TD Ameritrade is one the most recognized names in the online stock trading industry. It has a highly efficient stock trading platform that is suitable for professional and first-time users. It has all the essential tools and features we looked for, and it offers several ways you can find help if you get stuck anywhere.

Interface and Features

TD Ameritrade features its signature thinkorswim professional-level trading platform. This solution offers many elite tools you can use to perform different analysis and test strategies. To make sure the set up isn’t too difficult to use, we tested the platform thoroughly for ease of use. Thinkorswim allows you to set up different kinds of watch lists for quicker access to the tools you most commonly use. For example, there are dozens of template watch lists you can choose from, and once they’re set up, you can start making trades directly from them. The platform comes with a customizable search option you can use to search for stocks by a specific industry. Thanks to its intuitive and accessible design, the platform features a dock that is present at all times and serves as an info panel for market opportunities, while the main command interface gives you an overview of all important information.

One of the most helpful tools is certainly the charting feature that has more than 300 tech indicators so you can tune your trading strategies to the tiniest detail. TD Ameritrade has the highest number of indicators in our review, by far. To further help with your online stock trading, the platform comes with 15 pre-programmed strategies like condor and butterfly, as well as the advanced forecasting tools you can use to perfect any strategy you choose.

TD Ameritrade is a modern, fast paced company so it’s only natural it offers an excellent mobility app for iOS and Android devices. The app lets you buy stocks, check real-time quotes or access your account. Although it has a different design, the app comes with most features you can access on the desktop software allowing you to immediately pick up any action on your phone, that you might have started on your computer, and vice-versa.

Features:

  • Option Strategies
  • Analytic Charts
  • Automated Trading
  • Forecasting
  • Simulated Trading
  • Mobile App
Pricing

TD Ameritrade lets you invest in options, bonds, stocks, mutual funds and CDs. When we were reviewing online stock trading services, we made sure to only include companies with transparent pricing and fees in order to insure customer satisfaction. TD Ameritrade charges $6.95 per stock trade, with options for the same amount for commission with an additional $0.75 for every contract. This means that ten contracts would cost $17.49, which is about average in our review. Some additional fees exist for broker-assisted training $44.99 per trade, plus $0.75 per options contract and an option assignment and exercise fee of $19.99. Comparingly, this service also doesn’t require a minimum deposit amount when you sign up, which is great news for traders just starting in the online trading business. Although it’s not the most affordable service in our review, TD Ameritrade has fair pricing compared to the quality trading commodities you are paying for.

Help/Support

Phone number: 800-454-9272

Website: www.tdameritrade.com

Support: www.tdameritrade.com/why-td-ameritrade/contact-us.page

Education page: www.tdameritrade.com/education.page

One very important aspect of any serious online stock trading company have to be its help/support options. Since TD Ameritrade cares about insuring absolute satisfaction with its users, the website offers many solutions for issues you can encounter with their platform. The company offers four weekly web seminars that also hold an archive anyone can access and search for trade related information. Aside from the webinars, the site also has a course about managing your portfolio. The course itself comes in three levels rookie (beginner), scholar (intermediate) and guru (expert) so traders of any skill level can find something to learn.

Since TD Ameritrade uses the thinkorswim platform some traders might need some time to get used to it and fully master its potential. The company’s learning center offers dozens of tutorial videos with practical advice about different aspects of the platform. All videos are broken down into step-by-step guides for every feature of the software. If you’d rather read instead of watching tutorials, all guides and training manuals are available in text. 

Another extremely helpful tool you can find in TD Ameritrade’s learning corner, is the paper money account. This is essential a training account or a stock market simulator you can use to practice trading before you involve real money. The account gives you a certain amount you can then use to invest, buy/sell or simply play around with the platform and test different strategies. Many different guides and tutorials, together with its trading simulator make TD Ameritrade a great online stock trading solution for users who are just getting started in the business.

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Our editorial staff evaluates products and services independently, but Best Review Guide may earn money when you click on links. Read our advertising disclosure.

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