Discount Brokerage Firm Recomendations

[exNSXer]

Prime,

I'm looking for some advice or recommendation on selecting a discount brokerage firm to manage a small investment. In the past, I have used full service brokerage firms, Merrill Lynch to be exact, and have experienced nothing but lackluster performance at best, in addition to the mounting fees to manage my account.

So with that said, any personal experience with Charles Schwab, E-trade, or any other discount brokerage firms? I'm looking for a easy to use, robust trading platform for a beginner investor, great customer service, low cost per trades, sound advice, and any other factor a reasonable investor would consider.

In addition, although I would almost rather prefer to have someone else manage my money, my portfolio size warrants otherwise, as in small. So, I would need something of a compromise between full service and self service.

If there is anything that I left out.....let me know and I'll do my best to address that concern. Thanks in advance for any/all input.

 

[sahtt]

I trade securities (mostly equities) 9-5. My recommendation for value and ability is Interactive Brokers. When your investments grow larger, they usually grow in complexity as well. IB can handle just about anything.

 

[SilverStone05]

As far as robust goes, IB and Ameritrade.

I personally use Ameritrade because the user interface is very intuitive. And because of the pricing structure, I end up better off.