Interactive Brokers is a top choice for active and experienced traders who want to trade any investment product for the lowest costs and fees in the industry. The trading platforms generally suit the needs of experienced investors who don't require the additional resources offered by the major brokers.

The company tries to guide you as much as possible to make the steep learning curve much easier. IB offers a web-based trading platform called WebTrader and a more advanced downloadable platform, Trader Workstation, that may take you a few days to learn.

Both platforms are included for Interactive Brokers clients at no additional cost. Most traders tend to gravitate to the Trader Workstation as it offers more features than WebTrader. You can trade the most products at the lowest prices and no competitor even comes close. Some new investors are worried about account security.

Interactive Brokers offers a number of physical security devices, one of which is a calculator-like security device which you enter a code into while logging in.

Interactive Brokers Review - Online Stock Trading - gedyfej.web.fc2.com

It may take you a bit longer to log in to your account as a result, but such is the trade-off one makes for peace of mind. Interactive Brokers offers a completely different type of user experience compared to other brokers. First, you should know that their web-based trading software is simply a place to execute trades. You can access your portfolio information, view current trading positions, and quickly make trades from the Market View.

A major plus, however, is that everything on this page is completely customizable so you can add, remove, and rearrange whatever you like. They even offer it in a Java ME format so you can use it with your Nokia smartphone. You can make trades and get stock quotes, although the app is a little slow because it briefly loads during navigation.

Once you get a quote, you can watch the bid and ask prices change right before your eyes in real time. Yet the best feature of the mobile app is its full demo. You can place trades, monitor your progress, and basically have the exact same capabilities you would have with an account funded by your own money. Interactive Brokers has been in the news several times for violating reporting rules and failing to supervise their accounts.

Interactive Brokers failed to compute customer funds in accounts at the end of each day from Interactive Brokers also used different currencies to maximize earnings, which was not requested by their customers.

Interactive Brokers Review - NerdWallet

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission CFTC said that Interactive Brokers did not retain enough dollars to meet their obligations to commodity customers. The frustration of the web-based platform sets in when you want to access the rest of your account information, such as reports or statements. You have to go into a separate account management section under the login portion of the website. Overall, Interactive Brokers is difficult for anyone to navigate the first time around.

It lacks many of the standard features that you would see from other brokers, but then again, Interactive Brokers is not like any of the other brokers. Traders who are interested in the top technology and lowest prices will certainly benefit in the long run even if the initial learning curve is a bit painful. Additionally, Interactive Brokers offers an extensive user guide with plenty of screenshots to guide you through the process.

Based on the customer support features available, Interactive Brokers scores fairly well because they offer live chat and support on social media outlets. However, there is plenty of chatter across the web and other message boards that have various complaints about the customer service for Interactive Brokers, or the lack thereof.

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Interactive Brokers Review

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Latest Update November 11, Top broker for active trading. Lowest trading costs in the industry. Great mobile app with plenty of play money.

Low Futures Commissions | No Trading Platform Fees

Serious fines for rules violations. Account history and statements displayed separately. High initial learning curve. Poor customer service reputation. Trading Costs and Fees. Not offered Mutual Funds Fee - No-Load: Unknown Full Account Transfer: Want to be the first to know everything?

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