TD Ameritrade Reviews & Ratings + User Comments

What Type of Accounts you can open with TD Ameritrade?

The list of accounts that one can start with TD Ameritrade is:

1. Individual
2. Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship (JTWROS)
3. Tenants in Common
4. Community Property
5. Tenants by the Entireties
6. Guardianship or Conservatorship
7. Individual Retirement Accounts: Traditional IRA | Roth IRA | Rollover IRA | SEP IRA | SIMPLE IRA |
8. TD Ameritrade Education Accounts :529 | Coverdell ESA | Custodial Uniform Gift to Minors Act (UGMA)/Uniform Transfer to Minors Act (UTMA)
9. Specialty Accounts:Trust | Limited Partnership | Partnership | Investment Club | Limited Liability | Sole Proprietorship | Corporate (profit or non-profit) | Non-incorporated | Pension or Profit Plan |

TD Ameritrade offers the following selection of investing products:

1. Options
2. Futures
3. FOREX
4. Stocks
5. Mutual Funds
6. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
7. Bonds, Options
8. CDs
9. Unit Investment Trusts
10. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

TD Ameritrade’s Fees & Commissions

1. Stock Trades:The commissions for the stocks($9.99) are higher than the other discount brokers. If you need personalized support for your trading then you can opt broker assisted trades which are conducted with the help of a professional licensed broker from TD Ameritrade. It’s really expensive to opt for Broker-assisted Trades. They charge a Flat fee of $ 44.99.
2. ETF Trades at TD Ameritrade:There simply isn’t a better choice when it comes to ETF trades. TD is offering 100 free ETF trades.
3. Mutual Fund Trades:Compared to any other discount broker, TD Ameritrade with more than 13000 Mutual Fund offerings is surely among the top.
4. Options Trading:Options Traders usually fall in love with the kind of informational resources they offer at TD Ameritrade. No wonder they have been rated No.1 by Barron’s! Again, rates aren’t all that cheap but considering their support and tools for options traders, they are surely worth a try. You should definitely try out their powerful suite of options trading tools.
5. Futures Trading:Trading futures through thinkorswim platform from TD Ameritrade is an ultimate experience. You get the advantage to use sophisticated technology with professional-grade tools, and timely in-depth information.
6. Investing in Fixed Investment Instruments:TD Ameritrade allows you to invest in CDs, Bonds and UITs. Pricing for treasuries at auction is flat $25. For other bonds and CMOs they charge on net yield basis.
7. FOREX Trading: Trading in FOREX can be done in over 100 currency pairs. TD Ameritrade does not levy additional charges for Non-commission currency pairs which are available in increments of 10,000 units.

TD Ameritrade’s Tools and Platform Performance

TD Ameritrade has two exceptional trading platforms in its offering, Trade architect and thinkorswim. Both these platforms deliver exceptional performance, far superior to what other discount brokerages have in their offering.

1. thinkorswim platform:It is a desktop-based trading platform. This platform makes it easier to monitor markets with live-streaming CNBC, real-time charts and many other tools. You can even practice trading with paperMoney facility.
2. Trade Architect:It is a web-based trading platform and is known to execute trades with precision. It even has a built-in real-time quote streamer, which displays trade trends along with a range indicator. You can customize almost every bit of the layout with easy to use drag and drop feature. This platform even offers CNBC Live-streaming, and gives you access to advance features such as earnings analysis, heat mapping, level II quotes, P&L graphs, and advanced charting. Surely, no competitor out there has such an incredible all-in-one web-based platform.

Popular Professional Tools:

1. Alerts: This monitoring tool by TD Ameritrade lets you track your portfolio scripts and watch lists without being in front of the screen all the time. You can receive customized alerts on your mobile phone and through email. These alerts are sent to you when your pre-specified criteria are met, and such alerts are valid up to six months.
2. Analytical Option Chains: This Options Tool from TD Ameritrade lets you run nominal Greek calculations for measuring the theoretical change in the value of an option that can occur due to sensitivity to key risks.
3. Charts: Charting from TD Ameritrade is ideal for technical analysis as it allows you to analyze trends with customizable charts. You can get intraday charts as well as historical charts up to 20 years. These charts are free to use and you can customize order triggers and alerts which automatically come into action when pre-set criteria is met. You can configure such trades and alerts based on a whole host of technical indicators.
4. Market Edge:This is a unique tool for traders; rather it’s a webcast which you can take advantage of every week. Market Edge includes third-party analysis on stocks that are worth tracking each week. They often generate trade ideas and tips that work best with TD Ameritrade’s trading tools.
5. Market Motion Detector: You can use this tool to monitor trends and identify stocks on the move. This tool allows you to set custom criteria for screening which includes stock price and volume action along with the rate of change.
6. QuoteScope: This is an interesting monitoring tool that allows flexible order-entry features. You can use it to liquidity information on real-time basis with the help of a Level II display. This display uses contracting and expanding concentric bands to reflect change in liquidity.
7. S&P Capital IQ Reports: Again, this one is yet another third-party powered fundamental analysis as well as idea generation tool. You can use this tool to get comprehensive research and tips on specific companies, industries and investment instruments such as funds and bonds. These reports include current news and analysis so that you can take informed decisions.
8. Trade Triggers™: This is one of the advance order tools from TD Ameritrade that allows you to set custom criteria for orders and alerts. Just like alert feature, this tool automatically submits your order and sends you an email alert. These trade triggers are valid for six months.
9. Trailing Stops: This is a special advance order tool that lets you protect your profits by limiting losses. You can enter your stop parameters and a trailing stop order can be created using this tool.

TD Ameritrade Mobile Platform

For mobile trading they have TD Ameritrade Mobile and TD Ameritrade Mobile Trader. You should try both these apps to find the one that suits you better.

1. TD Ameritrade Mobile: This app has all the trade essentials that you would require for hassle free trading. Key features include Research and news, Position and order monitoring, Real-time streaming quotes, and Integrated charts.
2. TD Ameritrade Mobile Trader: This app is for those who want even more trade sophistication when they are on the go. The key features include Advanced trading functions, paperMoney, customizable charts, Live market news.

They have apps for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android and a Mobile Site You can access the your account through the mobile site with most mobile devices supporting browser. You just need to ensure that your device is cookie-enabled and you must be a subscribed user for the service.

How good is their Customer Service and Support?

We tested their Customer Service through all available means and found that they are fairly responsive. Emails are answered within hours and 24/7 customer service is not just for name. One can compare the quality of the service with Scottrade

Education & Training for Traders

When it comes to sharing knowledge with the traders, TD Ameritrade is among the front-runners. You can browse the "Education" section which has content for New Investors, people Planning for Retirement, traders Investing for College, learning Trading Tools & Platforms. There are various sources which can help you to learn such as Webcasts, Archived Webcasts, Videos, Articles, Courses, Publications. You can even browse by Level of Expertise which is segregated for New Investor, Intermediate Investor, Advanced Investor, Expert Investor.

Miscellaneous information about TD Ameritrade

TD Ameritrade allows Extended-Hours Trading.