Founded in 1982, E*TRADE made its first ever online trade a mere year later. Over almost three and a half decades later they are still standing strong. And in the world of highly-competitive trading platform business, that’s saying something.

E*TRADE might not be on lists of best trading platforms right now, but they do have many years of experience and awards. They pride themselves on their “trade more, pay less” policy. Furthermore, they have a reputation for being an amazing platform for individual retail investors, especially novices. So let’s have a good, short but sweet look at this financial service company and find out if the positive rumors were correct.

A Brief Overview

As stated, E*TRADE was formed in 1982 and performed the first ever successful online stock trade in 1983. Since then it has expanded tremendously. The company boasts an impressive 3.600 employees. It has two national branches, with its headquarters in New York City. There are also around 30 local branches across the country.

This pioneer in online brokerage prides itself on user-friendly business practices and being accommodating to everyone, veteran or new. Aside from its FAQ section, E*TRADE maintains a customer service available at all times. You can contact them via telephone, e-mail or in person at any of their local branches.

What Does E*TRADE Offer?

First of all, E*TRADE has its own bank. The reasoning behind this is that they want to maximize the deposits’ value generated through their brokerage businesses. You can make your own bank account directly at the company’s website at https://us.etrade.com.

However, more impressive is their tools section, the types of accounts you can make, as well as the prices, which we will go over by the end of the review.

Tools of the Trade, Literally

The biggest plus of E*TRADE is how accessible it is to newcomers in the stock trade. Without the need to log in, you will have access to most of the training tools. These include live events, education sessions, educative videos and a number of written articles. Newcomers can choose between three separate topics.”Stocks to Learn” deals with stock analysis, selection, and trading. We’re talking about stocks that are part of the fundamental options for investment. “Options and Futures” helps you to learn the basics of both. You will understand how to use them in your portfolio and use strategies to trade them.  “Retirement and Planning” is exactly what it says. It teaches you the basics of planning out your retirement, college funds, taxes, and so on.

The toolset only gets more interesting from here.

Platforms, E*TRADE has them

Naturally, we should start with the original. The E*TRADE Web Platform has all of the tools a stock retailer needs to be successful. In it, you will get third-party trade news, analyst research, quotes, and charts. If you’d like to see all of the future opportunities, the Web Platform also has stock screeners and investment tools. Finally, you will have access to retirement planning and many educational resources.

OptionHouse, also known as the Advanced Trading Platform, has even more options. You will get integrated trading of stocks, options, ETFs, and futures. The toolset also gets more advanced – think customizable trading ladders and option chains. And lastly, when it comes to charts, OptionHouse has you covered. Over 30 various drawing tools and over 100 studies, with many different chart types. Oh, and it allows you both intraday and historical charting.

Mobile platforms are exactly what their names imply. You can take them with you, have full access to your trading data and trade whenever, wherever.

Account Types of E*TRADE

Let’s take a look at the accounts. You have the very flexible Brokerage account. With it, you get a full range of investment types, objective data, analysis, and research. There is also full access to training options and courses. Next, you have the Managed Account Solutions. You will get an adaptive portfolio, managed investment portfolios with a low minimum on your first investment, and unified managed accounts. This last part is great for a customized portfolio with individual securities.

Now, the last two accounts speak for themselves. With the Retirement Account, you can use three types of IRA: traditional, rollover, and Roth. The Small Business Retirement allows you to give offers, investments, and trades of retirement benefits to your employees.

Prices and Fees

Another massive bonus of E*TRADE is its initial 60 days of commission-free stocks, as well as options that trade up to $600. Their price page is somewhat hard to understand by newcomer traders. But if you do your research, you will see that the prices directly coincide with the trade numbers. True to their word, E*TRADE puts the success of trades front and center, and trading more is an incentive.

One more major plus is that the company lists the risks of trading right then and there. They encourage you to check their background for legitimacy and trade safely. This further cements how approachable the company is to newcomers.

Where Do We Stand On E*TRADE

With E*TRADE, the positives outweigh the negatives. The price range might appear clumsy and difficult for newcomers to understand. Furthermore, the sheer number of options could take anyone aback, even seasoned traders. Nevertheless, the available tools, years of experience and accessibility make this platform a surefire hit.

So, veteran traders? Newbie stock trade enthusiasts? Small business owners? Ladies and gentlemen looking to retire in the most comfortable way possible? Look no further, E*TRADE is your guy. Take advantage of their 60-day commission-free stocks and start trading now!