Ever since I found thinkorswim, I've been in love. First, they have some of the lowest commissions in the business. There are lower, but only a few of those seem even remotely worthwhile (Interactive Brokers and Scottrade under the right circumstances).

The desktop trading software is really first-class. It lets you perform complex option spreads with ease, and provides so many analysis tools that you will never feel like you don't have the tools you need to trade effectively. Compare this to some other brokers who require a certain account size or trading volume to get access to "advanced" tools, and you'll see one reason I love these guys. Also, their trading platform works on both my Windows machine at work, and my Linux machine at home.

They also have a number of trader-friendly features. First, you can buy back short options (priced $0.05 or less) for no commissions. That's because they believe a good risk management practice is when 99% of the value of an options contract is gone, and you are short that contract, it is prudent to buy it back to remove risk -- and they encourage that with their fee structure. They also have NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE for placing a trade over the phone. This is a big one. If I am away from a computer and my account is tanking, or if I find myself in a bind and want to talk to someone who has the experience to know how to turn a position I have into the position I want, I love that I can call them up and pay the same commissions I would if I traded online.

They also provide a lot of educational opportunities, from live RedOption classes to online chats with traders after the close.

Oh, and they sent me a stuffed monkey, which I display proudly by my computer.

After being with thinkorswim, the only other broker I've seen that is even a consideration is Interactive Brokers. If I was doing enough trading to benefit from their complicated (but generally cheaper) commissions structure, or if I wanted to trade more foreign markets, IB would be a real consideration. But the customer-friendliness clearly isn't there, and that's a big part of what keeps me with thinkorswim.

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I've used TradeStation for over 18 years and have been very satisfied, and continue to use their platform.

I've added ThinkorSwim because of their option trading platform and think that it is as good as it gets. Plus they have especially good training with various option trading strategies.

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Lots of power in their desktop Java platform but one hell of a learning curve. The web UI is pretty bad and I wouldn't bother with it.

TOS was recently sold to TD Ameritrade, so beware.

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I've had an account with TOS for over a year now, but I can't say that I'm thrilled. The user interface is slow and hard to use, prices are average to high, but customer service and their autotrade feature are good.

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Platforms are great, help is there, trades are affordable, information available. Most of all, you can earn things for referring people to them. It offers everything all. Def. up and coming.

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when you have a questions about something they are always there to help you out.

Great platform and great mobile platforms too.

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Like the platform. I am a customer since 2005. Great costumer service. Very reliable. Plus you get a monkey when you open an account.

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i initiated an ACH transfer to my checking account, at 10:30 am.
they asked for confirmation at 4:45 pm and told me the transfer process wouldn’t begin until the next day because i did not provide confirmation before 4 pm. when i explained i couldn’t provide it before 4pm because they didn’t ask for it until after 4pm, they gave me the “oh well” attitude….so, i have $100,000 floating in the TOS back-office. the only thing reflected on my account is the fact that my balance is now $100,000 less than it was this morning. the customer service has done a 180 since TD Ameritrade took the helm.

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I enjoy thinkorswim Canada because they provide access to their desktop platform and L2 quotes for free. Their trades are also $5 each.
The one negative about using them is that they have to convert all the money in US $ and they were just bought by TD Ameritrade.

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I have been with ThinkOrSwim for years. As expected, from the time this company has been acquired by TD Water House, the services getting worse and worse.

They simply go to your account and put some trades on behalf of you with wrong assumptions. When I called them and asked about the reason behind it they just tried to justify their wrong decision.

I had the same problem once TD Canada Trust acquired the AmeriTrade.

I would definitely change my broker and probably will go with iTrade. At least I am sure that TD is not able to acquire iTrade.

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If you trade options, especially option spreads, this is the platform you've been looking for.

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These guys are light years ahead of the pack. They have Wed. strategy seasons that teach from basic techniques, pair trading, forex, and futures. They explain which option strategies are best for the ever changing markets. But they go deep so you understand the reason they work and WHEN THEY WON'T!!! between TOS, SHADOW TRADER, AND INVESTOOLS, GODBLESS

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i wouldnt change my broker

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