I started off with a TD Ameritrade brokerage account years ago.. and found it clunky and expensive (back when they charged $10 commissions per trade)
After reading 'The Little Book of Common Sense Investing' I switched to Vanguard. It's solid but it's not meant for YOLO investing which is what all the cool kids are doing.
Later I opened a Robbinhood account... it's a breath of fresh air.
I'm not day trading like I used to but it's so nice to quickly open an app and purchase a security in just a few seconds. And with the ability to purchase crypto currencies recently added, I find that it's great.
I know the politics surrounding Robbinhoood but I don't care about that.. all I want is an app that is easy to use, looks good and is "free" to use.
It made it easy to be more proactive in my investing the past year which as everyone knows.. has been really good time to be invested in the market.
Re: What platforms are we using for Stock Trading?
Most brokers do not charge commission any more,but some have better customer service and route your order to better market makers.
One way to find out is how long does it take for them to come to the phone when you need them?
That Robinhood guy who killed himself because he does not understand options,did try to contact customer service,