Learn More About Online Investing Firms

A variety of factors influence online investment firm ratings, and it's just as important for prospective clients to research and analyze the companies that host their trading accounts as it is for them to research stocks before committing their money. The consumer watchdog J.D. Power and Associates is considered one of the industry's gold standards, and it releases investment firm ratings regularly to help consumers choose the right asset management company.

Generally, online firm ratings track customer satisfaction levels in five key areas: site capability, trade execution, trade cost, information access and an all-encompassing "overall" score. Sometimes, client satisfaction with customer service is also tracked. The site capability score encompasses a particular company's ability to deliver a diverse range of global opportunities to its clients.

To arrive at trade execution and trade cost scores, the speed at which a company completes requested transactions and the relative rates it charges its clients on a per-transaction basis are analyzed. Many clients feel that the information access area is the most important, as this score defines the relative accessibility and completeness of the research materials that are so vital to successful investing. The overall score is a combination of the average of the scores in the other key areas as well as a survey of general client satisfaction.

An East Coast Company With a High Online Investment Firm Rating

Trade Wall Street Financial enjoys a very high level of client satisfaction, offering advanced research capabilities, access to every major stock exchange and market on the planet, and a diverse range of accounts and money management tools. Based on the East Coast, Trade Wall Street Financial allows clients both in the United States and around the world to open an account quickly and easily.