As a beginner trader, one thing I was surprised by was the TOTAL fees involved. I think many traders just look at the commission rates and think that's what the true fees are. I was really surprised by the ECN fees on CenterPoint, and I am wondering if other brokers, especially Interactive Brokers, would be a better choice. I am hoping we can share the TOTAL costs of taking 5,000 shares would be on various brokers (e.g. Interactive Brokers, CMG, Suretrader, Speedtrader, etc... ? Also, any strategies to AVOID or lower the ECN fees, which I know can vary a bit by route. Would it be better to sell or buy using a LIMIT instead of a "Marketable limit" ? Does it matter ? Here are the costs to take 5,000 shares on CENTERPOINT, using Marketable limit orders each time on ARCS (smart route) As an example, to use a Smart Route (Taking Liquidity), here is what is charged: Tickets = 10 --- Total Shares = 5,000 --- Commission= .0035 (5,000) = 17.35 --- ECN Fee Smart Route = .0032 (5,000) = 16.00 SEC Fee = .89 NASD Fee = .30 Total cost for 5,000 shares = 34.54 Are these fees out of line or similar to what you guys see ? Thanks! Mike

Couple of notes on the forum. We have added a swing trade section in the education section for our members. I will post there regarding market reviews and trade ideas for the coming week. I have also posted my Dec 2 on youtube - this is currently up now. This will become a regular posting on the weekend and I will add posts during the week if opportunities pop up. Right now I am looking for a bounce in oil, continued strength to carry over from the previous week in techs and maybe even some moves back up in pot stocks like CGC. Stay tuned for more to come.

Mads, first please, please DO NOT quit your job. They say that you should never trade with 'scared' money. Trust me when I say that if you quit your job, ALL of your money will become scared and it will negatively affect your trading. (and I truly know because I've traded without another job for over a year.) Second, there are innumerable ways to trade. We have many traders in the room who do not trade the open at all and they do very well. Myself, I do trade the open, but I actually make more money after 11am than I do at the open. Only trading the afternoons is an option for you. There is no question it is slower, but there are ALWAYS opportunities and if you practice and train yourself to be an expert in taking advantage of them, you could become very successful. Alternatively, My best recommendation is that you spend some time considering how you can incorporate trading into your current lifestyle without sacrificing your job or your relationship, because to sacrifice either will put more pressure on you and adversely affect your ability to trade successfully. Whether you only trade 1 or days a week, become an afternoon specialist, an afternoon scalper, a swing trader, a mid-term investor, or whatever, there are many styles you could adopt into your current life.

It's called an Elgato Streamdeck. Here is a link to the Icon set I made for my station.