1. E*Trade - Commissions are moderate: Generally, the highest base price for a stock trade is $14.99 per trade, with possible additional fees. There's a $25 fee per quarter if you trade less than three times or maintain less than $5000 in assets. You need $1000 to open an account.
   
   
2. Fidelity - Somewhat pricey, with a $19.95 (down from $29.95) commission per trade plus handling and maintenance fees, and a minimum opening balance of $2500. Advantages include excellent customer service, branch offices where you can actually talk with customer service agents face-to-face, a wireless service, research reports and videos from Lehman Bros., and planning tools called "best-in-class" by Forbes.
   
   
3. BrownCo - Rock-bottom prices ($5 per trade) for active, self-directed traders who maintain high balances (averaging over $200,000). You get J.P. Morgan research and excellent customer service.

Terms and commissions change, and each broker has several different account types. Commissions go down if you trade more or maintain higher balances. Check the broker sites for specifics. Forbes is a good place for up-to-date information, too.

Updated 9-15-05.