Merrill Edge – 30 Free Trades Per Month

Merrill Lynch, which don’t forget was picked up by Bank of America, has a new promotion where you can get up to 30 free online stock or EFT trades per month.

What’s the catch? You need to have at least $25,000 in cash deposits in your Merrill Edge account or your Bank of America deposit account. Note that these are cash balances and not money that is already invested in securities. So for anyone that has over $25,000 in Savings or CD’s at BofA will most likely qualify.

This account also offers real time transfers between your Bank of America accounts and your Merrill Lynch account. This is nice when you want to buy some stock right away, but don’t want to wait for a 3 day ACH transfer wait.

I can’t comment on Merrill Lynch’s service as I have never had an account with them, but they have been around for a while and imagine that it is probably up to par with places like Schwab or Fidelity.

There doesn’t appear to be any expiration on this promotion meaning that you will receive the 30 free trades every month as long as you have the $25,000 minimum cash balance. Obviously they can change the terms, but this looks like something that will stick around for a while.

Check out the Merrill Lynch Promo page for more details on this offer.

Free iPod Nano From Firstrade on November 28th

There will be a new Firstrade promo running on November 28th where they are giving away a free iPod Nano to the first 200 people that sign up for a new account. This is sort of a Black Friday deal for them I guess.

The promo will run from 7AM to 1PM on the 28th. It will end sooner than 1PM if 200 people open a new account.

To qualify you need to open a new Firstrade account account on Nov. 28th using the promo code EARLYBIRD08 , fund it with $3,000 (or transfer assets of at least $3,000) and make 1 trade within 30 days. The iPod should arrive at your home within 90 days of the qualifying trade. Don’t forget that you need to be one of the first 200 people to open an account. Since Firstrade isn’t going to tell you how many people have signed up, if you are interested in this deal, it is in your best interest to sign up at 7AM!

Note that you need to keep the $3000 initial deposit in your account for at least 9 months after account openinig, otherwise they can charge you $150 for the cost of the iPod. Check out their Promo Page for more info.

Check out my previous firstrade post for more details on their accounts and service.

If you are looking for a cash bonus, Tradeking Brokerage has a $50 Promo going on where you will get $50 when opening an account with $2500. This deal expires Sunday 11/30!

Firstrade Brokerage Bonus

Update (2/1/2010): This promotion is still active

A lot of you have been asking about promos for Firstrade Brokerage. Unfortunetly there is nothing great out there, the best I can do for you is 5 free trades. (OptionsXpress currently has a $100 promo for new accounts going. Click HERE for more info.) I have to refer you for you to get those trades. If you are interested, complete the form below and I will get a referral to you. I know this isn’t the greatest bonus, but if you are looking to get in on a down market, those 5 trades can make you a lot of money. Plus, once you join, you can refer others for $50!

I have had a Firstrade account for a few years and like it very much. Their site is very simple and easy to use. For $6.95 market, limit and option orders, it is very attractive to help keep your commissions low especially if you are a smaller investor. They offer an ACH feature that allows you to push and pull money from a linked checking account which makes investing much easier. Trades execute quickly and Customer service via email is very responsive. I had one issue where my trade was rejected and they quickly explained why.

The Firstrade feature that differentiates them from other brokerages is the free dividend reinvestment program. Many other online stock traders drop the dividend into a money market and if you want to invest it back in the stock you have to pay another commission. This is a great for those of you like dividend investing!!

If you want 5 free trades, complete the form below and I will get you a referral email to you.

1. Send a Firstrade Referral To:
2. You Name:(required)
3. Your Email Address:(valid email required)

 

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$999 In Free Trades From TD Ameritrade

 TDAmeritrade is offering $999 worth of free trades if you open an account by 7/31/08. Here are the details:

• You must open a new individual (non-IRA) or joint account by 7/31/08
• You must transfer at least $2000 into the new account to receive the free trades
• $999 of free trades = 100 Commission Free Trades.
• Free Trades must be used in 60 days from opening the account
• Bonus: If you transfer more than $50,000 into the new account you will also receive a Garmin nüvi 660 GPS Navigator
• Account must remain open for 9 months with at least a $2000 value in cash or stocks, otherwise you may be charged for the free trades and/or the Garmin nüvi 660 GPS Navigator

If you are a day trader or have a bunch of trades that you want to make within the next few months, this is a good deal since 100 free trades is pretty decent. After the free trades are over with the current trading price is only $9.99. If you are looking to profit from a down market, now is the time.

Check out the Offer Page for more information.

Free Trades at Fidelity with Rollover

Until July 31st, Fidelity is offering free trades when you rollover an IRA or 401k with at least $25,000 in value.

Here are the details:

Value of Rollover		# of Trades		Trades Expire
$25,000 – $99,999		60 free trades		6 months from day assets received
$100,000 or more		100 free trades		12 months from day assets received

Sign up and check out further details on Fidelity’s Offer Page

This is a great deal if you have any money sitting in an old employer’s 401k or another IRA. Especially since there are no maintenance fees on Fidelity Rollover IRA’s. Plus once the free trades run out, buying and selling Fidelity’s branded mutual funds are always free!

I come from the school of thinking where I like all my money in one place. It is easier to manage and act accordingly if you need to make changes.

I definitely recommend Fidelity as I have a 401k with my employer, ROTH IRA, Rollover IRA, Brokerage Account and Checking account with them. Customer service has always been professional and I like the availability of purchasing many different types of securities, including CD’s for free, from them as well.

I do have a brokerage account with Sharebuilder, but I only use that for fractional share investing. All my real money goes into Fidelity as I have had nothing but great service from them thus far.