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Public.com Review: The Broker That Pays You to Trade Options

Public has quietly become one of the more interesting brokerages in the US — and not because it's trying to be the next Robinhood. While it started as a social-investing app for beginners, it's evolved into a legitimate multi-asset platform with a genuinely unique hook: it actually pays you rebates on options trades. That's not a typo. In an industry where everyone charges you per contract, Public shares its payment for order flow revenue back with you. The broker offers $0 commissions on stocks and ETFs, options trading with no per-contract fees (plus rebates of $0.06–$0.18 per contract), bonds starting at $100, crypto, Treasury accounts, a high-yield cash account at 3.3% APY, and IRAs with a 1% match. It's a lot. The question is whether Public delivers on all of these promises or spreads itself too thin. Public is best suited for active options traders who want to minimize costs, yield-seekers who want bonds and Treasuries alongside their stocks, and self-directed investors who appreciate AI-powered research tools. It's FINRA/SIPC regulated, headquartered in New York, and has built a surprisingly deep feature set. Let's dig into the details.

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Merrill Edge Review: Bank of America's Broker Is Better Than You Think

Merrill Edge is what happens when one of America's biggest banks decides to get serious about self-directed investing. Owned by Bank of America, this broker gives you $0 stock and ETF trades, a solid roster of account types, and — crucially — the deepest banking-brokerage integration you'll find anywhere. If you already bank with BofA, adding a Merrill Edge account is almost a no-brainer. But here's the thing: Merrill Edge isn't trying to be Robinhood. It's not the flashiest platform, it doesn't offer crypto, and its mobile experience doesn't have the dopamine-hit design of the app-first brokers. What it does offer is a full-service brokerage backed by a $3 trillion bank, with the kind of research tools and retirement account options that matter when you're building actual long-term wealth — not just day-trading meme stocks. The real question isn't whether Merrill Edge is a good broker. It is. The question is whether the Bank of America ecosystem adds enough value to justify picking it over Fidelity or Schwab. Let's dig in.

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SoFi Invest Review: Zero Commissions, Zero Contract Fees, But What's the Catch?

SoFi Invest wants to be your everything app. Banking, loans, credit cards, insurance — and yes, investing. The brokerage arm of this fintech darling offers $0 commissions on stocks, ETFs, and options, including no per-contract fees on options. That last part is genuinely rare. Throw in IPO access, fractional shares starting at $5, and a 1% IRA match, and you've got a compelling pitch for newer investors. But SoFi isn't trying to compete with Schwab or Fidelity on depth. There's no tax-loss harvesting, no futures, no forex, limited research tools, and a cash sweep rate so low it's almost insulting. The platform is built for people who want investing to be simple, not sophisticated. If that's you, read on. If you want Level II quotes and custom screeners, you already know this isn't your stop. SoFi Securities LLC is a FINRA member (CRD# 151717) and SIPC-protected, so your assets get the standard $500,000 coverage. They're a real broker-dealer, not some fly-by-night crypto app. Let's dig into what you're actually paying — and not paying — to invest here.

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E*TRADE Review: Morgan Stanley's Muscle Behind a Veteran Broker

E*TRADE is one of the original online brokerages, and now it's got Morgan Stanley's backing. That matters. Since the 2020 acquisition, E*TRADE has quietly become something more than the scrappy trading platform that ran those famous baby commercials — it's now a full-service financial hub with banking, investing, managed portfolios, and retirement planning all under one roof. The headline numbers are competitive: $0 commissions on stocks and ETFs, $0.65 options contracts (dropping to $0.50 for active traders), and no account minimums on standard brokerage accounts. They've also layered in Morgan Stanley Private Bank products — a Premium Savings Account paying 3.75% APY and checking accounts with worldwide ATM fee refunds. For someone who wants investing and banking in one place, that's genuinely useful. But "full-service" can also mean "sprawling and complicated." E*TRADE offers so many account types and platforms that newcomers might feel overwhelmed. And some fees — margin rates, OTC stock commissions, broker-assisted trades — are higher than you'd find at Fidelity or Schwab. Let's break it all down.

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Robinhood Review: The Zero-Commission Pioneer That Keeps Adding Features

Robinhood changed the brokerage industry. When they launched commission-free stock trading, every major broker was forced to follow. That was their whole pitch for years — free trades, clean app, nothing else. But the Robinhood of 2026 is a different beast entirely. They now offer retirement accounts with an IRA match, futures trading, index options, a desktop trading platform called Legend, crypto, margin lending, a credit card, even banking. The question isn't whether Robinhood disrupted Wall Street — they did. The question is whether they've grown up enough to deserve your money long-term. The short answer: for most people buying stocks and ETFs with no intention of paying a dime in commissions, Robinhood still delivers. The $0 commission on stocks, ETFs, and their options is real and unbeatable. The 3% IRA match with Gold is genuinely generous. But dig into the details — margin rates, index options fees, the Gold subscription upsell — and the picture gets more nuanced. Let's break it down.

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Charles Schwab Review: The Everything Broker That Actually Delivers

Charles Schwab is the 800-pound gorilla of US brokerages. After swallowing TD Ameritrade in 2020 and fully integrating it by 2024, the combined firm manages trillions in client assets and serves tens of millions of accounts. It's the broker your financial advisor probably uses. It's also — and this surprises people — genuinely cheap for everyday investors. Schwab charges $0 commissions on online stock and ETF trades, $0 to open any account, $0 to maintain any account, and has $0 account minimums across nearly every account type. That's not a gimmick or a loss leader; it's the baseline. The real question isn't whether Schwab is affordable — it is — but whether all that institutional heft makes it better or just bigger than the competition. The short answer: for most US investors, Schwab is one of the safest, most complete choices available. It's not the flashiest. It won't gamify your trades with confetti. But if you want a broker that can handle your first Roth IRA and your eventual $2 million portfolio without making you switch platforms, this is the one to beat.

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Fidelity Review: The Broker That's Hard to Beat on Value

Fidelity is the rare financial giant that actually competes on price like a scrappy upstart. Zero commissions on stocks, ETFs, and options trades. Zero account fees. Zero minimums. Zero expense ratio index funds. That's a lot of zeros from a company managing trillions of dollars. For most US investors — beginners, buy-and-hold types, even active traders — Fidelity sits at or near the top of the list. They offer a genuinely full-service experience without the fees that usually come with it. The brokerage account doubles as a cash management hub earning 3.33% on uninvested cash (as of late January 2026), and they've built out crypto, fractional shares, and a robo-advisor alongside the traditional toolkit. The real question isn't whether Fidelity is good. It's whether anyone else is meaningfully better for your specific situation. Let's dig into the details.

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