STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

make sure to research all the fees associated with these websites.  They can and have been known to really hit you up.  I had an ex who had an etrade account and he didn't even do anything with the 3 or 4 stocks he owned in it and in the end he was $500 in the hole because of the hidden fees. 

These sites are really only good if you know what you are doing with the stock market and know how to play the market right.  More of a short sell type account than a buy and hold which you do when you get mutual funds and go through a stock broker.