OptionsXpress by Charles Schwab

OptionsXpress by Charles Schwab has been one of the most popular brokers for options trading that still continues to impress. They offer a wide variety of useful trading tools to better suit their customer needs.

The company is well-known throughout the industry for regularly improving and updating their financial products and services. In 2011 optionsXpress Holdings, Inc. was purchased in a $1 billion friendly all-stock takeover deal by The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) in order to complement their banking, financial and online brokerage services offered.

Prior to the deal OptionsXpress had 379,000 client accounts and $7.9 billion in client assets. Charles Schwab had almost 8 million accounts and $1.6 trillion in client assets. After optionsXpress was bought out, all of its former brokerage clients became clients of Charles Schwab.

OptionsXpress Trading Fees

Options trading continues to boom due to the increased use of options contracts as a way to hedge and speculate in the markets. U.S. options trading volume has grown strongly in recent years, which is one of the main reasons for Schwab’s acquisition. Options traders are known to have up to three times the assets and do up to six times the trading volume, compared to other brokerage clients.

The prevalence of online-based brokers, their investor education portals, as well as a move toward electronic markets, have all helped increase trading in options in recent years. Option contract holders the right but not the obligation to buy or sell an underlying security over an agreed time period, or at a set date.

OptionsXpress by Charles Schwab Trading Platform and Tools

The company is committed to provide a user-friendly experience while implementing the newest innovation in online trading technology. This makes it easy to understand why optionsXpress is so popular with options traders.

Given the fact that the company is currently under the corporate structure of Charles Schwab and it's commitment for implementing innovation it is a reasonable expectation that optionsXpress is only going to get better in the future. Nevertheless, there are a few things that traders should be aware of. In our overview below we will help you find out more about what the company has to offer as an online broker.

OptionsXpress by Charles Schwab is a top-ranked industry leading online brokerage providing individual investors with powerful trading technology tools for trading stocks and options education, evaluation and implementation. Integral to the company’s success is its commitment to continually improve the customer experience.

The company offers custom trade tools and superior options trading technology for experienced as well as novice options investors. OptionsXpress by Charles Schwab brokerage trading platform offers several tools that allow investors and professionals to identify, analyze and implement a range of investment strategies.

Please be aware of the potential risks when trading options contracts. Trading options carries a high level of risk and it is not suitable for all investors. Investors may lose up to 100% of funds invested. Suitability for specific financial services or products may depend upon the individual’s risk tolerance, investment objectives, liquidity needs and time horizon. Certain services or products may not be suitable for all investors. Investors are encouraged to inquire about all respective fees, expenses, restrictions or limitations when considering a certain service or product.

OptionsXpress by Charles Schwab Fees and Commission Cost

Charles Schwab is a broker with a lot of strengths. They are a leading provider of financial services and manage trillions of dollars in client assets. OptionsXpress by Charles Schwab has very competitive commission rates which could help this big U.S. brokerage firm retain the most sophisticated of its online investment trading clients. The company provides innovative securities brokerage products and services for investor education, strategy evaluation and trade implementation.

They are not the cheapest online broker out there and if you are only looking to minimize your trading cost the truth of the matter is that it that it might not be the best suited for your needs. However, if in order to gain access to a wide range of powerful investor trading tools and you are willing to spend a little more money then optionsXpress is definitely a worthwhile option worth your consideration.

OptionsXpress - Charles Schwab Customer Service

In addition to allowing investors to trade any time the markets are open the company also offers outstanding 24-hour live customer service support via Live Help chat service, email and telephone. It is our humble opinion that the higher cost charged is well justified by great value that this broker has to offer to any online trader.