Best Full Service Brokerage Firms

A full-service broker provides clients with a wider selection of investment products and services such as financial planning, advice on security selection, and so on. Following are among the best full service brokerage firms:

Raymond James Financial, Inc. - It was rated the top full-service broker in the 2008 SmartMoney “Annual Broker Survey”, ranked above such leading household names as Merrill Lynch, Wachovia, UBS, Morgan Stanley and Smith Barney. Raymond James Financial is a Florida-based diversified holding company offering a range of financial services through its subsidiary companies.

Merrill Lynch - In the Gomez.com Spring 2001 Internet Full Service Broker Scorecard, Merrill Lynch OnLine (MLOL) was ranked No. 1 and led these rankings for the third straight quarter. To be included in the Scorecard, a firm must offer browser-based Internet trading, proprietary research and IPOs, a captive advisor force, and a network of branch offices.

Edward Jones - It was named the No. 2 full-service brokerage firm in the June 2009 edition of SmartMoney magazine. Also, it received the highest numerical score among full service brokerage firms in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2009–2010 Full Service Investor Satisfaction Studies. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in May 2010.

* Next: Best Execution-Only Brokers

Author

Kelvin Wong Loke Yuen is a highly experienced education writer. He has obtained many certifications from the UK, USA, Australia and Canada, including an MBA and a Postgraduate Diploma from Heriot-Watt (UK's World-Class University) and a BCom degree from Adelaide (Australia’s Group of Eight University). Follow him on: LinkedIn