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Best Online Stock Trading Brokers for 2018 If you’re looking for a way to build more wealth in 2018, getting started with one of the best online brokerage accounts is a solid first step. Doing so will allow you to invest outside your traditional retirement accounts and on your own terms. The best part is, the best online brokerage firms charge little or no fees and offer excellent resources that can help you learn more about investing along the way. Of course, not all brokerage firms are created equal, and that’s why we took the time to break down each of their details and rank the top options on an array of factors. If you’re looking for a new way to invest this year and are ready to strike out on your own, the following online brokerage accounts should be at the top of your list.What Matters When You Trade Stocks on Your Own? Managing your own money can be a stressful endeavor. To minimize this, and to minimize information overload that tends to come from watching the markets 24/7, there are a few must-haves to look for in an online broker. Clean interface. When I trade, I want to be able to easily find my order entry ticket. I don’t want it buried under a number of drop downs. This interface should have intuitive access to see your balance, available cash, positions with real time P/L and all be easily navigated. Quick access to basic charting. A chart tells me where the stock has been recently. I don’t trade minute to minute anymore, so I don’t need complex tools like stochastics or retracement lines. All that’s important is that I have a basic chart on a yearly, monthly, weekly, daily and intra day time period. I use a chart to see current price relative to those time periods, mainly to avoid purchasing at a bad price. Low fees. One of the biggest roadblocks to building wealth is fees incurred to invest your hard-earned dollars. Because the fees charged by different brokerage firms vary so dramatically, it’s crucial to seek out options that charge low fees (or no fees) for account management and trades. There are over 50 online brokerages where you can open an account. Beyond the my three rules above, best online brokerage accounts aren’t just for trading stocks. Sure, many of them started as online stock trading accounts, but now they’re full-fledged trading, saving, investing, retirement planning, and banking machines. This industry is more complex than the average person thinks. You shouldn’t just pick any online broker and sign up for an account. The best online broker for one person is often completely different for the next person. Use this resource as a guide to your decision process. Figure out what features are best for you, and make your selection. What Makes a Great Online Broker? I analyzed a number of elements to come to my decision on which brokers are the best. Later in this post, I provide full details on how I selected the best online brokerages. When you take all the features, resources, trading platforms, and technology into account (while also considering every type of trader), the full-service brokers, like E*TRADE and TD Ameritrade are the best for the largest number of people. For those simply looking to make cheap trades, I would recommend going with Optionshouse. If you’re a very advanced trader, high-volume trader, or a professional who manages money, I recommend going with Interactive Brokers. However, I didn’t include Interactive Brokers on my list because they’re best for a very small group of traders and the platform is very complex. Top Qualities of Standout Online Trading Platforms Quality trading tools and technology Multiple trading platforms for all levels of traders Excellent mobile trading features Solid navigation that displays the relevant information where you want it Quality educational resources and research for trader development There’s more to selecting an online broker than price. You have to consider the resources you’re getting for the cost you pay per trade. For example, my colleague, who is also an ex-trader, likes to use a combination of stock and options trade in his longer-term trading. He recently switched over to Fidelity because he really liked the cash management features, but was very disappointed by complex order entry, sub-par options execution and frustrating navigation. He’s currently making the switch to one of the brokers I profile here.
Best Online Stock Trading Brokers for 2018 If you’re looking for a way to build more wealth in 2018, getting started with one of the best online brokerage accounts is a solid first step. Doing so will allow you to invest outside your traditional retirement accounts and on your own terms. The best part is, the best online brokerage firms charge little or no fees and offer excellent resources that can help you learn more about investing along the way. Of course, not all brokerage firms are created equal, and that’s why we took the time to break down each of their details and rank the top options on an array of factors. If you’re looking for a new way to invest this year and are ready to strike out on your own, the following online brokerage accounts should be at the top of your list.What Matters When You Trade Stocks on Your Own? Managing your own money can be a stressful endeavor. To minimize this, and to minimize information overload that tends to come from watching the markets 24/7, there are a few must-haves to look for in an online broker. Clean interface. When I trade, I want to be able to easily find my order entry ticket. I don’t want it buried under a number of drop downs. This interface should have intuitive access to see your balance, available cash, positions with real time P/L and all be easily navigated. Quick access to basic charting. A chart tells me where the stock has been recently. I don’t trade minute to minute anymore, so I don’t need complex tools like stochastics or retracement lines. All that’s important is that I have a basic chart on a yearly, monthly, weekly, daily and intra day time period. I use a chart to see current price relative to those time periods, mainly to avoid purchasing at a bad price. Low fees. One of the biggest roadblocks to building wealth is fees incurred to invest your hard-earned dollars. Because the fees charged by different brokerage firms vary so dramatically, it’s crucial to seek out options that charge low fees (or no fees) for account management and trades. There are over 50 online brokerages where you can open an account. Beyond the my three rules above, best online brokerage accounts aren’t just for trading stocks. Sure, many of them started as online stock trading accounts, but now they’re full-fledged trading, saving, investing, retirement planning, and banking machines. This industry is more complex than the average person thinks. You shouldn’t just pick any online broker and sign up for an account. The best online broker for one person is often completely different for the next person. Use this resource as a guide to your decision process. Figure out what features are best for you, and make your selection. What Makes a Great Online Broker? I analyzed a number of elements to come to my decision on which brokers are the best. Later in this post, I provide full details on how I selected the best online brokerages. When you take all the features, resources, trading platforms, and technology into account (while also considering every type of trader), the full-service brokers, like E*TRADE and TD Ameritrade are the best for the largest number of people. For those simply looking to make cheap trades, I would recommend going with Optionshouse. If you’re a very advanced trader, high-volume trader, or a professional who manages money, I recommend going with Interactive Brokers. However, I didn’t include Interactive Brokers on my list because they’re best for a very small group of traders and the platform is very complex. Top Qualities of Standout Online Trading Platforms Quality trading tools and technology Multiple trading platforms for all levels of traders Excellent mobile trading features Solid navigation that displays the relevant information where you want it Quality educational resources and research for trader development There’s more to selecting an online broker than price. You have to consider the resources you’re getting for the cost you pay per trade. For example, my colleague, who is also an ex-trader, likes to use a combination of stock and options trade in his longer-term trading. He recently switched over to Fidelity because he really liked the cash management features, but was very disappointed by complex order entry, sub-par options execution and frustrating navigation. He’s currently making the switch to one of the brokers I profile here.

Kata-Kata Widji Thukul | Kata-Kata Puitis Yang Tegas

Widji Thukul  (Juga biasa ditulis Wiji Tukul) yakni penyair 'rakyat' yang lahir dengan nama orisinil 'Widji Widodo'. Dia mendapat nama panggung 'Widji Thukul' sehabis aktif di teater. Sejak ketika itu beliau aktif menulis syair dengan kata-kata yang lugas, tegas, dan menyerang.

Kata-kata yang ditulisnya dalam puisi yakni kata-kata 'pemberontakan' terhadap keadaan dan menyuarakan perlawanan terhadap ketidak-adilan. Widji Thukul tidak pernah menamatkan sekolah SMKI-nya. Dia putus sekolah ketika kelas 2, alasannya yakni ketiadaan biaya.

Ilustrasi Widji Thukul - Mateus Situmorang/kumparan


Selain dikenal sebagai penyair dan berkesenian, Widji Tukul juga sekaligus penggerak politik dan buruh. Maka puisi-puisi yang dibentuk tak jauh dari hal itu. Karena aktivitasnya dalam pergerakan itulah, di juga turut serta mendeklarasikan PRD (Partai Rakyat Demokratik), oposisi di zaman orde baru.

Dia sempat ditahan alasannya yakni agresi demonstrasi. Pada tahun 1998, dilaporkan hilang sehabis menjadi buron bertahun-tahun. Meskipun jasad dan keberadaannya tidak pernah ditemukan, tapi warisannya berupa karya puisi yang tegas, masih bertahan dan dibaca sampai kini. Bahkan berurat berakar, di kalangan penggerak pergerakan.

Salah satu kutipan karyanya yang paling populer adalah:

Hanya ada satu kata: lawan!

Kata-kata itu benar-benar menjadi pendorong untuk sebuah perlawanan. Perlawanan terhadap ketidakadilan yang masih terjadi.

Kata-kata Widji Thukul, dikutip dari puisi-puisinya memang sangat bernas, tegas bahkan keras. Salah satunya berbunyi begini:

Kemerdekaan yakni nasi, dimakan jadi tai!

Melalui baris puisi tersebut, Widji Thukul gotong royong melaksanakan protes keras terhadap keadaan. Yang 'katanya' Indonesia sudah merdeka. Kemerdekaan itu tampaknya sesuatu yang nikmat diibaratkan nasi. Tapi begitu dimakan, dipahami, dijalani, ternyata isinya sangat menjijikkan, tai.'

Melalui baris puisi tersebut, Widji Thukul mengabarkan pada semua bahwa kemerdekaan di zaman Orde gres yakni kemerdekaan semu. Isinya yakni keburukan alasannya yakni pembungkaman dan ketidak-adilan.

Kata-kata Widji Tukal, memang 'tidak terlalu puitis' dalam artian tidak memakai kata-kata yang indah dan menadayu-dayu. Kata-tanya lugas, tapi masih mengandung unsur keindahan puisi, yaitu keindahan rima.

Berikut ini kutipan puisinya:

kausiksa saya sangat keras
hingga saya makin mengeras
kau paksa saya terus menunduk
tapi keputusan tambah tegak

Dalam kutipan puisi Widji Thukul di atas, terdapa perungalan suara yang sama untuk tiap dua baris. Yaitu kata keras yang berima dengan mengerah. Begitu pula pada baris selanjuntya, yaitu kata menunduk yang berima dengan kata tegak.

Berikut ini dikutipkan salah satu puisi karya Widji Thukul yang terkenal:

PERINGATAN

Jika rakyat pergi

Ketika penguasa pidato

Kita harus hati-hati

Barangkali mereka putus asa

Kalau rakyat bersembunyi

Dan berbisik-bisik

Ketika membicarakan masalahnya sendiri 

Penguasa harus waspada dan berguru mendengar

Bila rakyat berani mengeluh 

Itu artinya sudah gawat 

Dan kalau omongan penguasa

Tidak boleh dibantah
 Kebenaran niscaya terancam

Apabila permintaan ditolak tanpa ditimbang

Suara dibungkam kritik dihentikan tanpa alasan

Dituduh subversif dan mengganggu keamanan
 Maka hanya ada satu kata: lawan!

(1986)
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