Fido's Powerstreet Pro vs. Schwab's Velocity

By some definitions, you're an active trader if you make just three to four trades a month. If that sounds like you, then a lot of name-brand brokerages want your business. Schwab, Fidelity, E*Trade and others have devised active-trader platforms that are a little edgier than what they give their regular customers.

They include things like real-time streaming watch lists and the ability to trade multiple stocks with a single click. Active-trader platforms also frequently come bundled with lots of handholding, plus other perks you'd expect from a full-service online broker -- the ability to pay bills online, bank or access non-English help lines.

Over the next several weeks, I'll be comparing the active-trader offerings at mainstream brokers. This week we'll look at two platforms: Schwab Velocity (follow the links under "Trade") and Fidelity's Powerstreet Pro. In the weeks ahead, we'll take a look at Power E*Trade and DLJdirect's offerings, and peruse the active-trader program now rolling out at TD Waterhouse. We'll also examine two popular, no-frills active-trader platforms from Datek and Interactive Brokers. ...