starting advice required

[petrocky13]

hi all, I am new to T2w and hope it will be the place to fill in my blanks. I have made and lost money over the years in straight stock picks. However, I now feel ETF's using options is the way to go. I also want to trade US stocks. What broker in the UK offers these and uses the simplest platforms? How much do costs vary for these services?
Your comments would be appreciated.

 

[jackolan]

It helps if you give us an idea how much you have to invest... If you have 10's of thousands then you might want to go direct and buy the shares, e.g. E-Trade. If you have less than 10,000 you might want a geared product such as CFDs or spreadbets.

Are you thinking of managing your trades throughout the course of a day (day trading), or only once a week? etc, etc, etc, There are so many providers that without knowing your starting point and the time you have to devote to it, it's difficult to give a recommendation.

 

[petrocky13]

It helps if you give us an idea how much you have to invest... If you have 10's of thousands then you might want to go direct and buy the shares, e.g. E-Trade. If you have less than 10,000 you might want a geared product such as CFDs or spreadbets.

Are you thinking of managing your trades throughout the course of a day (day trading), or only once a week? etc, etc, etc, There are so many providers that without knowing your starting point and the time you have to devote to it, it's difficult to give a recommendation.

Having been burnt with spred betting, I anticipate starting slowly and very selectively. I anticipate trading a couple of times a month. I am interested in ETF's and stocks inc U.S.Stocks. I also want to use OPTIONS on both. ( but not exclusively)I want an easy platform to use and have tools available to me ie live charts, company news etc.
I will hopefully become more active as I progress.

Thanks for the communications I have received..