I also like the fact that Zecco is doing unlimited free stock and options trades in October for customers, even if your balance is less than $2,500.

You’d think that at zero commissions the executions would suck. That’s not the case with Zecco however so far.

See this google finance chart for a few examples.

I think it depends on how many individual stocks you want to own vs. the trouble it is to sign up. This is the first time I really went through with the process and other than a day waiting for account approval, it seems like it won’t be bad – probably no different than dealing with other brokerages (though I haven’t signed up with a new brokerage in months).

The one thing I disagree with you is on Zecco. I tried using it, but I couldn’t deal. I rather pay to trade. In my opinion if the trading costs are significant enough than you shouldn’t be trading the individuals stocks. As is it’s probably better for most people to stick with Vanguard funds….

VUG@ $39.40
VO@ $42.85
VYM@ $32.66
ADRD@ $17.10
XLE@ $44.66
VTI@ $44.05
EEB@ $22.50

Bye the way, I am using zecco with unlimited free treads in this month. :)

@Chad: I also bought more GE too. I really would like to buy Apple, but I simply cannot see them doing very well in this market. they are a high end retail discretionary and that in this market seems just too set up to buy right now. their new macbooks coming out being announced on 14OCT. If the lower price points as rumored are true, i think that will be good in a two quarters. however, i’d be holding off until after this quarter’s earnings report.

I’d be careful buying oil producers, as your index funds will have a pretty solid concentration of these already – I’m not sure why you’d want to overweight oil companies in an global economic slowdown.

Good luck with your strategy.

———–
According to Ben Stein; he mentioned in his recent article: Recession-Proof Your Investment Strategy — To put this as plainly as possible, this is a good time to buy stocks. The evidence is overwhelming and consistent that if you buy when stocks’ P/E is below its 15-year moving average, you’ll make far more money than you would if you bought at the economic peak, when P/E’s are high. So, unless you’re out of money to buy with during the recession, you buy. You don’t go on margin to buy, and you don’t re-mortgage your home to buy. But if you’re employed and have money to invest, you buy.
————–
reference: http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/yourlife/44763

I also picked up some DEO – a really well capitalized company with a healthy balance sheet that sells alchohol of various kinds (Johnny Walker, Smirnoff, Baily’s, Red Stripe, etc etc) and is currently on sale (not that it might not go lower…). People rarely quit spending money on booze and cigs and food and gas, even in recessions/depressions.

I hesitate to buy gold or platinum as an inflation hedge, but I might just stock up on canned goods, gasoline, and other items I’ll need anyway while my dollar is still strong-ish…

A little early isn’t bad. If someone told you that the downside was 10-20%, which it probably is, and the upside was 50-80% over the next year, you would think this was a good investment. Especially, since at some point the market always goes up. It may take a year, even two, but your risk now isn’t that high.

@ Lazy Man

I’m starting to put cash, I put into money markets last fall, back into stock funds. I don’t have a lot of choices in my 401k, it will be the basic large cap and small cap value funds.

My IRAs and personal investment accounts will be going into individual stocks. Right now I like GE, Apple, RIG (though I’m waiting for oil to fall more), and I’m taking a flyer on Sirius.

Good time to start putting some money to work.

I still think you go with mostly broad-based funds and the add in some bigger companies if you feel you want to be weighted that way. The good thing is that with Zecco, you don’t have to pay commissions so you can easily construct your own portfolio.

I opened an account at Scottrade and was trading within a few minutes. My BIL gave me a referral code good for 7 free trades. The code is GFDF2643. The only document that needed to be sent in was a completed signature card, which doesn’t have to be submitted prior to trading.