Quote from Maverick74:
You know, I have met Don a few times in person. And unlike most on here, I actually don't have a problem telling people how I really feel about them face to face. Well, I sat down with Don and I had a lot of criticisms about his operation. We kind of aired out those differences.
But I will say this about Don, he and his brother have been around for 30 years. That says a lot. I have been in this business for 10 years and I can tell you right now, I can count on one hand how many people I have met in this business that I felt were honest people. The rest are absolute scum. You can say all you want about rates, but the fact is, since the late 90's, over 95% of the prop firms out there went belly up. That number should scare the shit out of anyone on this board who is serious about making this a long term career. The fact of the matter is, there are a lot of snakes out there, and most of them hide behind the cheap rate umbrella. All I'm saying is not everything is what they seem.
There is something to be said about integrity and character in this business. When I find someone I can trust I usually join them at the hip and don't leave them, because it's a rarity guys, absolutely rarity.
I also don't kiss his ass. I grilled the guy pretty hard in person. Which most of you I know WOULD NOT do. I'm simply calling it like I see it.
I think it's wonderful that you feel honest and 'call it like you see it'. You are correct, there are a number of snakes and snakeoil salesmen in this business, and I've seen a few firsthand, myself, as well. Now, let's get to the point at hand. The discussion has revolved around to talking about rates, with mention of Echo, IB and Genesis (among others) that are financially solid, ethical firms that meet the needs of active daytraders. More specifically, these firms also charge much lower commission rates than do Bright, making them much more attractive to many traders.
Keeping your honesty and "call it like you see it" hat in place, do you have any reason to believe that any of these three firms can be described as "snakes" or unethical, or unsavory, or firms-to-avoid?
Many times we tend to get sidetracked on ET with broad generalizations, and with the lacking of specifics, anyyone can vaguely claim that the world is not a perfect place. A few pages back, someone suggested that all this talk of 'lower rates' was just talk, and that they wanted hard facts to back this up. Now that hard facts have been presented, you are suggesting, correctly, that some firms in the industry are less than scrupulous. However, since the specific firms were being mentioned (Bright, Echo, IB, Genesis), I am hoping you can comment on your knowledge (if any) of these specific firms, in regard to your concerns, rather than vague statements.
Personally, I can only reflect on my experiences as a Genesis customer for four years, that I hold them in the highest regard for their ethics, honesty and customer service. Sheddog and Patrick seem to feel the same way about Echo. IB, having the largest customer base on ET, seems to be a lightening rod for both positive feedback and criticism (but from those I know using IB, the customer viewpoint is quite positive - and if not, why would they have the largest client-base).
Do you have any experience with these other firms, and if so, what are your experiences and thoughts? Otherwise, I don't personally find vague references to "lots of snakes in this business" as being particularly helpful for this discussion without mentioning specifics, especially coming from a 'tell-it-like-it-is' person like yourself (no offense intended). So, spit it out, Mav.
As it stands now, it seems that the posters on this thread all agree that their are a number of very highly regarded firms from which to choose (in addition to some potential snakes to avoid), each of which have their own strengths and weaknesses. However, if commission rates are important for your style of trading, Bright would appear to be a less attractive candidate for your business than many/most of the other highly regarded firms.
Thanks.
Quote from Maverick74:
So keep going on about how you are paying too much for rates and you will never see the forest through the trees. BTW, I am a competitor to Don, and I have no reason to BS about his firm.
Speaking for myself, over the last 18 months, I have saved well over $1M in commissions versus the cost I would have paid trading at Bright. I'm pretty confident that I can decipher the forest from the trees (although your comment might apply to others). As a trader, not a brokerage firm owner, those are important numbers to me.