[Muted]

Well it depends very much on what kind of trader/investor you are. If you are an active trader you want something with a very low cost per trade while a monthly fee is not such a big deal. Interactive Brokers (IB) immediately comes to mind then. If you are located in Europe no taxes on dividends are withheld by IB and should be declared by yourself. That is if you want to declare them. Not sure if this is the same in US.

If you are an infrequent trader the cost per transaction is less important, you just don't want any monthly fees. I personally use thinkorswim (which is part of TD Ameritrade). But I'm sure scottrade, fidelity, etrade would be fine too.

Finally there is always the question if you want to pick stocks yourself. As Warren Buffett has often said, if you don't want to dedicate the time and effort you should buy an s&p 500 index fund. He recommends vanguards VFIAX or you could buy the ETF VOO. For most people this will do a lot better over time than picking stocks yourself!