I have to agree with you. Additionally, I'm happy to pay my broker 25 basis points for every trade I make. In exchange I get 24h phone support, trade over the phone, analyst research, morning notes, end of year trading tax records, etc. Paying for a service, if it's an excellent service, is not a bad thing. This internet trend of "everything free" wants to shift the attention from the fact the back-office, customer service and other support functions are lacking or inexistent.