How to get started in the stock market?

[Jake A]

Thats great. Tradeking is really cheap. It depends whether you want discount or full service broker. Discount does not mean its bad, just that you do it on your own. Full service is more expensive, but they make all the decisions for you. I would use a discount broker. But make sure you do your research or you could lose a lot of money.
while your just starting, stick to stocks only. stay away from futures and options, they are WAY to risky for a beginner. Good luck!

PS be careful about making too many transactions, that will quickly eat up your available funds. unless you have more than $1000 then you'll probably have to stick to $5 stocks in order to make a good profit. but be warned that those are riskier than other stocks.