Steven. Glad to have ya at FIO!
I personally, have two scottrade accounts. I cant complain about them. Also, I use their program, Scottrade Streaming quotes. Live quotes, tickers, charts, etc etc. Pretty simple. Nothing too complicated.
My dad has a few accounts as well. Once you have a total of $25,000 or more (not sure if you read about this or not on their website) then you can use Scottrader Elite. Elite is a little more complex program. It actually allows you to view all of your accounts on one screen AND manage them. That is, if they are linked together. But you mentioned a few thousand $$ to start.
That's what i did! Took some side cash and threw it in an account. It was a great experience and ya learn alot! Best of Luck Steven. Check out my blog if ya get a chance. It might help.
(
Stock Lingo)
All the best,
Spencer