I have been investing for myself since November 1992. I have been mildly successfull. I do my own research, and use Quicken to analyze and keep track of my investments. The Quicken website is a great place for quotes, charts, and other information.

I am currently moving my online brokerage account. My old one had a merger, and raised their prices. So, I am moving everything over to Ameritrade. They charge 8 bucks a trade. I will let you know what I think of them, once I have actually used their services.
   Originally I had a Lombard account, which got bought out by Discover. Then somehow Morgan Stanley and Discover got together. I do not know who bought who, but suffice it to say that 'ole Morgan Stanley (a full service broker, who thinks it is Merrill Lynch or something) has it's brokers to consider, and came out with a plan similar to Merrill's. Overpriced, in other words. Worth magazine did a story on the online services, and Ameritrade seemed to best suit my needs. I do my own research, so I did not need a broker strong in this area. Most of the brokers who charge more offer more services, which if that is what you are looking for may be the way to go.

I am also a member of Investors Alliance. Members receive a monthly newsletter, with tips for the individual investor. If you sign up for the computer membership you also get a great program called Power Investor, which allows you to query companies on many different variables. A further description and screenshots are available at their site, along with the other benefits of membership.