A regular brokerage firm is a good choice with the least likely chance of losing your money. But if you know a little about investing, and the stock itself that you're interested in, then online brokers are definately the least costly way to go. Example, E-trade et al charge anywhere from $7-10 trades. Edward Jones charged me $150 for my last trade-and that was supposedly with a "discount".
Fortunately, that stock I'm holding long term. If you like to "play" with stocks I would say online brokers. Be warned however...it's not as easy as it appears.
