<prompt> Human: So far Ive maxed out my ROTH for the year and Im currently on schedule to max my SEP IRA very soon. Since I work as a contractor, I dont have access to a 401k, nor do I qualify for an HSA. Im considering opening up a taxable brokerage account since I have quit a bit of cash that Im sitting on. Its getting to a point where all of my future earnings dont really have a specific purpose no debts and my emergency fund is large enough to last me anywhere between 12-18 months. It seems like now is a good time to just start pushing everything into a new investment vehicle.Right now my investments are set up with Vanguard, but I have a brokerage account with Charles Schwab that I opened up to take advantage of their checking account. The CS brokerage account is actually unused. With that in mind, Id like to set up my next investment with one of these institutions since I already have a history with them, but Im not sure what to look out for when comparing their services. Is CS or Vanguard even a good option for a taxable brokerage account? I did a quick search online and noticed that TradeKing is much cheaper than both Vanguard and CS. Ill be investing in ETFs for the long term in case that makes any difference.  <response>: I definitely like Schwab for taxable investing. Their index ETFs are actually a touch cheaper than Vanguard and I like having them tied to the checking account. Its not my primary checking, but useful for traveling internationally, wire transfers, etc.Also, with either Vanguard or Schwab you should be able to do index investing in their local funds with no transaction fees. 