Circuit breaker + panel selection -- make and breaker series?
I am of the strong opinion that for a residential application it almost does not matter what brand you choose. They are all nearly the same, even QO and CH series. Sure, copper buss is nice, but not mandatory. I have seen and installed pretty much every major brand in the last 25 years or so, they are ALL ok.

I would choose something that you can get breakers and parts locally and easily.