How to Choose a Forex Broker

Today, I'm going to take a break from covering the credit crisis in order to cover an important logistical topic: how should one go about choosing a forex broker? There are dozens (if not hundreds) of retail forex brokers, a fact which can be overwhelming to those considering dabbling in forex for the first time.

The first step is to assess the quality of the broker, itself.

Where is it registered? Those based in offshore tax havens should be treated with some degree of skepticism, as they are subject to lax, if any, regulation.

It could be difficult to withdraw funds from an account held with such a broker.

Along the same lines, what is the broker's reputation? Typically, the most "visible" brokers will also offer the best customer service, as much of their business is generated through word-of-mouth.

Next, you should examine the product(s)? What kind of trading platform will you have access to? Will you have access to research and advanced (technical) analysis tools? What is the average execution time? The final considerations are financial.

In other words, what is the spread and what are the terms of financial leverage.

At the same time, you should be careful not to allow this latest aspect to weigh too strongly on your selection,

reports The American Chronicle:
It's far too easy to be attracted to brokers that offer up to say 1:400 leverage, and therefore allow you to take out very large positions with a small margin, but this is a very dangerous game and it's all too easy to over-leverage yourself and wipe out your account completely.