"They can buy, sell, share or put a call virtually to any stock, bond or currency in the world, they can do it from their basement, and they can do it with information that in the past brokers would only give to their clients for a charge, " says Thomas L Friedman, of the New York Times, author of a book on globalisation.

BBC: Greenspan Alert!

Prudential-Bache seads its brokers out to customers' homes to do a financial plan free of charge.

FORBES: Watch Your Assets

BrightScope.com provides online records -- at no charge -- on nearly 450, 000 financial professionals, from commission-based brokers to fee-only advisers.

WSJ: Borrowers Could See Higher Interest Rates