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New York, NY
Experience: Beginner
Platform: Vanguard 401k
Broker: Yahoo Finance
Trading: Mutual funds
Posts: 1,152 since Jul 2012
Thanks Given: 784
Thanks Received: 2,685
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One thing to bear in mind is that there are more vendors in this space than there are end users. I can name dozens of products better than the ones you listed, exhaust all of the functionality that you've described, and do it *very well* (better than what you've described certainly). These vendors have dozens of software engineers who are paid more than you will earn in your first couple of years, sponsor VIP tickets to fanciful galas (and even massages at salons) each fall, and do a very good job of marketing.
The other issue you might want to consider is the attrition rate of your customers. If a majority of retail end users ultimately close their brokerage accounts at a loss, do you feel that your average client will renew his or her license after 1 year?
Because of these two reasons, most vendors crowd to the bespoke end and focus on acquiring 10-150 large clients who need custom work and consultation. If you're going this route, be prepared to spend more time running a business (receiving phone calls from angry customers, marketing your product, running payroll, hiring people, traveling, booking flights and hotels etc.) than actually writing software.
What you might have going for you is to find a niche in cost competition, and also hopefully, incredible luck and perseverance. Between the latter two, I cannot instill serendipity but I can share a reason for perseverance: In my experience, you will make money so long as you throw years of time at a problem and don't forget your original goal. I don't mean to frighten you away but really, it boils down to a question of whether you are prepared to spend years toiling away at a problem, possibly alone, before you turn cash flow positive - for most people, it's "no", and it saves them a lot more pain to give up right now.
Good luck!
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