Newbie ?s : TOS or NinjaTrader for simulation, internet&computer security, etc

[seedhe]

1) I was going to start with TOS but it occurred to me that maybe I should use the platform that I would be doing my real trading on to cut down on having to learn a new platform all over again. Good idea? I'm leaning towards TOS or NinjaTrader since these are the only simulators I've heard of so far. I see a lot of reference to TOS for paper trading but for real trading, I don't see TD brokerage used a lot but I see NinjaTrader(especially for futures)/IB/SureTrader. Which one is better? Does opening an brokerage account cause a hard inquiry?

[NinjaTrader_ChristopherD]

Hello seedhe,

Thank you for your post.

If you ultimately intend to use NinjaTrader for live trading, then I think it would make more sense to use NinjaTrader for trade simulation as well. Opening a brokerage account will give you access to live market data. Then you can use the free version of our platform for trade simulation until you are ready to trade live.

If you have questions about opening an account with NinjaTrader Brokerage, you are welcome to contact our brokerage team via email: brokeragesales[AT]ninjatrader[DOT]com