Edward Jones = run the FUCK away. They will be great friends as long as they have their hands (plural) in your pocket.
I've only heard _one_ good thing about Edward Jones " they were not as bad as most" - from a former financial advisor/competitor.
On this forum at least, and probably on Bogleheads, EJ is a swear word.
In my town of 45,000 there are 38 EJ "advisors", complete with storefronts. That works out to to one advisor for 1200 residents.
Not everyone signs up for EJ. The fees on the sukkas who do, are impressive.
I have E-Trade. I have not employed the brokerage services of Vanguard, even though the vast majority of my net worth is with them.
I you see fees as AUM, Assets Under Management, just sprint away. Even if you don't see those fees listed, a non-fiduciary broker could/might churn your account for the commissions.
To answer your questions, I normally buy stocks by selling put options. If you don't understand that , don't do it.
That way I get paid (or lower my cost basis) to buy the stocks. I only do this in my E-trade accounts (1/20th of net worth) each transaction is less than 0.001% of net worth.