United Mileage Plus has announced a partnership with Ameritrade and members can open an account with as little as $500 and earn 2,500 bonus miles. Not only that, the first 10 Internet equity trades are commission free. The miles will provide some consolation and security in a volatile market — you can definitely watch your mileage account grow and hope that your bank account will follow.

Following your first 10 Internet equity trades, expect to pay $8 commission per Internet equity market trade. Stop and limit orders are $5 more. Convinced readers can log onto www.ameritrade.com/united/.