His father , John Joseph Ricketts , started Ameritrade when Tom was eight years old .
While Ameritrade was the Ameritrade   , Ameritrade has not close to the retail brokerage behemoth Ameritrade would become .
His father , John Joseph Ricketts , started Ameritrade when Tom was eight years old , and while it was the family business , it has not close to the retail brokerage behemoth it would become .