Online brokers are in a very competitive space. When Charles Schwab lowered its online trading commission from $8.95 per trade to $6.95 in 2017, within days Fidelity lowered its commission from $7.95 to $4.95. That led Schwab to cut a second round [...]
Advice-Only: The Best Model For Financial Advice People Need And Want
I had a problem with my air conditioner. Even though the thermostat was switched to OFF inside, the "engine" outside continued running. I noticed the problem when I heard noise outside the window. I don't know how long it ran continuously before I [...]
Protect Your Investment Accounts With A Security Token: Fidelity, Schwab, E*Trade, Vanguard
This is a little crazy. I can stop someone from logging into my web email account because it requires a 6-digit code that changes every 30 seconds (gmail 2-step verification), but I can't stop someone from logging into my bank account if they got my [...]
Who Manages Your Investments Versus Who Manages Your Accounts
Your investments and your accounts are two different concepts. You don't "buy" an IRA. Your IRA is an account, a container. Your mutual funds, ETFs, CDs, and so on are your investments. You buy investments inside the container. Likewise, who [...]
Benefits For Large Accounts At Vanguard And Fidelity
Airlines and hotels assign elite status to their customers based on how much business the customers do with them. They give you Platinum, Gold, Diamond, Executive, and other nice sounding names. You get small incentives to make you feel special, such [...]
The Largest 529 Plan And The Power Of Distribution
While looking at 529 plan information, I came across an interesting tidbit. It also tells us something about investing in general. Every state has a 529 plan. Some states have more than one plan. Which state has the largest 529 plans in terms of [...]
Automatically Deposit Dividends To Any Bank Account
Brokers are sometimes accused of profiting from dividends paid into a cash account that pays you nearly nothing. You can automatically reinvest the dividends for free at most places. If it's a taxable account, you can always transfer the dividends [...]
Merrill Edge + Bank of America = Free Trades + Free Checking + Higher Rewards
I moved some ETFs from E*Trade to Merrill Edge. I also opened a new Bank of America checking account. The combo deal gives me free trades on any ETF and a free-everything checking account with branch access and no ATM fee. Bonus and Free [...]
Online Investment Management: Wealthfront, Betterment, Personal Capital
Wealthfront, an online investment management service company, recently announced it reached $1 billion of assets under management in 2-1/2 years since it launched. Wealthfront's competitors include Betterment, Personal Capital, and a number of other [...]
