August 27, 2021
1. Do you have one or more online trading or investment accounts?
Yes, I have one or more accounts that I access both online using a computer and using a mobile app.
2. If your response to Question 1 is Yes, do you think you would trade or invest if you could not do so online using a computer or using a mobile app?
No
3. On average, how often do you access your online account?
Daily/more than once a day
4. On average, how often are trades made in your online account, whether by you or someone else?
Less often than once a month.
5. If you access your account online, did you have the account first, and only began to access it electronically later? Or did you open the account with the idea that you would access it electronically immediately?
I had a pre-existing account and downloaded an app or visited a website to access my account
6. My goals for trading or investing in my online account are (check all that apply):
Save and grow my money for medium- to long-term goals
7. What would you like us to know about your experience with the features of your online trading or investment platform? (Examples of features are: social networking tools games, streaks, or contests with prizes points, badges, and leaderboards notifications celebrations for trading visual cues, like changing colors ideas presented at order placement or other curated lists or features subscription and membership tiers or chatbots.)
I don't need the things listed above, such as games, colors, etc., and I think the fact that half of the above list could be found at a casino is frankly insulting. I want a platform that gives me the information I need to make informed decisions about investing. That's it. I'm not a child, points and badge aren't going to sway my investment decisions.
8. If you were trading or investing prior to using an online account, how have your investing and trading behaviors changed since you started using your online account? (For example, the amount of money you have invested, your interest in learning about investing and saving for retirement, the amount of time you have spent trading, your knowledge of financial products, the number of trades you have made, the amount of money you have made in trading, your knowledge of the markets, the number of different types of financial products you have traded, or your use of margin.)
I've been using an online account for many years, but I'm old enough that I started investing before they were around. My parents taught me to invest in index and mutual funds, but I have become increasingly concerned over time about the ethics of the companies within these funds. I try to be ethical in my investment decisions while seeing healthy long-term gains.
9. How much experience do you have trading or investing in the following products (None, 12 months, 1-2 years, 2-5 years, 5+ years):
Stocks : 1-2 Years
Bonds : None
Options : None
Mutual Funds : 5+ Years
ETFs : 1-2 Years
Futures : None
Cryptocurrencies : None
Commodities : None
ClosedEnd Funds : None
Money Market Funds : 2-5 Years
Variable Insurance Products : None
Business Development Companies : None
Unit Investment Trusts : None
10. What is your understanding, if any, of the circumstances under which trading or investing in your account can be suspended or restricted?
Trading without sufficient settled cash (freeriding).
11. What else would you like us to know positive or negative - about your experience with online trading and investing?
The SEC needs to determine what the future of trading will be in this country. The American people have been pushed into a system where pensions have been supplanted by IRA's, and the individual is entirely responsible for their own economic future. That future is tied to the stock market. If the SEC does not take a hard, aggressive stance against naked shorting and dark pool abuses, the American people, and the American economy, will suffer as a result.