August 28, 2021
1. Do you have one or more online trading or investment accounts?
Yes, I have one or more accounts that I access online, either using a computer or a mobile app but I also access the account(s) in other ways (e.g., by calling or visiting in person).
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?
Once to a few times a week.
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 downloaded an app or visited a website first, and then opened up an account with the company
6. My goals for trading or investing in my online account are (check all that apply):
Save and grow my money for short-term goals (in the next year or two)
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 use online platforms for charts and data. Its ridiculous and insulting that retail investors are painted as bored children playing a video game.
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.)
After 2008 when most of my safe investments were obliterated, I was forced to stay in the market and ride the decade long recovery of my portfolio. I had completely lost faith in the market but I was unwilling to realize my loses so I held.
I opened an online account to manually exit out of most of my positions as they reached pre determined price targets (most of my positions were 15plus years old). However the market took a big hit again and all of my holdings moved far back from my pre determined exit so I held again to recover. I have since exited most of my positions and have very little of my total net worth in equities. The online brokerage has changed my behavior in a couple of ways:
1. I set specific profit goals and exit points on every stock I buy.
2. I have hold stocks and trade stocks instead of just buy and hold across the board.
3. I am methodical about locking in profits no matter how much I like the company.
4. Most shares I acquire are through cash secured puts that get exercised at a price I was happy to pay.
5. Access to (almost) real time data has further convinced me that prices are controlled and manipulated by institutions rather than the open market.
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 : 5+ Years
Bonds :
Options : 2-5 Years
Mutual Funds : 5+ Years
ETFs : 5+ Years
Futures :
Cryptocurrencies : 1-2 Years
Commodities :
ClosedEnd Funds :
Money Market Funds :
Variable Insurance Products :
Business Development Companies : 5+ Years
Unit Investment Trusts :
10. What is your understanding, if any, of the circumstances under which trading or investing in your account can be suspended or restricted?
I believe that any broker will restrict, halt, close, suspend, or lose my account if market conditions endanger their bottom line or existence. They will ignore regulations, break laws, and steal from their own customers bc they know that they will not be held to account. Pathetic fines and empty threats for a couple of quarters and then it is back to normal for them.
11. What else would you like us to know positive or negative - about your experience with online trading and investing?
Retail doesnt need you to protect us from ourselves, we can learn and profit with access and data. Stop institutional market manipulation and conflicts of interest and we will be fine.