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 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?
Yes
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):
Keep the amount of money I have, while keeping up with inflation
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.)
Games? You played the stock game in school when learning, that's been going on for decades. Contests with prizes? See stock game. Badges and membership tiers? Again, this had been going on for decades, why do higher frequency traders get a higher discount on commissions, is this not a membership tier? Notifications, ideas presented? You mean like they do on the news day in and day out, or on Bloomberg? Subscription? You mean like the CBOE or Finra has? The experience is positive to have a more user friendly interface and make trading more accessible, this whole idea of Gamification is so absurd, it's just a word being thrown around by institutions and the US government that essentially means we don't like that retail traders have more access and are able to learn more about the market because they get to see how rigged it all really is.
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.)
My behaviors have changed because I realize that everything is set up to hurt retail traders.
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 : 1-2 Years
Options : 2-5 Years
Mutual Funds : 5+ Years
ETFs : 5+ Years
Futures : 2-5 Years
Cryptocurrencies : 2-5 Years
Commodities : 2-5 Years
ClosedEnd Funds : None
Money Market Funds : Less Than 12 Months
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?
Excessive good faith violations if cash, more than 3 round trip trades in a day within a 5 day rolling period if margin, not meeting margin calls if applicable, fraudulent activity (note: does not apply to those who pay speaking fees to SEC regulators).
11. What else would you like us to know positive or negative - about your experience with online trading and investing?
The biggest thing I have realized with having more access to the market and the information out there is that I realize how absolutely corrupt the US Stock Exchange is and how with even all the data out there there is so much more that is purposefully obfuscated from the retail trader so that institutions can take advantage of retail. How absolutely blatantly fraudulent the prices are and how, in broad daylight, MM allowed to push prices up and down to levels more favorable to their positions. MM trade in front of retail traders. FINRA regulates those that invest in them (read doesn't regulate). However, I'm not as nave to expect SEC to read this and learn anything, you all are fully aware. However, more and more people like myself are finding this out first hand, I have already halted my contributions to my 401k as I will be looking to moving my investments out of the US Stock Market in favor of ones that aren't so full of corruption.