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?
Once to a few times per month
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):
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
Have fun
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.)
My online directed investment accounts are probably the most boring, most unexciting tools youve worked with, being the minimum viable product offered from a traditional bank investment account.
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 researched more on my own, I was more engaged with my transactions, and Ive increased my trailing 12 month rolling average from 5% to 25% per year in realized gains for shorter term investments. I have become more confident in the market, more confident in my investments, and have become more emotionally and financially invested in long-term investing.
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 : 5+ Years
Options : None
Mutual Funds : 5+ Years
ETFs : 5+ Years
Futures : None
Cryptocurrencies : None
Commodities : 5+ Years
ClosedEnd Funds : None
Money Market Funds : None
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?
Volatility circuit breakers and other market-level suspensions and restrictions.
11. What else would you like us to know positive or negative - about your experience with online trading and investing?
I would not feel more confident, more safe, and certainly not more emotionally invested if I cannot be directly involved in my investment and trade strategy. I do not find the advice of bankers and lower-level financial advisors to be useful beyond a sales pitch - theyre not certified to provide specific financial advice, and theyre typically just selling mutual funds and other bank investment services. Financial advice and higher order assistance is limited to those with more capital and more complicated strategies to manage as it incurs much higher fees. My preferred method of investment is buy and hold for long-term value plays, but if I had to work with an advisor in order to participate in the market, I will withdraw from the market. Also, unless regulation comes to curb mainstream medias ability to influence the market, I will not support or condone any action to regulate retail investors ability to discuss their investments on social media, and I will withdraw from the market if social media participants come under regulatory scrutiny without commensurate action against the likes of the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Motley Fool, Marketwatch, CNBC, Fox Business, Barrons, and their peers and competitors. I would like mainstream media censured for their demonization of retail traders who like the stock.