September 10, 2021
1. Do you have one or more online trading or investment accounts?
Yes, I have one or more accounts that I access 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 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):
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.)
Robinhood restricted buying access to stocks in January. This is market manipulation. When some stocks are available to buy and others are not, it is market manipulation. Webull used share lending practices that I had previously turned off. The reason I turned off share-lending is because these online brokerages have the ability to use these shares in dark pool trading which I have no access to. For example, over 60% of the trading volume for AMC for the last month or so has been conducted in dark pools. This implies that not only brokerages, hedge funds, and other entities have access to something I am not privy to as a \"retail\" investor, but also that the price of the stock can be manipulated by big players making big trades behind the curtain.
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 trading prior to my online accounts consisted of changes to my 401k. These were occasional trades. I began trading a lot more over the course of 2-3 years with Robinhood. Unfortunately, after January, I moved all of my funds out of RH and divided them between several other ventures. I do not trade with much frequency now, because I don't believe the stock market is legitimate after my experiences.
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 : None
Options : 1-2 Years
Mutual Funds : None
ETFs : Less Than 12 Months
Futures : None
Cryptocurrencies : 1-2 Years
Commodities : None
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?
This is a great question I am aware if I cheat the system, MY funds can be taken away, frozen, etc. Unfortunately, hedge funds and other institutions get bailed out after their illegal practices and face little to no discipline.
11. What else would you like us to know positive or negative - about your experience with online trading and investing?
It's shady. They use our funds to gamble on naked shorting. They use our orders to make decisions on PFOF or payment for order flows, so they can make money on their own investments. (Like the fantasy sports scandal where DK and FD employees used data to increase their own odds on bets).
What will have to happen for our elected government officials at the SEC to do their job and restrict illegal trading practices (mentioned above) so that the market can be as even as a playing field for retail investors as possible?