September 25, 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?
Yes
3. On average, how often do you access your online account?
Once to a few times a week
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.)
Payment for order flow caused me to change brokers to a broker without payment for order flow.
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.)
Payment for order flow caused me to change brokers to a broker without payment for order flow.
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 : None
Mutual Funds : None
ETFs : 5+ Years
Futures : None
Cryptocurrencies : None
Commodities : None
ClosedEnd Funds : None
Money Market Funds : 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?
My understanding is that trading and investing can be restricted at the platform level. However, such practices should be illegal and should only occur as part of a forced liquidation of the broker. To allow a broker to suspend trading in a security (especially suspending only one side, buy or sell), allows the broker to directly manipulate a stock and to do so for their benefit at the expense of its clients.
11. What else would you like us to know positive or negative - about your experience with online trading and investing?
My experience is that payment for order flow has caused brokers to work against their clients. After changing to a trading platform that does not engage in payment for order flow, I feel much more secure. However, I also now hold directly registered shares of equities I own. The safety and security of holding directly registered shares, at least as part of my portfolio, outweighs the convenience of easy trading on online platforms.