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 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 per 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
Other
If Other, Explain:
invest in companies whose products and goals I want to support
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 do not feel that brokerages participate in any gamification of stocks or anything of the sort but I do constantly get ads for things like the motley fool and others. Many of these types of companies try to recommend stocks and investment strategies, and to be very honest it does not sit right with me, there's little transparency as to how they pick the stocks, and it promotes just blindly investing instead of understanding the market and its associated risks.
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.)
More money invested and more frequent investments. My interest in stocks has increased significantly. I set up a 401k with my last job that I added to with every paycheck as well as I started researching stocks and investing when I could afford to. I have yet to make any money trading, it is more of a learning experience right now as I have very little money to work with so I am just long term investing for now in companies I want to support. If I ever had the money to invest, I would definitely trade more frequently. I only trade using a cash account to be safe. Especially over the past few months I have learned a lot more about the stock market and how it functions.
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 : 5+ Years
Options : None
Mutual Funds : None
ETFs : None
Futures : None
Cryptocurrencies : None
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?
Falsifying information or wrongdoing on the investors part. It is my understanding that brokerages working with market makers to restrict individual investors for their own benefit is illegal.
11. What else would you like us to know positive or negative - about your experience with online trading and investing?
The US is supposed to have a fair and free market, and to be very honest, I feel that that isn't happening. The US market is supposed to be stable and valid, however I feel that some companies are undermining this and casting doubt on our economy and system. I believe that there is a general distrust right now of the SEC and others involved in trading rules and regulations because individual investors do not feel like their concerns are being addressed or handled properly. There is a lot of publicly available information that points to illegal activity occurring in the stock market, from lying in court to working against investors best interest, as well as collusion. I am not a lawyer, I do not have a lot of money, and I just want a better life for me and my family. It has been months and the SEC has yet to address some of the most basic concerns regarding a particular market maker's role in the market, cellar boxing, naked shorting, and many other issues. Many people are currently moving over to Computershare from their brokerages, in my opinion, to feel safer in a market that they feel is stacked against them. I can only speak for myself, but I feel that the big companies always get a way out, no matter how many wrongdoings and it is always at the cost of the individual investor. Just based on numbers alone and SEC documents on their own website, I truly believe that everyone knows what is going on and just chooses not to address it. Possibly to not cause panic or further distrust, possibly because of conflict of interest, I don't know, but the SEC stepping in and doing the right thing would definitely give a lot of people more trust in the US and it's economy. I deeply want to believe that the SEC and government has the individual investors best interest at heart, but until there is more transparency and honesty, I will remain skeptical.