I'm about opening an e*trade bank account. but I found this on there webS. " Investment Products: • Not FDIC Insured • No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value"\nI'm having second thoughts..\nMy knowledge about banking just like my knowledge about Korean history.. so please help.
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e*Trade is an investment site as well as a banking site.  Be sure you're looking at the right place.  Investments are not FDIC insured and certainly may lose value however, if you are truly seeking a bank account (savings, draft, MMA) then be sure you are on e*Trade's banking site and not their investment site.  Their true banking products should be FDIC insured.\n\n I am a former e*Trade customer and was satisfied with their services on the investment side. That being said I consolidated a significant portion of my banking in another financial institution to gain other financial incentives and benefits. \n\nJust be sure you're looking at the right site for your specific purposes.\n\nGood luck!
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Hi Dave,\n\nI saved an article a while back that addressed this same question. Basically it has to do with the required reserves that banks must have because they take your deposits (and due to the nature of the business).  The article is below but is missing the related tables that it references.  Email me at bimmayute1@yahoo.com and I'll send you the article (word doc).\n\nNicholas\nnsmconsulting.net\n\n\n\nBy Vitaliy Katsenelson, CFA\n02/10/2006 \nInvesting in the stock market is a never-ending learning experience. That's what makes it so appealing and intellectually stimulating. And I inadvertently had one of those live-and-learn experiences just the other day. \nIn my piece on Lloyds TSB(NYSE: LYG), I wrote that banks usually trade at lower price-to-earnings ratios to the market because they are considered riskier investments as a result of their high use of debt. That line caught the eye of Foolish financial editor Joey Khattab, who asked writers Stephen Simpson and Nate Parmelee whether they agreed with my logic. Both disagreed. They argued that larger banks have lower P/Es generally because they are perceived to have a slower or more limited growth potential. \nAt first, I thought there might be a conspiracy of Fools at work against me! So I asked several investment professionals for their opinion. And to my amazement, they all agreed with the Fools. \nSo I looked at some larger banks to see whether they had been slow growers in the past, and I couldn't reach that conclusion. Many of these banks, in fact, had achieved very respectable earnings growth and paid above-average dividends in the process. I then looked at expectations for future earnings growth, and they appeared not to be below average, either. With the exception of Fifth Third(Nasdaq: FITB), which Wall Street once loved to love and now loves to hate, the rest of the pack was trading at a substantial discount to the market and still are. \nInstitution 10-Year Avg. EPS Growth Rate Median 10-Year P/E Current Dividend Proj. EPS Growth \nCitigroup18.6% 15.3 3.8% 10% \nU.S.Bancorp(NYSE: USB)\n17.5% 14.3 4.5% 10% \nFifth Third15.8% 22.7 4.1% 10% \nWells Fargo(NYSE: WFC)\n12.8% 15.6 3.4% 11% \nBank of America(NYSE: BAC)\n9.3% 13.4 4.5% 9% \nAmsouth8.7% 12.8 3.7% 8% \nRegions Financial(NYSE: RF)\n4.6% 13.7 4.0% 8% \nWachovia(1.6%) 13.6 3.9% 10% \nJPMorgan Chase(NYSE: JPM)\n(2.7%) 15.0 3.6% 10% \n\nThe answer must be more complex than just the growth rates. I believe the answer to banks' lower P/Es lies in the following four factors. \n1. Cyclicality \nThe banking business is closely tied to the health of the economy. As the economy expands, demand for loans increases and bad debt declines -- a combination that improves banks' profitability. In a contracting economy, of course, the reverse takes place. \nBecause investors pay up for predictability, they rarely pay a full market multiple for the volatility that comes with cyclical companies. Cyclical heavy-industrial companies like Caterpillar and Ingersoll Rand, for example, usually trade below the market P/E just as a many banks do. \n2. Financial leverage \nWe have not had a bank crisis in the U.S. for a while, so most investors have forgotten just how risky banks can be. But as Warren Buffett has said, by the time you find out a bank has a problem, it will be too late. The equity at most banks stands at meager 6%-10% of total assets, so when a bank does make a mistake, its high leverage amplifies the problem. \n3. Interest rate volatility \nBanks are subject to the risks that come with changing interest rates. They prosper when the difference between long-term and short-term rates -- in other words, the interest rate spread -- is high. However, when that spread narrows, it becomes increasingly difficult for banks to make any money. Many banks have addressed the problem by boosting their fee businesses. For example, fees account for a full 46% of U.S. Bancorp's income, thereby making the com
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I'm not sure where you are, but I know that locally, in Ohio, it is illegal to put any deposits into an interest bearing account.  All earnest money, which it sounds like what this is, is required to go into a broker's non-interest bearing account.  You may want to double check about it going into an account that bears interest.
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Hi,\n\nFrom experience, you should be very cautious when approaching penny stocks because they can lose value very quickly. It may worth  opening a demo account to play with "play" money before using real money.\n\nGood Luck!
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I came across a perosnal website by R. Kannan on the subject of investmnet. The site is http://www.geocities.com/kstability/student/kgl/invest1.html\n\nWhile investment basics are the same everywhere, there are intricacies related to market regulations in different countries. If your goal is investment, then a logical place to start after reading investment basics article ( link above) would be to subscribe to a financial publication ( Financial Times etc ) and stay abreast of market developments. Market knowledge is something you acquire over time and if you devote a little time every day, you may notice the difference in your understanding of the market in as little as 1 month. But that would be just a start. Stay informed and the best way of doing that is keeping pace with the market
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100% financing on an investment property?  Sounds fishy to me.  Is this some condemned building or one that was under seawater from the last hurricane?  That area was hit hard, are you an out of state investor?  Be careful.
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I'm suspicious of your intentions. The first thought that comes to mind is this sounds like day trading, which while legal, can break the bank. I prefer to invest in equities which represent solid Companies, doing well while increasing their ROI, ROE, increasing the size of their resistance to competition-sometimes referred to as their moat & leading with better than average menagement. Here's a site you can learn much from if you'll take the time, link 1. \n\nBut if you really want to test your financial reserves, try this, link 2:
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yahoo site is blank sometimes. Sometimes the graphs don't pop up or the "real time ECN" is flaky, and i think this is only a "real time indicator" with a caveat that it is only an estimate.\n\nI us my brokerage firms website for REAL real time quotes.
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Etrade offers investment club package.  You will have to apply for a tax id and all of that fun so you don't avoid paying taxes and then you will need to decide on the acess to account and the rest of the fun stuff.  But call or go to etrade.com and search for it.  \n\nRival
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Anytime you buy stock or sell stock, you incur a fee. Different companies charge different fees. The on-line no frills services charge very little. I would only use Charles Schwab, one of the highest rated low cost firms.  One trade means you purchase a certain number of shares at a certain price. Example; I buy 100 shares of HP at one time for one price, I pay one fee for that. If you buy from 5 different entities, that would be 5 different trades.\n\n If you are new to investing, you need to fully understand what you are doing. One of the best ways to learn is check out Suze Orman's books on wealth, money and investing in the library. She is the best and really spells things out in simple terms, and she's honest, rare in that line of work.  She has a website too.\n\nYou really need to understand that you invest only what you are willing to loose, because the stock market is very volitile.  In fact, this past week, it took a major nose dive because the feds were saying we are close to inflation and they are raising rates. That plus other things affect the market, it's very quirky...actually bordering on silly at times given the fluctuations and reasons for them.
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Blimey...there is certainly more to you that meets the eye isn't there Mr Raidehz??!! Am completely ignorant on all things business/stock etc...so have to compliment you as I'm sure its all pukka..what you says sounds completely confident and from someone who really knows his stuff...\nSo - a question for you: If I had @ £10,000 to invest, what is the best thing for me to invest it in right now to virtually guarantee good payback within a relatively short timespan......?
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I use scottrade since 2003 and have had no problems with them.  I havent bought any stocks since february and no charges or anything.  infact when I first opened the account I did not buy any stocks for 2 months and they gave me 1 cent interest for the money I had in the account.  They are cheap when it comes to buying stocks but one thing I dont like about them is they suck when it comes to penny stock.  lets say you bought penny stock that were valued at 50 dollars all together, they will charge you the 50 bucks for the stocks, the fee for the trade plus 50% the value of the stock, so you pay them 25 bucks extra simply because they are penny stock.  Other than that I like the account.
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Yes, that's a very nice account.  I'm a financial planner by trade and I think the high rate money markets are fantastic.  First off, inflation is about 3% right now, so you're losing money if you put it in something not making at least that 3%.  Second, I'm not particularly excited about the markets for the next couple of years.  Not that there aren't places to make money, but that it takes some savvy and probably a good bit of luck.  Third, the liquidity is hard to beat.  You can take your money out whenever you want with no penalties and you don't have to have a minimum to start.  \n\nBut when you look at alternatives it looks especially appealing.  etrade cd's, which are the highest in the country, are only paying 5% for a 3 month CD.  You're getting that without having to lock up your money for 3 months.  Also it's FDIC insured, so no worries about company problems.  \n\nIf you don't know what to do with your money, if you will need that money in the next couple of years, or if you are just very conservative, the Citibank money market is the best right now.  ING was formely the highest paying and someone else may come around and offer more, but the competition should only help you.\n\nTo learn more about personal finance please listen to my podcast, it's the #1 in the world for personal finance, www.promoneytalk.com\n\nHope this helps,\n\nJason
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Okay let's start with American Funds which is who runs ICA.  AF is an awesome fund company for a couple of reasons.  One they are a private company which means they only answer to their MF holders.  Unlike a company like Fidelity which is a good company also but they are owed by stock holders.  In the long run the company that only answers to you the MF holder is going to look out for your best interest and returns more diligently.  They also have some of the lowest annual fees to maintain an account of any MF company.  All that being said, depending on your situation ICA may or may not be good for you.  You need a competent advisor to help you with that.  I would be cautious with ICA as it is one of the largest MF in the world.  They may seem like a good thing but it actually can be bad.  It means it has much less flexibility to move its money around when condititon warrant it.  As far as EJ goes, they hire people on average who have very little experience in the industry, so at a minimum make sure your rep has a lot of experience and didn't just start last month at this.  They also have agreements with companies like American Funds where their reps get a bigger commission to them then they do with other products.  The concern being your advice from EJ might be tainted by the reps desire to get more commission.  You need to work with an independant rep to assist you with you decisions.   One who will give you all the information and doesn't have a hidden agenda.  If you want to send me email and tell me what state you're in I probably could refer you to a couple.  Good luck.
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I've been with Scottrade for about ten years now... and I believe they are the best discount brokerage available.  You'll pay just $7 a trade.  You'll have resources to explore.  You can even get advice from one of their brokers, which will result in a small fee.  Bottom line: Take it from a retired stock broker... if I could invest at a better company, I'd do it!
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There's sooooo much poor information here.\n\nWhen you invest in most stocks the Stock Exchange manages things so you are guaranteed to find a buyer if you're selling and guaranteed to find a seller if you're buying.  The large banks are granted favourable trading terms in return for being in the market and quoting a price to take those 200 MSFT shares off your hands.  They can drop the price they're prepared to pay when more people are selling than buying but they commit to being in the market and quoting a price most of the time.\n\nPink Sheets and Over The Counter are basically the same thing (the name Pink Sheets comes from the fact that closing prices were printed and distributed at the end of the trading day on pink paper).  It is a seperate market for stocks not quoted on the main market.  Basically, when you want to buy or sell a stock there is no guarantee there will be anyone prepared to trade with you.  The more popular stocks normally trade reasonably well but there are thousands of stocks on the OTC market that trade no volume for weeks at a time.  Most of the shareholders will be held privately and if no one is prepared to sell you're not going to be able to buy.  If you are able to find a seller you run the risk of paying a large spread (the difference between the buy and sell price).  On the main market the buy or sell price for MSFT will be the same.  On the OTC market the buy price for a stock might be $10 higher than the sell price.\n\nThe biggest danger is that something happens to the stock while you're holding it and you find yourself locked in.  If I buy MSFT I can sell the stock seconds after bad news is announced by going to my PC and logging onto my brokerage account.  If I hold OTC stock I can only sell my stock if there's someone out there prepared to buy.\n\nOTC stocks are not neceessarily up and coming, as with penny stocks choose very carefully.  Stocks quote on the OTC market for a number of reasons, and there are definately some bargains out there.  But it is much much more risky than the main market.
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I have an account with ING direct, but I've since abandoned it in favor of Emigrant Direct and HSBC.  I was very pleased with ING, but their interest rate on savings is no longer competitive.