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 GBIC >> Retirement >> Vendors
Vendors
While an individual investor can go a long ways without professional help it would be a mistake to think that service companies have nothing to offer. They have full time people who work daily with financial matters and are tied in to the government regulations which can affect your financial investments, or you ability to access them. You should spend some time examining the various companies and deciding on which services are right for you.

Investment Firms Online Stock Trading Free Services

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Investment Firms

These firms all share a common characteristic - they're big! Whether that's good or bad is up to you to decide. Larger companies generally have more resources with which to provide a wider variety of investment options and a greater depth of research for their clients. Some larger companies suffer from higher fees and less personal attention to clients, but usually the satisfaction of a client is more a matter of how much attention they're given by their financial advisor as well as how well their investments perform. Whether small or large, the skills and attention of the financial advisor are the key ingredient to providing satisfaction to the investor.

  1. A G Edwards & Sons
  2. ABN Amro
  3. BankAmerica
  4. Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.
  5. Brown Brothers Harriman
  6. Charles Schwab & Co
  7. Chase Securities
  8. CIBC Oppenheimer
  9. Citigroup Global Markets Inc./Salomon Smith Barney Inc. (SSB)
  10. Credit Suisse First Boston LLC
  11. CS First Boston
  12. Deutsche Bank Alex Brown
  13. Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette
  14. First Tennessee Bank
  15. Goldman, Sachs & Co.
  16. J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
  17. Lazard Houses
  18. Lehman Brothers Inc.
  19. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc.
  20. Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter
  21. PaineWebber Group Inc.
  22. Prudential Securities Inc
  23. Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup
  24. Socgen/Banque Paribas
  25. U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc.
  26. UBS Warburg LLC
  27. Warburg Dillon Read

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Online Stock Trading

If you want to work via the web, here are some starting points. I also suggest you check out this broker review. Before making any decisions be sure to go to the broker's site to make sure you've made the decision on the latest information.

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Free Services

As best I know there are no full-service companies which will provide all the services you need for pre-retirement and post-retirement planning. However, there are some companies out there which offer limited, free services. Several are available only for qualified individuals, so you'll have to check them out to see if you can benefit from their services.

... in work