Types of Accounts Flashcards
Two Most Common Accounts
- Cash Account
- Margin Account
Cash Accounts
- (def) an account in which the customer is required by the Fed’s Reg T to pay, in full, for securities purchased no later than 2 days after the standard payment period set by the Uniform Practice Code
- basic investment account & anyone is eligible to open an investment account can open a cash account
- customer must pay in full for any securities purchased however there are some exceptions
Accounts That May ONLY Be Opened As Cash Accounts
- Personal Retirement Accounts (IRAs)
- Corporate Retirement Accounts (401Ks)
- Custodial Accounts (Uniform Transfer to Minors Act accounts (UTMAs) & Coverdell Educations Savings Accounts (ESA))
Margin
- (def) the amount of equity contributed by a customer as a percentage of the current market value of the securities held in a margin account
- the term margin refers to the minimum amount of the equity a customer must deposit to buy securities
Fee-Based Accounts
- Charge a single fee (either fixed or a percentage of assets in the account) instead of commission based charges
- Are appropriate only for investors who engage in at least a moderate level of trading
- Rules require that before opening a fee-based account, investors must be given a disclosure document
- One benefit is they tend to reduce the likelihood of abusive sales practices (churning) however have introduced a new concept (reverse churning)
- Are NOT wrap accounts
Churning
(def) excessive trading in a customer’s account with the view to generate commissions (syn - overtrading)
Reverse Churning
(def) the unsuitable practice of placing a client who trades infrequently in a fee-based account rather than a commission-based account that would be more appropriate
Wrap Accounts
- Account for which firms provide a group of advisory services in addition to brokerage services
- Advisory services might include asset allocation, portfolio management, executions & administration
- Account is charged a single fee (usually a percentage of assets being managed)
- Firms offering wrap account are generally required to register as investment advisors in addition to their registration as a broker dealer
Prime Brokerage Account
- A customer (generally an institution - Think Financial Planning) selects one member firm (the prime broker) to provide custody, trading and other services, while other firms, called EXECUTING BROKERS, typically execute most the trades placed by the customer
- Key advantage is it usually provides a client with the ability to trade with multiple brokerage houses while maintaining a centralized master account with all of the client’s cash & securities
- Often includes a list of specialized services, such as securities lending, margin financing, trade processing, cash management an operational support
Broker
- (def 1) an individual or firm that charges a fee or commission for executing buy and sell orders submitted by a customer
- (def 2) the role of a firm when it acts as an agent for a customer and charges the customer a commission for its services
Trusted Contact Person (Rules 2165 & 4512)
- There is a requirement to obtain trusted contact info for SPECIFIED ADULTS
- FINRA requires members to make reasonable efforts to obtain the name of and contact info for a trusted contact person
- The rules do not require a customer to provide trusted contact info, ONLY that the firm make the effort
- Member firms may place a temporary hold on the distribution of funds or securities from the account of a specified adult WHEN they believe that financial exploitation of the specified adult has occurred, is occurring, has been attempted, or will be attempted
FINRA considers TEMPORARY to be up to 15 business days
This rule does not require members to place a temporary hold, the rule SIMPLY gives them permission to do so
Specified Adult
- A natural person age 65 or older or a natural person age 18 or older who the member reasonably believes has a mental or physical impairment that makes the individual unable to protect his own interests
Regulation S-P (Privacy Notices)
- Opening an account usually requires complying with Regulation S-P
- Enacted by the SEC to protect the privacy of customer info (nonpublic personal info)
- Firm must provide a privacy notice describing its privacy policies to customers whenever a new account is opened and annually thereafter
- If firm reserves the right to disclose to unaffiliated third parties nonpublic personal info, the notice must provide customers a reasonable means to opt out of this disclosure
-The reg embodies the obligation of financials to safeguard customer info as related to all forms of existing and developing technology
Regulation S-P
Consumer vs Customer
- CONSUMER is an individual who obtains a financial product or service from a firm and has no further contact with the firm; are given an initial privacy notice only
- CUSTOMER is an individual who has an ongoing relationship with a firm; must be given both an initial and annual privacy notice
Power of Attorney (POA)
- If a person who is not named on an account is to have trading authority, the customer must file written authorization with the BD giving that persona access to the account
- Trading authorization usually takes the form of a POA; two basic types: full POA and limited POA
Full POA
- Allows an individual who is not the owner of an account to: 1) deposit or withdraw cash or securities and 2) make investment decisions for the account owner
Limited POA
- Allows an individual to have some, but not total, control over an account
- The doc specifies the level of access the person may excercise
Durable POA
- Full or limited POA may be made “durable” by the grantor of the power
- Durable specifically designates a POA to maintain power over the account even upon the grantor’s incapacitation - mental or physical
- Death of the principal, ceases all forms of POA
Approval & Documentation of Changes in Account Name or Designation
- Under FINRA rules, no change in any account name(s) can be made unless the change has been authorized by a qualified registered principal designated by the member (ie - divorce pending and one spouse tries to remove another)
- Principal must be personally informed of the essential facts relative thereto and indicate her approval of such change in writing
- Must be documented in writing & preserved with the customer account records
Internal Transfers
- It is not unusual for a client to have both a cash account and a margin account
- When a transfer is made to an account form an account of which the recipient is not a signatory, approvals and documentation similar to a change in designation are required (ie - joint account transfer to an individual account)
Bulk Transfers
- When customers sell securities held in their accounts, cash representing the proceeds of those sales are deposited to their accounts
- That cash is swept into a MM mutual fund where it will earn income until the money is either w/drawn or used for a new purchase - known as a SWEEP ACCOUNT
- Contacting each of the clients individually to receive their consent is not practical
- FINRA rules do permit member firms to make bulk exchanges at net asset value (NAV) of MM mutual funds utilizing negative response letters w/o obtaining affirmative consent, but only when specific conditions are met
Negative Response Letter
- Generally informs the recipient of the letter of a impending action & requires the recipient to respond or act w/in a specified time frame if the recipient objects to the action
Negative Response Letter Conditions for Bulk Transfers
- The bulk exchange is limited to situations involving mergers & acquisitions of funds, changes of clearing members & exchanges of funds used in sweep accounts
- The negative response letter contains a tabular comparison of the nature & amount of the fees charged by each fund
- The negative response letter contains a comparative description of the investment objectives of each fund & a prospectus of the fund to be purchased
- The negative response feature will not be activated until at least 30 days after the letter was mailed
Tax-Deferred
- Income tax is put off to a later time
- In most retirement plans, tax on the amount of the contribution is usually deferred until withdrawal
- Tax on the earnings is always deferred until withdrawal
Qualified Plan
- An employer-sponsored plan (pension, 401(k) or 403(b)) where the contributions are made with pretax dollars & earnings in the account grow w/o any tax (tax deferred) until the funds are withdrawn
- Are usually governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
ERISA
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
Qualified
- Term by itself means that contributions made with pretax dollars & earnings in the account are tax-deferred until the funds are withdrawn
- Can apply to either a qualified plan or a traditional IRA
Nonqualified
- An employer-sponsored plan where there are no tax advantages other than that the pay is not received until sometime later when the individual should be in a lower tax bracket
- Another advantage is that the employer can discriminate between employees
- Term can also apply to an annuity purchased on an individual basis outside of a retirement plan
Deductible Contribution
- Contribution made by the individual, whether an employee contribution to a qualified plan (401k) or by any individual to a traditional IRA
- Means the amount contributed is pretax or otherwise deductible on the tax return
Nondeductible Contribution
- Contribution to a qualified plan or an IRA (traditional or Roth) which is made with after-tax dollars
- The funds do grow tax-deferred but there is no tax benefit derived from the contribution
Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans
- Two basic types of retirement plans in the US: qualified & nonqualified
- Qualified plans allow pretax contributions to be made while nonqualified plans are funded with after-tax money
- Both plans can allow money to grow tax-deferred until needed
- Contribution limits for qualified retirement plans vary & are adjusted from time to time
- A taxable distribution from any retirement plan is taxed as ordinary income, never as capital gains
- In a qualified plan, if all funds were contributed by the employer or if the employee’s contributions were pre-taxed, the tax basis (cost) is zero - because everything above the cost is taxed at the employee’s ordinary income rate at the time of distribution, in most cases all funds received are fully taxable