Full service options brokers
The brokerage industry is going all out to get investors more excited about trading stocks again. In many cases, that means rolling out new technology for their clients' smartphones and tablets. Over the past year alone, firms have launched a slew of mobile trading applications, social media tools, investing videos and seminars — many designed to be as unintimidating as a round of Angry Birds. But behind all this high-tech outreach, which brokers are really doing the best job for investors? In its annual survey of brokers -- the June cover story, "Text, Tweet, Trade" -- SmartMoney Magazine ranks the best and the worst. You might think the most affluent investors would get the best tech tools. But surprisingly enough, experts say, most full-service brokers are behind the technological curve; their websites lack features that are standard among even run-of-the-mill discounters. Getting wired is a tricky balancing act for the full-service crowd. Indeed, full-service brokers want to avoid the impression that they are abandoning the hand-holding that sets them apart and service justify their prices. Still, some brokers are catching up -- not least options better technology can improve customer retention, says Bill Doyle, an industry analyst at Forrester Research. Edward Jones bounds back into the top spot in our survey, in no small part because of its stock picking in That helped the brokerage recover from its poor showing as a stock picker last year. Louis—based firm says that in the market favored the large, high-quality stocks think Colgate-Palmolive and IBM that it generally recommends. On the tech front, Edward Jones has been diving into social media -- posting videos about investing strategy to its YouTube channel and tweeting daily on Twitter. It also gets high marks for customer satisfaction and trust in independent surveys. To gauge these brokers' strengths and weaknesses, we looked at a wide range full factors. Among other things, we weighed data on the performance of the stocks they recommended, pored over studies on customer satisfaction, and consulted experts who study important intangibles like the user-friendliness of their account statements and websites. UBS is among a handful of full-service brokerages that get it when it comes to the Web, a factor that helped it leapfrog from fourth place last year. Research firm Corporate Insight found the UBS site particularly comprehensive and easy to navigate. Its many features include clear and detailed stock charts that let users add and save their own research notes; sophisticated active-trader types, meanwhile, can feast on arcane technical indicators like Bollinger Bands and stochastics. Investors to whom those terms mean nothing needn't feel left out: UBS also gets high marks for the simplicity of its statements. Last year, Raymond James redesigned its customer website and added an online-bill-pay system, both enhancements we like to see. The site still fares poorly for user-friendliness, according to Corporate Insight. Chet Helck, the chief executive officer of the global private client group, says the firm has hired a new technology team and the website is continuing to evolve, with more changes "on tap this year. In a survey by J. Compared with its competitors, the firm also does a good job of clearly communicating its commissions and fees. Merrill has invested in an upgraded website for its full-service customers and launched full applications that allow customers to trade and even deposit checks. Still, the firm hasn't regained the trust of clients since the financial crisis. In a recent poll by independent research firm Forrester, only 40 percent of the broker's customers agreed with the statement "my financial adviser does what's best for me, not just its own bottom line. John Thiel, the head of U. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, he says, many investors still distrust Wall Street in general. Among the brokers in our survey, Wells Fargo ranked last in a customer-satisfaction poll by J. Power, with the broker's clients giving it low marks for the performance of its investment recommendations and for what the clients perceive as high fees. Those scores contributed to Wells Fargo falling two notches from our survey. Brand Meyer, a senior managing director at Brokers Fargo, says the brokers internal research shows that customers are satisfied with their own options. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo has other strengths to build on, including its account statements, which feature a chart outlining an account's growth on the first page and have been hailed by independent research firm Dalbar as "an industry-leading concept. Customers are clearly still adjusting to all the changes at this megasize broker, which emerged from the financial crisis following Morgan Stanley's purchase of Options Barney from Citigroup in Thousands of brokers have jumped ship, and customer satisfaction has dropped steeply. In the most recent J. Power survey, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney customers gave service firm mediocre marks with regard to their relationships with advisers. Its customers aren't happy with fees either. A spokesperson for the firm questions the J. Power results, saying the survey "skews to a lower demographic than our customer base. By using this service you agree to the Terms of Service brokers, Privacy Policyand Cookie Policy. Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information. All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U. Intraday data delayed at least 15 minutes or per service requirements. ET BP pushes ahead with offshore India gas plan. Updated Asian markets perk brokers as stronger dollar boosts exports. Oil set to add to streak of weekly losses. Nearly 1 in 3 Baby Boomers STILL have no clue what they want from their careers. Bank of Japan maintains its ultra-easy monetary policy. Updated Why smoking among teens has reached historic lows. Updated At summer camp, baby boomers relive their youth with archery and show-and-tell. Updated There may be a parasite lurking in your swimming pool this summer, CDC warns. Updated Sex in an airplane seat? Why passengers have reached a new low. Updated This Iranian refugee took an NFL player on a mile Uber ride. Trump to limit Cuba travel, restrict business ties. Ken MacKenzie service BHP Billiton's next chairman. Russia probe expands to include Kushner's business dealings: This portfolio tactic can improve your odds of investing success. We want your feedback: Take full sneak peek at upcoming changes to Virtual Stock Exchange. Home News Viewer Video SectorWatch Podcasts First Take Games Portfolio My MarketWatch. Retirement Retire Here, Not There Full Taxes How-to Guides Social Security Estate Planning Events Columns Robert Powell's Retirement Portfolio Andrea Coombes's Working Retirement Tools Retirement Planner How long will my money last? Economy Federal Reserve Capitol Report Economic Report Columns Darrell Delamaide Rex Nutting Tools Economic Calendar. My MarketWatch Watchlist Alerts Brokers Log In. Until Options Markets Open Asia Markets Currencies US Market Snapshot. Home SmartMoney Get email alerts. The Top Full-Service Brokers. Best stock picks in Edward Jones bounds back into the top spot in our survey, in no small part because of its stock picking in Strong website and customer satisfaction Methodology To gauge these brokers' strengths and weaknesses, we looked at a wide range of factors. More Coverage Is now the time to buy battered energy options We Want to Hear from You Join the conversation Comment. MarketWatch Site Index Topics Help Feedback Newsroom Roster Media Archive Premium Products Mobile. Dow Full Network WSJ.
No wonder there is no one final astrological tradition that all astrologers follow.
Visit our Multimedia page that has informational videos, including a Composing Competitive Essays video, that will help you throughout the application process.