Frequently Asked Questions about Securities

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General Questions About Securities

Does Vision offer any account protection?
Can my accountant or another person I designate have access to my information on your Aspire Web site and can I have duplicate copies of my trade confirmations and/or statements sent to someone else?
When are my trade confirmations available for viewing on Vision's Aspire Web site?
What is a clearing firm?
Whom should I make the checks payable to?
How long does it take for my check deposit to clear?
How do I fund my Vision account?
What is an ACH transfer and how does it differ from a wire transfer?
How do I make a withdrawal from my account at Vision?
How do I deposit stock certificates?
How do I get stock certificates sent to me?
Can I have my statements and trade confirmations sent to me electronically?
I currently get my statements and trade confirmations sent to me via "snail mail" (paper delivery). How do I change this?
What are the hours of Vision's Client Services team?
Why is "suitability" so important regarding my account?
What types of changes in my life require me to notify my brokerage firm?
What should I do if my address has changed?
What options does Vision offer regarding the cash I deposit in my account?
Besides the money market funds listed on the Web site, does Vision have any other funds available for clients?
What is diversification?
I received a proxy statement in the mail. What should I do?
If my trading volume is really high do you have alternate pricing available?

Securities Accounts

What type of account can I open with Vision?
What is the difference between an UTMA and an UGMA?
What is a "non-prototype" IRA?
How much money do I need to open an account with Vision?
What is a margin account?
Can I use margin capacity in one account to collateralize a margin loan in another account?
Can I utilize a margin loan from Vision for purposes other than buying securities on margin?
Can I start investing through my new account before funding it?
How do I transfer my account to Vision?
I have more than one account at Vision. Can I view these in a consolidated manner?
What are the different investment objectives I can have on my brokerage account?

IRAs

What types of Retirement Accounts does Vision provide?
What is an IRA account?
How do I transfer my existing IRA to Vision?
Can I roll over a previous employer's retirement plan such as 401(k) to an IRA at Vision?
What's the difference between a Traditional and Roth IRA?
Can I convert my Traditional IRA into a Roth IRA? Are there any penalties?
Can I withdraw money from my IRA?
What should I do in order to withdraw the money from my IRA account?
Does Vision act as broker and custodian for my IRA? If not, who does Vision use at the custodian?
Whom should I make the checks payable for my IRA accounts?
Can I change the beneficiaries on my existing IRA account?

General/Online Trading

What types of securities can I purchase through Vision?
What should I do if I can't get online to place an order through Aspire?
Can I place an order via e-mail, voicemail or fax?
Why wasn't my limit order executed when the stock or option traded at my limit price?
If my order requires multiple fills, will I be charged multiple commissions?
Is there a commission or fee to modify or cancel my order?
Why is my account restricted?
Can I sell a security before the funds required for purchase are received by Vision?
My buy order was rejected for "insufficient funds." Why is that?
My sell order was rejected for "insufficient holdings." The position is in my account, why did I get this error message?
My Positions screen says "Other" for security type, or my stock changed its name/symbol. How do I sell this position?
How long does it take a trade to settle?
Can I purchase a Certificate of Deposit ("CD") through Vision?

Aspire Web Site

How reliable are your online services?
How secure is your Aspire Web site?
Can my accountant or another person I designate have access to my information on your Aspire Web site and can I have duplicate copies of my trade confirmations and/or statements sent to someone else?
I forgot my password to Vision's password protected Web site. How can I login to my account?

Stocks

What are the commissions for stock trading?
Can I purchase ETFs through Vision?
Why didn't I receive dividends paid out by a stock I own?
What is the difference between preferred and common stock?
What happens to my shares if the underlying company merges with another firm?
The company announced good earnings today, why am I not getting dividends?

Options

What is an option?
What is a call option and what is a put option?
Why do I need approval for option trading?
How do I get approval for option trading?
What are the different Option Levels for trading available through Vision?
What is a covered call?
Am I allowed to write uncovered calls?
What is meant when an option is said to be "naked?"
What is meant by an option being "in-the-money," "out-of-the-money", or "at-the-money?"
What is a spread order?
What is a straddle?
What is a strangle?
What is a LEAP?
What are the commissions for option trading?
How do I exercise my option contract?
What happens if I do not exercise my options contract?
When do option contracts expire?
Is there a commission or other charge for an option that expires worthless?
What is the difference between American and European styles of options?

Mutual Funds

What is a Mutual Fund?
What is the difference between a closed-end and an open-end fund?
What is the commission Vision charges for buying Mutual Funds?
A mutual fund had great returns last year, is it going to receive the same returns this year?
How do I choose the right mutual fund for me?
What is a prospectus?
Why do mutual fund orders need to be submitted prior to 3:00 PM ET in order to be processed that day?

Fixed Income

What is a bond?
What's the difference between Treasury Bills, Bonds, and Notes?
What are the tax implications of bonds?
What does the credit rating for bonds mean?
What does it mean if a bond is "callable?"
Are there fixed income securities that protect against inflation?
What does "Net Yield Basis" stand for?
Are municipal bonds always free of taxes?
I have some fixed income investments maturing soon. Can Vision help me to decide on potential replacements?

RealTick Accounts

What type of account can I open as an Active Trader with Vision?
Does Vision offer any account protection?
What is the minimum amount to open an account with Vision?
How do I fund my Vision account?
How do I transfer my account to Vision?
How can I view my account information at Vision?
Can I receive my trade confirmations and month end statements in paper or via electronic delivery?
What is the maximum intraday leverage available?
Do you offer Portfolio Margin?
Why do I have to sign a margin agreement even if I do not plan to use margin?
Can I start investing through my new account before funding it?
How do I transfer my account to Vision?
I have more than one account at Vision. Can I view these in a consolidated manner?
Can I sell a security before the funds required for purchase are received by Vision?

Trading With RealTick

Does Vision offer after-hours trading capabilities? If so, what coverage is available?
Why can I only execute my orders through Vision (either "Vision Smart" or "Vision Algo)? Isn't RealTick agnostic when it comes to execution venue?
Can I use RealTick to trade products other than equities or options?
I use multiple trading strategies, can I trade multiple portfolios on my one platform?
I have a strategy based on orders, both market and limit, that buys or sells into the close or open. Can RealTick support this strategy?
If I have large orders to place how can RealTick help me organize my orders and my trading to limit mistakes?
Can I use Vision’s smart router for OTC and penny stocks?
Can I trade complex options strategies?

RealTick Pricing

How flexible is Vision's pricing schedule?
What are the specific costs related to the RealTick platform?
What are the costs of market data and any add-ons to RealTick?
What rate will you pay me for my cash balance?
What are the margin rates from Vision?
How does Vision handle pass-through fees for option contracts?
If my trading volume is below the targeted minimums for using RealTick does Vision provide any alternatives?

Getting Started with RealTick

How do I run RealTick?
What specifications are needed for my computer to run RealTick properly?
I've installed RealTick, and want to run it on my computer's multiple monitors. When I maximize RealTick, though, RealTick only takes up all of one monitor.
What are the Internet connection specifications for my computer to run RealTick properly?
How can I configure RealTick to pass through a firewall?

About RealTick

When I try to log on, I get a "Permissions dispatch error" message.
When I try to logon, I get a message that indicates a "Permissions URL Problem."
My MSG_APP fills with "Outbound Data Buffer" messages.
I was running RealTick, and got the message "Outbound data buffer from NYRECO101.taltrade.com, 25% full, 250K of 1000K." What does this mean?
When I try to log on, I get "Unable to find prices server"
RealTick crashes, and I see this in my MSG_APP: "TID 940: BEGIN IP/SP/CODE".
I see "Version mismatch" or "This page is getting old" in my MSG_APP.
Unable to find prices server.

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