Here’s why I’ll never use a discount broker
If you invest in stocks or funds, chances are that you use an online broker. The days of “let me call my broker” have gone the way of “things my kids wouldn’t understand” – along with Styrofoam Big Mac boxes at McDonald’s, dial-up modem connections, and school buses without seatbelts.
But not everyone uses a discount broker. Here, Mark Ford explains the value he gets from placing stock orders with a real, live, talking person. Old fashioned… or smart?
(One of the reasons we founded Stansberry Churchouse Research is to help equip our readers with the tools to take care of their own finances… without having to pay someone else, and without falling victim to the finance industry’s doublespeak. But I can see how some people would find a lot of value in having someone help them out – the right sort of person and on the right sort of terms.)
Here’s why I’ll never use a discount broker
By Mark Ford
My colleagues think I waste money… because I use a full-service broker for my stock transactions.
They use online discount brokers, like Boom Securities, Charles Schwab, or Interactive Brokers. They tell me that I’m crazy to pay some guy sitting in a cubicle by a phone a ton of money to do what I can do myself.
They may be right. But let’s talk about what the full-service brokers are supposed to do, what they actually do, how much you think they are charging you, and how much you are actually paying.
There are basically two types of stockbrokers: full-service and online discount.
A full-service broker gives financial advice, makes stock recommendations, answers your questions, supervises your account, and executes orders.
An online discount broker just executes your orders.
Full-service brokers usually charge you 1-2 percent of the assets that they are managing for you each year. If, for example, you have $100,000 with them, they will charge you $1,000-2,000 to manage it.
Some full-service brokers offer commission-based accounts. With these, you pay the broker a fixed amount on each transaction.
Online discount brokers charge a small fee for every transaction. If you don’t trade, you don’t pay anything.
If spending as little as possible is your objective, an online discount broker is the way to go.
But for many people — particularly older people — having someone you know who will answer your phone calls and explain your monthly statements is a considerable benefit.
I use a full-service broker. And I pay him good money. But I ask a lot of him.
Why I use a full-service broker
For one thing, he is responsible for keeping up with the portfolios of my investment newsletter company. To do that, he has to read all the issues and execute all the recommendations in a timely and consistent manner.
My broker also provides me with a customised monthly report broken down by portfolio. (I designed it so I can understand it.) He comes to my office whenever I want (usually once a month) to go over everything. He answers all my questions thoroughly, gives me any research I ask for, and answers my emails and phone calls promptly.
None of what I have described so far is enormously time-consuming for him. Nor does it require any particular genius. After all, my broker is not doing original research or making recommendations.
But if he didn’t guide me through trades, I would never do it. I am just not interested in that kind of work. And I feel that my time is better spent doing other things.
So, I’m happy to pay my broker’s commission based just on keeping me up to speed with my company’s recommendations. But he does much more than that.
For one thing, he manages a proprietary options strategy I dreamed up for what I call “legacy stocks.” Again, without his help, I’d never do this.
He provides the same high level of personalized service to my three boys and my mother-in-law — even though their accounts are much smaller.
I’m not much interested in talking about financial markets, but when something happens that will affect my stock account, he makes sure I am forewarned. For example, we recently spent 20 minutes talking about the dramatic change in the Fed’s bank lending rate and what that would likely mean for my stock and bond portfolio.
And every so often, he brings me a sweet deal on an IPO — something he can get for me because I’m such a “good” client.
I feel safe with my broker because he respects my sentiments. He knows I’d rather make a slightly lower rate of return when the markets are strong if that can protect me from getting stomped on when the markets turn against me.
He also adheres to my never-lose-money rule by monitoring my asset allocations and by minimizing volatility in my accounts.
Is it the right decision for me?
As you can see, I get a lot of value from my relationship with my full-service broker. And that’s why I’m happy to pay his fee. He charges me 0.5 percent of the total dollar value of my stocks and options each year but not for the value of my bonds or cash.
In other words, if I have $5 million in stocks and options and another $5 million in cash and bonds with him, I pay him $25,000 per year.
That’s a lot of money. If you figure out the cost over 20 years, including the effect of compound interest, it would be several million dollars. My colleagues think it’s a sin to fork over that kind of money when you can do the work yourself. I could do it, but I don’t want to do it. Like I said, my time is better spent doing other things.
If you have a lot of money, make a lot of money, and don’t want to manage your stocks, you should consider getting a good full-service broker like mine.
But if you don’t have a lot of money, don’t make a lot of money, or actually enjoy executing your own transactions, you should definitely consider using an online discount broker.
