BROKERAGE ACCOUNT » Online Trading

A boutique brokerage, much like a boutique shop, is a smaller organization that specializes in personalized service and often serves a smaller and more exclusive clientele than a larger firm would. It's not uncommon for a boutique brokerage to operate exclusively with family and friends, and forgo advertising campaigns, as well as relying on word of mouth to attract new customers to their investment services. The term "boutique brokerage" usually refers to a brokerage specializing in stock market investments, but it may also refer to a real estate broker, or a broker in another field, such as information technology.

Boutique brokerages typically do not charge fees the way a larger brokerage might. Instead, the boutique brokerage will take a percentage of any profits generated by a transaction. For this reason, a boutique brokerage can afford to focus on the large investments of a smaller number of clients, since they do not need to rely on volume to turn a profit. Lower overhead costs, due to smaller space requirements, fewer salaries, and virtually no big advertising also help the boutique brokers to focus on their exclusive clientele.

Boutique brokerages tend to serve very high net worth individuals and families, and pride themselves on establishing long term relationships with clients; sometimes over generations. They may even act as a private bank for their clients, and have been known to arrange lines of credit for them, even up to fifty million dollars in some cases. If for example, you wanted to purchase the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami but your liquid capital was tied up in other investments, your boutique brokerage, knowing your net worth and the net worth of your family, would be able to extend you the credit and allow you to take advantage of the opportunity to purchase the property. With friends like those, it's no wonder word of mouth travels quickly about the best boutique brokerages.

A cash accounts is a brokerage account that requires you to render full payment for a transaction by the agreed upon settlement date. This differentiates it from a margin account, which grants the investor the privilege of buying on the margin, or using borrowed money from a broker in order to buy securities on the stock market (for which the broker charges you a nominal rate of interest). This type of account is sometimes also referred to as a "special cash account."

Cash accounts are regulated by something called Regulation T, which specifies that you may borrow up to 50% of the purchase price of securities if you are buying on margin. Regulation T does not allow this function in a cash account. With a cash account, you deposit cash in the account, and then use that cash to buy stocks, mutual funds, or any other type of investment. It's basically that simple.

Individual retirement accounts, or IRAs, are a good example of a cash account. An IRA is funded exclusively with cash deposits, which are then invested by the brokerage. The investments undertaken by the broker in an IRA tend to be low risk investments, encouraging moderate but consistent growth of the account. Trust funds for minors or dependent children are also commonly administered as cash accounts. The structure of these types of accounts typically sets restrictions on how the funds may be used, who can access them, and how much of the principal balance may be withdrawn during any calendar year.

If you are looking for a stable investment account with dependable but modest growth, a cash account may be the best brokerage account for you. If your goal is to establish a nest egg for retirement, or provide financial stability for your children's future, you might want to look into the option of opening a cash account.

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