Using Discount Online Brokerage Services

In the last Bond Blog Series, we talked about using online accounts to buy Discount Corporate Bonds. Now we are going to talk about how to do this in more detail. I gave you two online brokers that I use for my accounts. I suggested these accounts to my friends and many are using them today. Few brokerage firms will educate you in high finance. As I told you before, I got my high finance education from the retired steel workers hanging around the brokerage firms in downtown Pittsburgh in the 1970s. You can’t do that today but you can do the next best thing.
I want you to go through the tutorial that OptionsXpress has on its website.

The first thing that I want you to do is click on the OptionsXpress link; http://www.optionsxpress.com/

Type the word “Bonds” into the Search Area at the top right part of the screen. Click “Search.” Click on “Leading Online Bonds Investing Platform at optionXpress.” Read what they offer you as far as service.

Next, click on “Site Tour” at the very top right corner of the screen.

The Introduction to the Site Tour will start automatically. Make sure that your Volume is turned up on your computer. When the Introduction is over, click on the eight topics on the left of your screen. It looks like below;

***************************************************************
What you will see
1. Why optionsXpress
2. Free Services
3. Tools
4. Customer Service
5. Education
6. Products
7. Opening an Account
8. Security
************************************************************
Optionsxpress specializes in trading especially trading Options. As a Bond Investor, you will not do that. However, they had a good Education Section and a very good Corporate Bond Section. The Education Section allows you to take tutorials on subjects, interact with other investors, and you can ask questions about something that you want to know about. Under Products, you can get help with finding discounted bonds that meet your investment criteria. This is how I find bonds that give a “Rate of Return” of 10% or more, are Standard and Poor’s Rated “B” to “BBB” that sell below Par ($1,000) and meet my criteria for maturity. This is how I get the investments to meet my investment criteria.

If you like, you can open an account with them and explore the account free for 30 days. If you like what you see and do, you can send them money and buy your first Discounted Corporate Bonds.