Target

Summary

Longtime friends Peter Chang and Deborah Barry have decided to leave their current employer and to work for a company that specializes in broadband technology. Both will receive a lump sum of $75,000 that they must roll over into self-directed tax differed retirement accounts. Peter is 30, not married and holds a degree in Computer Science. He rents an apartment and is in no hurry to purchase a home. Deborah holds an MBA in finance, is married to a physician and hopes to start a family soon. Peter is leaning towards a bare-bones online broker with low cost per trades. Currently, they are offering free trades. Deborah is more of a blue chip stocks, mutual fund type of gal. Both decide to research a number of brokerage firms and investment advisors.

Questions/Answers

A. There are several brokerage firms for a person to chose from. I looked at four: Merril

Lynch, Smith Barney (Citigroup), Charles Schwab and E*Trade Financial. All of these

firms provide general investment