Firstrade Promotion
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Firstrade Promotion Details
If you’re looking for a new brokerage firm, now is the time to consider Firstrade. Although it’s not the most popular broker out there, it does have a lot of enticing trading services. Plus, it has two really lucrative promotions right now.
The first promotion Firstrade has is a cash bonus for opening and funding a new account. An existing account does not qualify. The new account must be opened using the orange “Open an Account” button that appears on the promotional page for this specific offer.
The required funding can come via a deposit or ACAT transfer, and the new account can be a taxable account or a personal (non-business) IRA. The special ends soon, so you need to act fast.
The available cash for Firstrade sign up bonus ranges from $50 to $4,000, depending on the amount of the deposit or transfer of “net new assets,” which basically means the funding needs to come from outside of Firstrade.
Firstrade will add up both deposits and transfers to calculate the total funding for the account. A transfer from another Firstrade account won’t work. The one part of Firstrade’s fine print that really needs to be pointed out is that transfers of bonds and mutual funds don’t count towards the minimum funding requirement. A margin debit balance does count toward the minimum funding level.
Here’s the tiered schedule:
| Firstrade Bonus | Deposit or Transfer |
|---|
| $4,000 | $1,500,000 or more |
| $3,000 | $1,000,000-$1,499,999 |
| $1,500 | $500,000-$999,999 |
| $700 | $100,000-$499,999 |
| $300 | $25,000-$99,999 |
| $100 | $10,000-$24,999 |
| $50 | $5,000 or more |
After the new account is opened, it must receive the required funding within thirty days.
Firstrade requires the new account to remain open for at least twelve months with the minimum funding (minus any market declines). Otherwise, the broker will deduct the amount of the cash bonus from the account. Firstrade promises to credit the bonus within five days of receiving the necessary funding.
Most account types are eligible for this promotion, although there are some exceptions. Entity accounts (accounts like Investment Clubs, Partnerships, Trusts, Corporate, and LLC accounts) are ineligible.
Although Roth and Traditional IRAs are eligible for this lucrative special, any bonus an IRA earns must be deposited into a linked taxable brokerage account with the same name on it.
Only U.S. residents qualify for this special. Current Firstrade customers are not eligible, nor are former customers who closed their accounts less than ninety days ago.
Firstrade Promotion for ACAT
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Firstrade ACAT Promotion Details
The second promo Firstrade has going is an ACAT transfer fee rebate special. If you transfer a brokerage account worth at least $2,500 from another firm into Firstrade, Firstrade will refund the transfer fee charged by the outside firm, up to $200. Firstrade itself charges nothing to receive an ACAT transfer.
Once again, there is some fine print. As with the first special, mutual fund and bond positions don’t count towards the minimum funding level, which is $2,500 in this case. Also, the transfer must be a full account transfer. The minimum $2,500 funding must remain in the account for at least twelve months.
Firstrade does require proof of the ACAT fee before it deposits the credit into the Firstrade account, which could be a new or existing account. This proof is typically a copy of a recent statement from the old broker that lists the charge. It should be emailed (service@firstrade.com), faxed, or uploaded through Firstrade’s website. The broker’s upload tool will be found on the website (not the mobile app) on the Form Center page, which can be located under the Service tab. On the Form Center page, look for the tab to upload a document.
Proof of the transfer fee must be submitted within sixty days of making the transfer. Firstrade promises to credit the account within thirty days.
As with the first special, regular brokerage accounts and personal IRAs are both eligible. Ineligible accounts include Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, Custodial Accounts, Investment Club accounts, and business accounts.
Making the Transfer
To transfer assets from an outside bank or brokerage firm into Firstrade, hover over the Accounts tab in the top menu on the website and click on the Deposit/Transfer link.
Reasons to Choose Firstrade
Firstrade offers several reasons to choose it over other brokerage houses. These include:
- User-friendly mobile app
- Cryptocurrencies
- Trade bar for securities on its website
- No per-contract fees on option trades
- Thousands of mutual funds
- Conditional order ticket on the website
Continue to Firstrade Investing Review »
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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