Abstract: Prognostic and diagnostic information is determined about an investment portfolio through perturbing the investment portfolio with allocations to other sectors and reviewing the performance of the perturbed investment portfolios using historical data, and combining that with other factors. Relationships between one's investment portfolio and other assets, rights or liabilities can be identified by creating several modified portfolios each of which comprise a mix of the original investment portfolio and one or more of the other assets, rights or liabilities. The performance of these modified portfolios, as compared to the original portfolio over a historical period, indicates the correlation (or lack thereof) between these other assets, rights or liabilities and one's investment portfolio. By identifying these correlations, one can then take any desired action to modify one's portfolio to obtain the desired results.

Abstract: An automated portfolio manager system enables an investor to quickly adjust the underlying risk of the entire portfolio without modifying the underlying investments in the portfolio. A user interface enables the user to adjust the risk of a portfolio of investments without adding or deleting investments from the portfolio by purchasing more or less of the entire portfolio on margin, thereby increasing or decreasing the riskiness of the portfolio. A predetermined portfolio of investments is provided to all investors. Each investor's desired risk/reward characteristic for his or her portfolio is accommodated by determining an appropriate amount of the predetermined portfolio to purchase on margin or an appropriate amount of the user's funds to place in cash reserves or other less risky investment to modify an actual risk/reward characteristic of the portfolio so that it matches the investor's desired risk/reward characteristic without changing the underlying investments.

Abstract: A computer-implemented trade and order management system that enables cash movement for providing margin financing to customers in brokerage accounts utilizing sweep vehicles on a cost-effective and efficient basis to provide expanded access to capital for brokerages. The computer-implemented method issues sells and buys of the cash sweep vehicles on a daily basis to generate cash and free credits in customer accounts or to reduce free credits and add to the sweep vehicle position in the accounts. The goal is to match the amount in the aggregate across all accounts of free credits with the aggregate of customer debits so as to result in a net zero free credit to customer debit position for the brokerage. This method involves a daily calculation across all pertinent accounts.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system enables performance of leveraged instruments, such as leveraged ETFs, to track their design parameters for longer durations than currently possible. The computer-implemented method issues sells and buys of the leveraged instrument on a daily basis to return the instrument back to an expected value, and to credit or debit cash on a daily basis, such that a combination of the instrument position and the cash position taken together provides an actual return close to the theoretical stated return. This strategy involves bringing the leveraged holding back to an equal value of the unleveraged ETF at the time the leveraged ETF is rebalanced—generally at the close of trading on any given day. This technique allows investors to hold the leverage only through the day, and realize the losses and gains of the leverage that day, and resets the position for trading for the following market day.

Abstract: An investor adjusts a risk-return characteristic of a portfolio of investments by using a graphical user interface to adjust a pointer on a screen up or down. In response, the computer system automatically recalculates the required mix of the portfolio's stocks. Trades are then sent to the system for execution to implement the adjusted portfolio. Thus, investors are afforded a simple click-of-a-mouse mechanism to adjust their entire portfolio to precisely the types of portfolio characteristics desired without having to know about the various interactions of securities with each other or the portfolio effects of changing one security or another or have any other knowledge.

Abstract: A computer based portfolio manager system enables a user to create and manage a portfolio of investments. Users can create multiple sub-portfolios, termed folios, within their overall investment portfolio. Each of these folios can be created by the user or selected from multiple preset folios. One of the possible preset folios includes a manager's recommended folio. This folio is regularly updated, thereby indicating buy and sell recommendations of the manager. A user can balance his or her folio in accordance with the manager's revisions by investing additional capital in some securities and selling others. To prevent undesirable tax effects, a user can move securities from the manager's folio to a holding folio established by the user rather than selling the securities. This enables a user to maintain a folio in the proportions recommended by the manager. The system also enables the folio to be continually rebalanced, while avoiding undesirable tax effects.

Abstract: A proxy voting system enables an investor with a large number of investments to efficiently manage and vote proxies. A shareholder enters preferences regarding how to vote his or her proxies into a computer system, which then screens the received proxies, automatically enters the shareholder's preferences onto the proxy card and returns the completed proxy card to the appropriate election authority at the proper time. The system includes a central controller, a user interface for each investor, a proxy server and a manual entry subsystem, which provides an interface for those corporations that are not equipped to handle electronic formatted proxies.

Abstract: Smaller investors can create and manage on a cost-effective basis a complex portfolio of securities using a mechanism that enables the investor to provide to the system the investor's preferences regarding his portfolio, to generate a portfolio, including fractional shares, that reflects the investor's preferences. The system then permits aggregation of the orders, and netting of orders, generated by multiple investors at various times during the day for execution. In addition, the structure of the computer-based system of the present invention allows its cost to be based on access to or usage of the system (such as a monthly fee) as opposed to by securities orders entered into the system as per common brokerage. The result is that the investor can create a portfolio of directly owned securities with attributes, such as diversification, similar to a mutual fund.

Abstract: A proxy voting system enables an investor with a large number of investments to efficiently manage and vote proxies. A shareholder enters preferences regarding how to vote his or her proxies into a computer system, which then screens the received proxies, automatically enters the shareholder's preferences onto the proxy card and returns the completed proxy card to the appropriate election authority at the proper time. The system includes a central controller, a user interface for each investor, a proxy server and a manual entry subsystem, which provides an interface for those corporations that are not equipped to handle electronic formatted proxies.

Abstract: Smaller investors can create and manage on a cost-effective basis a complex portfolio of securities using a mechanism that enables the investor to provide to the system the investor's preferences regarding his portfolio, to generate a portfolio, including fractional shares, that reflects the investor's preferences. The system then permits aggregation of the orders, and netting of orders, generated by multiple investors at various times during the day for execution. In addition, the structure of the computer-based system of the present invention allows its cost to be based on access to or usage of the system (such as a monthly fee) as opposed to by securities orders entered into the system as per common brokerage. The result is that the investor can create a portfolio of directly owned securities with attributes, such as diversification, similar to a mutual fund.

Abstract: Smaller investors can create and manage on a cost-effective basis a complex portfolio of securities using a mechanism that enables the investor to provide to the system the investor's preferences regarding his portfolio, to generate a portfolio, including fractional shares, that reflects the investor's preferences. The system then permits aggregation of the orders, and netting of orders, generated by multiple investors at various times during the day for execution. In addition, the structure of the computer-based system of the present invention allows its cost to be based on access to or usage of the system (such as a monthly fee) as opposed to by securities orders entered into the system as per common brokerage. The result is that the investor can create a portfolio of directly owned securities with attributes, such as diversification, similar to a mutual fund.

Abstract: Smaller investors can create and manage on a cost-effective basis a complex portfolio of securities using a mechanism that enables the investor to provide to the system the investor's preferences regarding his portfolio, to generate a portfolio, including fractional shares, that reflects the investor's preferences. The system then permits aggregation of the orders, and netting of orders, generated by multiple investors at various times during the day for execution.

Abstract: Smaller investors can create and manage on a cost-effective basis a complex portfolio of securities using a mechanism that enables the investor to provide to the system the investor's preferences regarding his portfolio, to generate a portfolio, including fractional shares, that reflects the investor's preferences. The system then permits aggregation of the orders, and netting of orders, generated by multiple investors at various times during the day for execution. In addition, the structure of the computer-based system of the present invention allows its cost to be based on access to or usage of the system (such as a monthly fee) as opposed to by securities orders entered into the system as per common brokerage. The result is that the investor can create a portfolio of directly owned securities with attributes, such as diversification, similar to a mutual fund.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for aggregating, netting, and executing securities trades on behalf of customers expressing orders in both share and dollar amounts without assuming unwanted risk. Where a brokerage receives orders from customers in both dollar and share amounts, the brokerage can aggregate and net the orders, executing the outstanding orders through a market maker. The number of shares to order through the market maker depends on the price at which the market maker can execute. Rather than present the market maker with a conventional order, the brokerage presents the market maker with a schedule of orders for different possible execution prices.

Abstract: A computer implemented method using aggregation for enabling a user to create and trade a plurality of market tradable assets or liabilities as a single, customizable investment portfolio. An embodiment of the invention includes determining, based on an order to trade a portfolio from a user, a plurality of distinct market tradable assets or liabilities to be transacted in a market for each of the distinct assets or liabilities in a plurality of transactions for the user, aggregating the plurality of transactions for the user with a plurality of transactions for one or more other users over an applicable characteristic of the plurality of assets or liabilities, wherein the aggregating includes aggregating single shares, odd lots and/or fractional shares using a computer, and executing one or more trades based on the aggregating to implement the order to trade the portfolio.

Abstract: A simple graphical user interface enables a user to understand how the user's level of risk affects both the amount of money the user can earn over a selected period and the likelihood that the user will make that amount. A graph plots return (in dollars) versus time, which may be user selectable. The user may select his preferred level of risk on a risk control panel, such as a digital risk thermometer. As the user selects various risk tolerances, the user may see the differences in how the investment may potentially grow (or potentially shrink) over the time period. When the user is comfortable with the results being displayed on the risk graph, the user may indicate to the system that the user is satisfied with the current level of the risk. This selected value of risk may be used by a portfolio manager in creating and managing the user's portfolio.

Abstract: An automated portfolio manager system enables an investor or portfolio manager to quickly adjust the underlying risk of the entire portfolio without modifying the underlying investments in the portfolio. A user interface enables the user to adjust the risk (e.g., beta) of a portfolio of investments without adding or deleting investments from the portfolio by purchasing more or less of the entire portfolio on margin, thereby increasing or decreasing the riskiness of the portfolio. A predetermined portfolio of investments is provided to all investors. Each investor's desired risk/reward characteristic for his or her portfolio is accommodated by determining an appropriate amount of the predetermined portfolio to purchase on margin or an appropriate amount of the user's funds to place in cash reserves (or other less risky investment) to modify an actual risk/reward characteristic of the portfolio so that it matches the investor's desired risk/reward characteristic without changing the underlying investments.

Abstract: Using an interface to a portfolio manager system, an existing collectively owned investment account can specify its existing assets and a percentage ownership in accounts of each of the individual owners of the collective account. The invention then distributes some or all of the collectively owned assets to some or all of the individual owners in proportion to their ownership interest in the collective account, thereby converting some or all of the collective account into individual accounts. Even if all of the collective account's assets are distributed to the individual owners, the collective account retains a residual-master account, which holds information about the assets, rights or liabilities that were in the collective account. The former managers of the collective account can then continue to manage the residual account and the former owners of the collective account can link the constituents of their individual accounts to the residual account.

Abstract: A computer-based system is disclosed for creating a portfolio of assets and executing trades in the assets to modify the portfolio. An embodiment of the disclosed system includes a first processor interfaced with an investor's PC to select a plurality of assets to be in the investor's portfolio based on the investor's indicated preferences, to manage the portfolio in accordance with market changes and changes in the investor's indicated preferences, and to electronically place at least one asset trading order in accordance with the investor's indicated preferences. An embodiment of the system also includes a communication interface coupled to the processor and coupled to a plurality of other investors by which the processor electronically places the at least one order.

Abstract: A computer based portfolio manager system enables a user to create and manage a portfolio of investments. Users can create multiple sub-portfolios, termed folios, within their overall investment portfolio. Each of these folios can be created by the user or selected from multiple preset folios. One of the possible preset folios includes a manager's recommended folio. This folio is regularly updated, thereby indicating buy and sell recommendations of the manager. A user can balance his or her folio in accordance with the manager's revisions by investing additional capital in some securities and selling others.