Forum Archive Index - March 2000

["John Stockley" <HOMEWARE@xtra.co.nz>]

Goodmorning,
Lyn your comments demand a reply.

a) An overwhelming majority of people rejected complusory super in the
referendum. Surely  that means its NOT good for the country.
b) I have had property investments for 15+ years,  tell your friends they
are being a little overly optimistic to expect their super problems to be
solved in just three years, especially with property investments.
c) You read my comments wrong. I have NEVER blamed the government for my
mistakes. I just don't want to have to start.
d) I doubt very much any of the 30,000 + people that went to Aussie last
year went to join in their super scheme.


On another note , regarding opening a trading account in USA. I have
received this from Ameritrade which may be of interest to some: ( note they
even have a toll free NZ number you can ring. That's a plus)


Thank you for your interest in Ameritrade.  As a deep discount broker,
Ameritrade is proud to provide exceptional customer service in all areas.

FOREIGN ACCOUNT:
To open a foreign brokerage account requires an application, and a W-8BEN
(Certificate of Foreign Status) form.   Each account holder must fill out a
separate W-8BEN form.  You may use our Internet online application, or reply
to this e-mail with your name, mailing address and a request to open a
foreign account, and Ameritrade will send the forms to you.  To fund your
account will require United States currency.  (For margin and option
accounts the minimum is $5000 in United States currency, and a valid e-mail
address.) Typically, Ameritrade account applications sent by regular US mail
are opened 3 to 5 business days after the paperwork has been received.
Checks are deposited 2 to 3 business days after the account has been
activated.  Once the account has been activated, Ameritrade will send your
account number and PIN via the US mail.  Upon receiving these 2 numbers and
funding the account, you are ready to trade online.  After the account has
been funded, orders may be placed over the phone with a live broker using
just an account number.

Contact us toll free!

BAHRAIN  800-133 COLUMBIA  9809-12-1405 FRANCE  0800-90-3856
GRENADA  800-645-9486 HONG KONG  800-93-3057 ISRAEL 177-101-3713
ITALY 800-870-114 JAMAICA  800-645-9486 JAPAN 0066-33-800174
MAYLASIA  800-5014 MEXICO  95-800-368-3668  NETHERLANDS  06-022-0384
NEW ZEALAND  0800-44-9451  NORWAY  800-12-097 UNITED KINGDOM  0500-893649
VENEZUELA  800-1-2957 GERMANY  0130-828373

If we do not have a toll free number for your country, you may call us at
1-402-970-5805.

If you do not have immediate access to a US bank, you may wire money to fund
the account.  There is no charge by Ameritrade for incoming wires. You must
wait until your Ameritrade account has been opened before initiating the
wire, or the wired funds will be returned to your bank.  The account title
on your bank account will need to match the account title on your Ameritrade
account or the wire will be returned to your bank.  Once the wire is
received by Ameritrade, the funds are normally available for trading within
1 business day.

FOREIGN WITHHOLDING TAX :
Ameritrade does not report capital gains to the IRS, only earned interest,
paid dividends, and foreign withholding tax. The withholding is at a rate of
30%, unless your country has a lower treaty rate with the United States, and
you have filled out the W-8BEN form correctly.  This is reported on IRS Form
1042S which will be delivered to you at the end of January each year. You
may file a 1040-NR tax return with the US Internal Revenue Service to
recover this withholding.  Ameritrade does not provide tax advice.  To learn
more about the US tax regulations for aliens, click on the weblink below.
We also recommend you speak with a tax or investment consultant in your
country concerning this issue.
http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/forms_pubs/pubs/p519toc.htm


Certificate Delivery:
This $15 fee is assessed for the physical mailing of the stock certificates
as issued by the company in which the shares are purchased.  Normally the ce
rtificates are held in street name by Advanced Clearing in a high security
area.  This is to facilitate the ease of sale of the shares of stock and to
promote our customers' trading.  When held in street name, Advanced Clearing
is given the power of attorney to transfer, as listed on the back of the
stock certificate.  The certificate must be sent to the transfer agent to
get the certificate out of Advanced Clearing's name and into the customer's
name.

This fee along with additional service fees can be found on the last page of
your Ameritrade Trading Account Handbook.

COMMISSION SCHEDULE:
The commission schedule applies to equity orders regardless of the share
price or number of shares traded.   Ameritrade offers the same commission
rate for all US exchanges (NYSE, NASDAQ, & AMEX).

STOCKS:
$8 Internet                Stop & limit orders $5 extra
$12 IVR System                       Stop & limit orders $5 extra
$18 Phone Broker            Stop & limit orders $5 extra

MUTUAL FUNDS:
$18 Buy, sell, or exchange no-load funds
$18 Sell or exchange load funds
$0 Buy load funds

OPTIONS:
$25 + $1.75 per contract
10% discount on orders placed electronically
$29 minimum charge
Option exercises and assignments will incur an $18 commission.
Each leg in a spread will have separate commissions, following the schedule
listed above.
Stops and limits may be placed on option orders at no extra cost.

AGENCY BONDS:
$5 per bond ($1,000 face value), up to 50 bonds, and $2.50 thereafter.
Minimum commission charged is $40

TREASURY TRANSACTIONS:
Participating in government treasury auctions is available through
Ameritrade. The fee is $25 for unlimited participation in each issue.


If you have further questions, feel free to call Ameritrade New Accounts at
800-454-9272.   We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except market
holidays).

Hal Thomsen
Ameritrade New Accounts
800-454-9272



Regards
John


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.sharechat.co.nz/          New Zealand's home for market investors
To remove yourself from this list, please us the form at
http://www.sharechat.co.nz/forum.html.