I remember placing trades on.my monochrome nextel back in early 2000s Literally could buy and sell stock on a wap enabled phone.
I think Arnie G is talking about managed retirement accounts Since we are going down memory lane when I first started I had a BMI satellite data feed. An x86 puter with a hercules monitor. Had to call in trades to Lind-Waldock. The spoo was $500/pt
No, a regular account at... Blunt, Ellis and Loewi there was no internet you called up and got one of four brothers They knew you by name if you wanted to withdraw money You had to tell them why Very early 80's. Options expired monthly If the premium was under 1$, They were in increments of a nickel. weekly options weren't around yet.
Why not Schwab in the 1980s? “ 80s | 24/7 access: Backed by sophisticated technology, Schwab establishes industry-first services that give investors around-the-clock access to stock quotes (1980) and order entries for stocks, bonds, and options (1982). "This is another great example of how Chuck believed in doing things differently and doing right by investors," says Jonathan Craig, head of investor services at Schwab. "Before this change, investors could only manage their investments during bankers' hours—and offering 24/7 access really helped set us apart." 1983–1992 | A glimpse of the future Despite its stellar growth—reaching 1 million client accounts by 1985 and going public in 1987—the company stays true to its mission of serving clients with integrity, innovating on their behalf, and expanding access to investing through the strategic use of technology. 1984 | DIY: The company introduces The Equalizer®, a DOS-based platform that allows clients to connect their personal computers to Schwab via phone lines to track their portfolios, receive alerts when limits are hit, and produce tax reports. "The idea was to put the capabilities of a Schwab branch in every client's home, allowing them to accomplish things that would have previously required a phone call or even a visit," says Tim Heier, Schwab's chief technology officer. 1986 | 24/7 mutual funds: Schwab becomes the first broker to allow clients to place mutual fund buy or sell orders 24/7. 1989 | Touch-tone trades: Schwab introduces TeleBroker®, the industry's first 24-hour automated telephone brokerage service.” https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/celebrating-50-years-innovation
I'm Old Enough That... My first trade was on the VSE (Vancouver Stock Exchange). 500 shares of Award Resources @ $2 / share. It went to 0 within a few years. This was about 1980.