OptionsFirst will mail a tax Form 1099 to all eligible accounts by Feb. 1. A detailed profit/loss statement can be accessed from the Maxit Tax Calculator at any time. To access this system, select the "Maxit Tax Calc" tab at the bottom of the OptionsFirst window. Select the Realized G/L tab. You can then enter the time period for which you wish to run a report. This information can be printed or exported to PDF or Microsoft Excel.

Josh Sampson

OptionsFirst Education & Acquisition Specialist

Different investment types have different reporting deadlines, and this can affect the timeframe in which your tax forms from Scottrade are generated.

Please refer to the following calendar:

For more information about what each form includes, visit Which Form Should I Use?

Your tax forms are available in your Scottrade account under the My Account tab. Click Account History from the left menu and choose Tax Statements.

If you have questions about your tax forms or how to find them in your account, please contact your local branch office.

Brad McCaffrey

Senior Tax Reporting Specialist

Scottrade does not provide tax advice. The material provided in this article is for informational purposes only and Scottrade is not responsible for any errors or omissions. Please consult your tax or legal advisor(s) for questions concerning your personal tax or financial situation.

Finding current and historical account statements is easy with OptionsFirst. Start by selecting the Manage Accounts link in the upper right of the OptionsFirst window. This link will be directly under your account number. When a second window comes up, select the Manage Account Preferences link on the bottom right of new window. Select the Statements tab at the top of the page to view a list of your historical monthly account statements. Select the PDF icon in the View/Download column of your choice to view that month's statement.

Josh Sampson

OptionsFirst Education Specialist

Our friends at McAfee have some great tips for creating strong passwords, so I'd like to share those with you.

The most important thing to remember is that the more difficult a password is to guess, the more secure it will be. For example, if you choose a one-character password that can be any upper- or lowercase letter or a digit, there are 62 possibilities. Using the same possible characters, an eight-digit password has about 218 trillion possibilities.

McAfee tells us that security specialists recommend these guidelines:

• Use as many characters as possible (minimum eight)
• Include uppercase and lowercase letters
• Include digits and punctuation marks
• Don't use personal information, such as names or birthdays
• Don't use words found in a dictionary

Techniques for strong passwords:

• Use a vanity license plate; for example: "GR8way2B"
• Use several small words with punctuation marks: "betty,boop$car"
• Put punctuation in the middle of a word: "Roos%velt"
• Use an unusual way of contracting a word: "ppcrnbll"
• Use the first letter of each word in a phrase, with a random number: "hard to crack this password" = "htc5tp"

Also remember to change your password frequently, and never write it down in an obvious place.

Patrick Rodman

We have 435 branch offices across the country, and you can use the Scottrade Branch Office Locator to find the one nearest you. There are three ways to find a branch office:

From inside your account ...

1. Click the Home tab at the top and choose Contact Us from the left navigation. In the top right corner of the page, you'll see a Contact Us box with your local branch office's contact information.

2. If we don't have branch office information on file for you and the Contact Us box described above is blank, look just below it to the box called Branch Locator. Type your city or ZIP code into the query field and click Find Branch to locate the branch offices nearest you. A map will come up with Scottrade offices marked along with your branch's address, phone and hours listed below.

... Or from outside your account

From the Scottrade Web site (www.scottrade.com), click Find a Branch Office from the purple menu bar at the top. You can either click your state from the map on the right or type your location into the query field on the left. If you're looking for a Chinese-speaking branch office, be sure to check that box before you click Go. A map will come up with Scottrade offices marked along with your branch's address, phone and hours listed below.

If you're having trouble finding your branch office, give us a call at 800-619-SAVE. During business hours, your call will automatically be routed to your home branch office.

Kristin Grupas

Educational events fill up quickly, so we encounter this situation a lot. If you're trying to register for a full Branch Seminar, it's best to call your branch office directly and ask to be put on their waiting list. That way, if a spot opens up, your branch manager will have your name and number handy to alert you to the opening.

If a User Summit is full, it's best to check back periodically and see if registration has re-opened. When we have a lot of interest beyond our room capacity, we work with the host hotel to get more space, if possible, so we can re-open registration to accommodate our clients. We also experience cancellations on occasion, and we re-open registration to fill seats vacated by clients who cancel.

If you live close to the hotel hosting our User Summit, you are welcome to stop by and see if we have any open seats on the day of the event. We can't guarantee you a spot because our registered guests will be seated first, but we will do our best to get you in!

Courtney Monroe

Scottrade Customer Education Analyst

Yes. Scottrade offers systematic purchases and redemptions, which can help you take advantage of your dollar-cost averaging strategy. You choose the month, date and dollar amount to be transacted. The dollar amount must meet the fund minimum subsequent investment amount set by the fund, which can be obtained on the Value Line Profile, or $100, whichever is greater.

Systematic redemptions may be transacted by using either dollars or shares. Redemptions using shares may not be transacted for fewer than five shares. Redemptions using dollars may not be transacted for less than $100. A $2 fee will apply to each systematic purchase of a no-load fund not participating in the no-transaction fee program. You can request a Mutual Fund Systematic Trade Authorization Form by downloading it from the Forms Center or by calling your local Scottrade branch office.

Please allow 10 days from the time your broker receives the form for your systematic purchase or redemption to be initiated. A shorter period of time may result in your first transaction date being missed. For more information about systematic purchases and redemptions on mutual funds, visit the Mutual Fund FAQ.

Patrick Breyne
Scottrade Mutual Funds Manager

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of mutual fund carefully before investing. A prospectus contains this and other information about the fund and is available through www.scottrade.com or through a Scottrade branch office. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

Definitely! Scottrade Mobile is versatile enough for use on any Web-enabled mobile device, but there is a quick trick for iPhone^TM mobile digital device users to make the site even more convenient. To put a Scottrade Mobile icon on your iPhone^TM mobile digital device home page:

1. Go to m.scottrade.com using your phone's browser.
2. Click the "+" symbol at the bottom of the page.
3. Select "Add to home page".
4. It will suggest you name it "Scottrade"; just click "ok" or "add".

The icon will then appear on the home page of your iPhone^TM mobile digital device, just like the other apps and shortcuts you have stored.

Patrick Rodman
Scottrade Product Specialist

Placing market orders after hours can be risky for that very reason. A lot can happen outside of normal trading hours, and prices can be significantly higher or lower than the previous day's closing price. For example, a major news story, national or world event, or some other factor affecting a particular company or industry may cause stock prices to rise or fall.

One option to consider is placing a limit order instead of a market order. If you specify your buy or sell price, you will not be surprised with a transaction you weren't expecting. But, the downside is that your order execution isn't guaranteed with a limit order because the stock may not reach the price you specified.

Brett Schulte
Scottrade Active Trader Product Specialist

Answer:

TJJ,

We have several ways for you to learn more about ScottradeELITE. First, I highly recommend our ScottradeELITE webcasts, which can be found at http://www.scottrade.com/MediaContent/WebCast.asp.

These webcasts allow you to see the basics of any given ELITE window. Scottrade has also done some advanced podcasts to allow Scottrade clients to find more ways to use the tools provided by ScottradeELITE.

In addition to webcasts, Scottrade has a demo version of ScottradeELITE. This virtual trading experience allows you to try the program out without risking any of your hard-earned money.

The third item I'd like to mention is the ScottradeELITE tutorial, available from http://www.scottradeelite.com. This tutorial walks clients through each ScottradeELITE window, showing you how to use the product.

The last item I'd like to point out is the Knowledge Center. For ScottradeELITE-specific Knowledge Center content, you can either left click on the question mark in the upper right hand corner of any ScottradeELITE window, or left click on the Help menu at the top of the main ScottradeELITE window and then left click on Knowledge Center.

I hope these tools give you a good foundation for working with and understanding ScottradeELITE.

Brett Schulte
Scottrade Active Trader Product Specialist