Frequently Asked
General
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Is Alliance Investment Management Limited regulated?
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Yes. Alliance Investment Management Limited is authorized by the Financial Services Commission of Jamaica to carry out business as a securities dealer.
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Does Alliance Investment Management Limited report tax earnings on your investment accounts?
It is your obligation and responsibility to comply with the laws of the country in which you reside with respect to tax liability.
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What does it mean by not targeted to or intended for United States residents or citizens?
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It means that we do not solicit anyone that has United States citizenship or residency.
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Does Alliance Investment Management Limited have a physical location outside of Jamaica?
No.
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Is there any insurance on day trading accounts?
No.
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I forgot my password for my trading account, how do I reset it?
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In the event that you have lost your password, you will need to contact our support team and they will assist in resetting your password.
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I forgot my IBOSS Dashboard password, how do I reset it?
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In the event that you have lost your password, you will need to contact​ our support team and they will assist in resetting your password.
Opening an account
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What are the types of accounts offered?
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We offer two types of trading accounts, cash and margin. These may be opened as either, individual, joint or as a corporate account.
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How do I open an account?
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To open an account, follow the instructions listed here.
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Are there any fees associated with opening an account?
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Yes, there is $30 funding fee.
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How do I submit the required documentation?
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You may submit your document by email, sending a fax or visiting our office.
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Am I allowed to have multiple accounts?
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Yes, persons are allowed to maintain multiple accounts.
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How old do I need be to open an account?
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Persons must be at least 18 years old to open an account.
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Do I need to be employed to open an account?
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No, you do not need to be employed to open an account. However, your are required to provide us with proof of source of funds.
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Does Alliance Trader reserve "hard to borrow" stocks?
We can attempt to reserve the stocks once the request is made.
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What is the minimum balance to open an account?
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A minimum deposit of $2,000 is required for a MARGIN ACCOUNT
A minimum deposit of $1,000 is required for a CASH ACCOUNT
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Trading
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What markets do Alliance Trader facilitate trading for?
Trades are facilitated on the NYSE, Nasdaq and AMEX exchanges. We also offer OTC trades, however we do not offer Options, Futures and e-mini’s trading in day trading accounts.
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What are the Pre and Post market hours?
Pre-Market hours are from 8:00 a.m to 9:30 a.m EST while Post-Market hours are from 4:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m EST.
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What is Margin? What does 4:1 margin and 2:1 overnight margin mean?
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Trading on margin allows extra buying power that can lead to large gains as well as losses. A 4:1 margin increases your equity balance by a multiple of four. For example, if you fund your account with the minimum required deposit of $2000 you will be allowed $8,000 in buying power. 2:1 margin means that you are only allowed the use of 2 times your current equity. Margin is calculated based on a client’s current equity amount.
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Is there margin interest charged and how much?
There is NO margin interest charged intraday. However on overnight positions, there is a 10% per annum charge. This is equivalent to .00028% daily on the margin positions held each day.
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Why does my equity change overnight?
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Changes in equity balance is affected by the close prices of positions held overnight.
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What is ECN?
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An ECN is an Electronic Communication Network. ECNs are direct access routes to the stock market, such as Island (INET or ISB) and Archipelago (ARCA). Each ECN has a different charge for routing the orders to them directly.
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Is there an inactivity charge?
No. There is no charge for keeping your account with us, provided the account has no trading software activated.
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Will Alliance Trader sell my securities without notifying me?
We do reserve the right to sell your securities. However, we will attempt to notify you of margin calls, if we are unable to make contact in sufficient time we will take the necessary steps to protect our financial interests, including immediately selling the securities without notice.
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How do I install the desktop software on Mac operating systems?
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To run our desktop software on a Mac you will need to use Parallels Desktop software or an equivalent software.
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Why am I getting a notification saying "Not enough buying power"?
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This error means:
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Your Buying Power has to be updated. You can request to have your Buying Power reset by contacting our support team.
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You are placing a trade for a stock priced less than $2.50. See "Why am I unable to buy or short stocks less than $2.50?" below.
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Can I short stocks? What are the associated fees?
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Yes, you can short stocks, however, a margin account is required to do so. There is a fee in the event that a short position is held overnight, 1% charge of the dollar value.
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Why am I unable to buy or short stocks less than $2.50?
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In order to buy or short stocks below $2.50, traders will now require $2.50 per share equity. ($2.50 Rule). This means that if you want buy or short say 100 shares valued at $2.00 per share, you will need at least $250 equity in your account. This means that for ANY stock under $2.50, you must have $2.50 in capital per unit.
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Do I have the ability to choose the route for my trades?
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Yes, you can choose the routes for your trades.
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Does Alliance Trader automatically charge for margin calls?
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Yes, we do.
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What are the trade fees in the P&L summary in IBOSS?
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These can be exchange fees such as; FINRA, SEC sell side fees and ECN fees.
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Funding and Withdrawals
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How soon can I transfer any profits I make?
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Ten (10) business days after initially funding the account.
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How long does it take to process my withdrawal request?
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Once the request is received before 12 noon EST it will be processed within one business day
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Why was my withdrawal request rejected?
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The reasons may be one or more of the following:
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• There is insufficient funds to process the withdrawal.
• There are open positions in your account.
• The information provided is insufficient or incorrect.
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You will be contacted by support to resolve any issues that may delay the processing of your withdrawal.
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Are there any withdrawal fees?
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Yes, there are withdrawal fees. They are listed here
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How do I fund by wire transfer?
After your account is created, you will receive an email confirming the account number and wire instructions will be included there.
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How do I withdraw money?
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You may make a request via any one the forms listed here.
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