Open an Account

We offer many different types of accounts, including: individual, joint, IRA, Roth IRA, corporations, partnerships, and more.

To open an account:

1. Select the Open New Account button in the upper right corner of our website
2. Choose the account type, enter your personal information, and then select a pricing plan (you can change it later)
3. Fund your account and start investing

To open another account:

1. Log into your account and select the Add Another Account button in the upper right corner of the page
2. Choose account type, enter your personal information, and then select a pricing plan (you can change it later)
3. Fund your account and start investing

1. Passwords must be at least 10 and no more than 64 characters.
2. Passwords must contain at least one uppercase letter, at least one lowercase letter, at least one number or symbol, and can include spaces.
3. Passwords are case sensitive.
4. If resetting your password, you may not use your existing password.

Suggestions for Maintaining a Strong Password

• Change your password frequently.
• Do not use simple modifications of your previous passwords.
• Do not use personal information (name, birthday, anniversary, etc).
• Avoid common, easy to guess words.
• Use different passwords for different websites.

If you live in more than one state, you will need to determine which is your permanent residence. All states have different definitions of permanent residency. For tax purposes, these definitions often depend on:

• How many days of the year you spend in a particular state,
• Whether you keep a residence in a particular state, and
• Whether you are “domiciled” in a state, based on where they work, live, keep financial assets, vote, and register their car among other things.

You may find more information on the state websites using the official state abbreviation in the URL to locate the website. For example, view www.state.ca.us to view California’s website. For New York, view www.state.ny.us. For Texas, view www.state.tx.us.

For federal tax purposes, you are considered a U.S. person if you are:

• An individual who is a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien,
• A partnership, corporation, company, or association created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States,
• An estate (other than a foreign estate), or
• A domestic trust (as defined in Regulations section 301.7701-7).

(Source: 2011 IRS Form W9)

Resident Alien

A person is considered a resident alien if they hold an immigrant visa, also known as a green card, or they meet the substantial presence test. To meet the substantial presence test, a person must have lived in the U.S. for:

• 31 days during the current year, and
• 183 days during the current year and previous two years combined.

Resident aliens may open an account with us.

Non-Resident Alien

A person is considered a non-resident alien if they are not a U.S. citizen and do not meet the resident alien guidelines above. Non-resident aliens cannot open accounts even if they have a current U.S. residence.

If a non-resident alien opens an account at FOLIOfn, then moves out of the U.S., their account will be restricted. They will be asked to liquidate their holdings or transfer them to another brokerage.

No. We restrict our product offerings to U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents with a U.S. address at this time.

No. You do not need a minimum account balance to start investing with us. Also, there are no minimum or maximum limits on the trades you make. See pricing.

Yes. You must meet all the following requirements to open an account with us and be:

• 18 years of age or older
• U.S. citizen or resident alien
• Valid social security number (SSN) or individual tax identification number (TIN)

Note: non-resident aliens cannot open accounts with us at this time.

Most people are not subject to federal backup withholding.

The IRS notifies taxpayers if they are subject to backup withholding. Any of the following reasons may cause your account to be subject to backup withholding:

• You received specific notification from the IRS stating that you are subject to backup withholding
• You fail to furnish your taxpayer identification number on Form W9
• You provide the wrong taxpayer identification number
• You ignore notices from the IRS claiming that you have under reported interest or dividend income on your tax return

Important: If you have been notified by the IRS concerning your backup withholding status, you must state so when opening a Folio Investing account. If you are unsure of your backup withholding status, all questions should be directed to a tax advisor or the IRS.

Total net worth as defined by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is the value of your assets minus your liabilities.

Assets include stocks, bonds, mutual funds, other securities, bank accounts, and other personal property. Do not include your primary residence among your assets.

Liabilities include any outstanding loans, credit card balances, taxes, etc. Do not include your mortgage unless a portion of your mortgage debt is greater than the estimated fair market value of your residence, in which case include the amount in excess of the estimated fair market value. In addition, if you incurred additional mortgage debt in the last 60 days—other than as a result of the acquisition of your primary residence—include that debt as a liability as well.

Liquid net worth as defined by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is your net worth minus assets that cannot be converted quickly and easily into cash, such as real estate, business equity, personal property and automobiles, expected inheritances, assets earmarked for other purposes, and investments or accounts subject to substantial penalties if they were sold or if assets were withdrawn from them.

Examples of liquid assets:

• Cash
• Money market funds
• Checking account funds
• U.S. Treasury bills
• Shares of large blue chip stocks that are actively traded

Assets that would not be included here are those that you cannot sell for a fair price quickly and easily. Examples of illiquid assets:

• Houses
• Automobiles
• Antiques
• Stocks of small private companies