Free Republic

The race to the zero-bound is on. That’s not an interest-rate policy development, but an investing fee trend. Charles Schwab Corp SCHW, -2.41% on Tuesday said it would no longer charge a commission on trades of U.S. and Canada-listed stocks, exchange-traded funds, and options, starting October 7. That’s just the latest volley in the incredible shrinking broker fee war. Behemoth asset managers like Vanguard, Fidelity and Schwab have spent the past few years leapfrogging each other to offer lower and lower commissions. That’s thanks in part to the rise in popularity of ETFs, funds that in most cases passively follow...

Few Republicans have done as much to fight the presidential campaign of Donald Trump than Joe Ricketts and his family. But in a stunning turnaround, Mr. Ricketts has now decided to endorse Mr. Trump, and plans to donate at least $1 million to help him win the presidency in November.

The Anti Trump "War on Women" ad, being given tons of free air time by all the cable news channels, is from "Our Principles Pac", a Pac tied to Mitt Romney, and funded primarily by Marlene Ricketts. Marlene Ricketts is the owner of the Chicago Cubs, and mother of the current Nebraska Governor, Pete Ricketts. Her Husband, Joe Ricketts, is the founder of TD Ameritrade. http://www.inquisitr.com/2817315/marlene-ricketts-mystery-anti-donald-trump-donor-revealed-as-chicago-cubs-owner/ https://ballotpedia.org/Our_Principles_PAC

Transaction Still Needs Court, MLB Approval CHICAGO (CBS) ― It's dragged on longer than the Brett Favre "I'm retired, I'm not retired" saga, but the Chicago Tribune reported Friday that its parent company's sale of the Cubs has been finalized, according to CBS station WBBM-TV in Chicag. The paper says the Ricketts family will shell out about $900 million for the team, Wrigley Field, and a 25 percent share in Comcast SportsNet Chicago. "Our family is thrilled to have reached an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in the Chicago Cubs, one of the most storied franchises in sports," said...

Shariah-compliant banking, sometimes called Islamic banking, is growing in popularity in the Western and Islamic worlds. But critics say American interest in the system at a time of economic crisis is opening the door to increased Islamic influence in the American banking system. Worse yet, some fear the banks may be helping to finance international terrorism. In Shariah-compliant banking, lenders may not charge interest and investors cannot make money from forbidden industries like gambling, alcohol, pork and pornography. Selling debt, devising derivatives and short selling are also prohibited, and investments must be closely tied to actual assets. In the U.S.,...

OMAHA, Neb. — Ameritrade executive Pete Ricketts (search), describing himself as anti-abortion conservative, launched an election campaign Saturday to unseat U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson (search), the only Democrat in Nebraska's congressional delegation. "I grew up with great values and tremendous opportunities," said Ricketts, Ameritrade's chief operating officer and son of its founder. "I want my three kids and other's people's children to have the same opportunities that I had." Ricketts, 40, faces two other candidates in the Republican primary: former Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg (search) and former state GOP chairman David Kramer (search). Nelson is up for re-election to...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Calling himself a conservative, pro-life Republican, Ameritrade Chief Operating Officer Pete Ricketts Saturday joined the Republican primary race for the U.S. Senate. He said he grew up with great values and tremendous opportunities, and he wants his three children and other people's children to have the same opportunities he had. Ricketts said issues important to him include tax reform, national defense, international trade and modernization of Social Security. Ricketts, 40, faces two other Republicans: former Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg and former state GOP Chair David Kramer. The primary winner likely would face Democratic U.S. Sen. Ben...

If J. Peter Ricketts runs for the U.S. Senate, he and the wealth he acquired through Ameritrade could shake up the race. Ricketts, son of the founder of Ameritrade and worth at least $218 million, could become the third Republican to enter the 2006 race in hopes of unseating Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said several people active in the Republican Party.

OMAHA, Neb. - Leading online discount broker Ameritrade Holding Corp. said Tuesday it has informed about 200,000 current and former customers that a backup computer tape containing their personal information has been lost. The Omaha-based company mailed the notices to its clients last week, spokeswoman Donna Kush said. The company realized the tape was missing in February, when the package it was in was damaged during shipping between vendors, Kush said. Of the four backup tapes in the package, three were found, but the fourth is still missing, she said. Information on the tape was for people nationwide who may...

INSIDE AMERITRADE By J. Peter Ricketts, President At Ameritrade, our number one goal is to make your online trading experience the best it can be. Whatever your investment strategy is, you have access to the tools you need to trade with confidence. Whether you choose equities, options, mutual funds or bonds, you have 24-hour access to your account. Not only can you trade during regular market hours, but you also have access to the A.M. and P.M. Extended Hours Trading sessions (8:00 - 9:15 A.M. ET, 4:15 - 6:30 P.M. ET).* And if you want some extra help understanding the...