Investments Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. As with all credit union products and services, you need to be a First Tech member to have an investment relationship with us. Becoming a member is easy. Visit the Join Us section of our web site to learn more.

The Investor Access trading platform only allows equity trades. You must place mutual fund and option trades through the Investment Services Support Center. Please call 855.744.8585 for assistance.

You can change your password in . Once logged in, navigate to the Change Your Password screen by clicking the Account Services tab, and then selecting the Change Your Password link in the My Profile box.

If you have forgotten your password and need to change it, click on the Forgot Password link on the Investor Access home page.

Please contact your Financial Advisor directly, or call our Investment Services Support Center at 855.744.8585 for assistance.

To enroll in e-Statements, log into Investor Access, click the Documents tab and then choose Change Statement Delivery Preference. You have the option to enroll in paperless delivery for statements, trade confirmations and/or other correspondence. In the final enrollment step you will select your document delivery preferences.

Investor Access enrollment is required to access your account statements. For more information, visit the Investor Access site.

Note: For annuities or direct mutual fund accounts, you will need to make your statement elections directly at the fund or annuity company web site through your login for those accounts.

Please contact your Financial Advisor directly, or call our Investment Services Support Center at 855.744.8585 for assistance.

You can access all your accounts in one easy-to-read place through First Tech's Online Banking. The seamless single sign-on allows you to view your finances at a glance – including Raymond James, direct mutual funds, and annuity account values, holdings, and history detail, along with your First Tech account information.

For additional details, demos or enrollment information, visit the Online Banking information page.

Investor Access also provides you in-depth connectivity to your Raymond James account information.*

Through this platform you have the ability to:

• View balances, account activity and holdings details.
• Transfer funds electronically.
• View and print account statements.
• Manage the way you receive statements and other important documents – electronically, by mail or both.
• Access market information, stock quotes, industry updates and company reports.

* Direct mutual fund account information is not available for viewing through Investor Access.

An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a tax advantaged personal savings plan meant to hold investments for the long term. IRAs can be set up at Financial Institutions and allow you to make tax-deferred investments. When you retire and need to use these funds you can sell the investments and take distributions. Contact your Financial Advisor for more information and check with a certified tax professional about tax implications.

When transferring/rolling over a 401(k) account, you will want to take into consideration such factors as the rules regarding tax consequences, penalties and timelines. Our Financial Advisors can help guide you through the process. To schedule a no-cost consultation, with a Financial Advisor in your area, visit our web site or call our Investment Services Support Center at 855.744.8585.

Our Financial Advisors at Addison Avenue Investment Services regularly meet with members. For this reason, we highly recommend that you make an appointment ahead of time. For your convenience, appointments can take place in person, by phone or through online conferencing. To locate an advisor in your area, visit our Investments page, or call our Investment Services Support Center at 855.744.8585.

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) allow you to make tax-deferred investments to provide financial security when you retire. Any U.S. citizen can contribute to an IRA and the money may be shielded in bankruptcy. IRAs allow for much control over the investments held but there are contribution limits. There's also what's called a Roth IRA for after-tax contributions. Read our Roth IRA article for more info.

A 401(k) is a type of employer-sponsored retirement plan that cannot be opened on your own. Your employer has chosen a 401(k) administrator that you must use if you participate in the plan. Often, the employer will match a portion of an employee’s contribution to the plan each calendar year. Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are set up by individuals and unrelated to any current or past employer. Like IRAs, 401(k) plans are tax-deferred. IRAs generally offer more investment choices but contribution limits are lower than 401(k) plans. Some 401(k) plans allow you to take a loan against them but be wary of payment terms and requirements.

Yes, you can open share certificates in an IRA.

It depends. Many certificates have early withdrawal penalties if you access your principal before maturity. If you think you might need to tap your cash early, look for financial institutions that offer no-penalty share certificates. Or look for a product with penalties that you deem are acceptable to access liquidity. You may be able to close the account and only give up a portion of the dividends or interest in fees.

An IRA is a type of retirement account that holds different types of investments. A share certificate is an investment product you can hold inside an IRA. You can also hold share certificates outside of an IRA.

IRA share certificate rates will fluctuate with market conditions and liquidity needs of the financial institution. Their rates typically track alongside rates on savings accounts. So if the Federal Reserve raises or lowers interest rates, you may expect share certificate rates to be close, if not slightly higher, than savings and money market account rates.