About Us: ShareBuilder Press Room

Beginning March 1, Capital One ShareBuilder customers will pay just $6.95 in base commission for real-time stock and exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) trades, and $6.95 plus $0.75 per contract for options trades. This is a reduction from the previous $9.95 standard base commission, and $7.95 Advantage Program base commission price, which was available by subscription for $12 per month. Advantage Program real-time pricing is eliminated, and real-time trades are now as low as $6.95 for all customers.

“At Capital One ShareBuilder, simplifying the investing experience is at the core of everything we do,” said Dan Greenshields, President of Capital One ShareBuilder. “This new flat pricing program makes commissions easier to understand, while expanding access to great value for more investors – regardless of account size or trading activity level.”

ShareBuilder’s New Real-Time Commission Pricing Schedule (effective March 1, 2013)

Advantage Program pricing is available for participants in ShareBuilder’s Automatic Investing² Plan, which allows investors to make dollar-based stock, ETF and mutual fund investments on a pre-scheduled basis, at a reduced rate. For $12 per month, Advantage Program participants can place up to 12 Automatic Investments per month ($1 for each additional Automatic Investment). Customers not subscribed to the Advantage Program pay $4 per investment.

For more information on the new pricing program, including rules and restrictions, and how we stack up against other brokers, click here.

Media Relations Contact:
Alison Cahill Rouse
acrouse@sharebuilder.com
917-653-7592

ShareBuilder’s new Knowledge Center features expanded content from SmartMoney.com and S&P Capital IQ, plus interactive demonstrations focused on a variety of topics ranging from planning for retirement to trading stocks, options, mutual funds and ETFs. The content is tailored to investors of all levels from first-time investors to advanced, and users have the ability to share, rate and print content directly from the Knowledge Center.

ShareBuilder has also enhanced its research with the introduction of Markit ResearchTeam Consensus Reports, which compile ratings from more than 20 independent research providers, weighing each provider’s ratings based on historical accuracy, and deliver consolidated consensus rating reports for individual securities. Additionally, ShareBuilder recently added WSJ Live video news from The Wall Street Journal, which is refreshed daily, archived and searchable by topic or key word.

“We’re focused on adding powerful, yet easy-to-use tools and resources designed to help both new and seasoned investors make more informed decisions,” said Dan Greenshields, President of Capital One ShareBuilder, Inc. “We’re thrilled to be part of Capital One, and we’re taking our platform to the next level—delivering quality tools to help Americans invest in today’s markets so they can plan their financial futures and live their lives better.”

The company also announced plans for a new set to launch later this month, which will offer many of the same features and functionality as the website, but on a fully customizable dashboard designed for the 10-inch tablet. Through the app, users can look at the markets and news, do research, place trades, and transfer money instantly from linked accounts.

Media Relations Contact:
Alison Cahill Rouse
acrouse@sharebuilder.com
917-653-7592

“Our survey results suggest many small business owners are still in the dark when it comes to their 401(k) plans and costs, demonstrating our industry has more work to do in disclosing fees transparently and in ways that are easy to understand,” said Stuart Robertson, President of ShareBuilder 401k. “Everyone has a right to know the fees they’re paying for their 401(k) as over the course of a career, paying an extra percentage point can shrink your nest egg by hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Following are some of the survey’s top-line findings:

The new reports are going unnoticed by many. While the majority (92 percent) of small business owners claimed to be aware of the new rules requiring 401(k) providers to distribute documents fully disclosing all plan fees, only 60 percent recall receiving the new documents at all.

The new reports are leading to confusion, not understanding. Of the small business owners who did recall receiving new fee disclosure documents, the average time spent reviewing the documents was 16 minutes, and the vast majority (83 percent) walked away with questions about what their company should do now. Additionally, sixty-eight percent say they are not fully prepared to answer employee questions about their plans.

Small business owners are taking action, but not ready to switch plans. More than a third (37 percent) of the survey’s respondents have hired, or plan to hire, a consultant to help them to understand their options, and nearly as many (34 percent) have gathered, or plan to gather, benchmarking data to help them compare alternate retirement plans for their company. However, despite increased transparency, few business owners are using this as an opportunity to negotiate their plan with their current 401(k) provider (33 percent) or to shop for a new plan provider (26 percent).

Small business owners are unsure of what is a fair 401(k) fee percentage. Fees are typically based on a percentage of a plan's total assets, and on average, small business owners say they think four percent is a fair rate – which is significantly higher than the average 401(k) fee percentage, demonstrating lack of awareness about the options available and the impact fees can have on long-term savings.

“At ShareBuilder 401k, we advocate for one percent or less in fees regardless of company size, so it was startling to see such a high percentage of business owners believe paying more than one percent is fair,” said Robertson. “The first thing employers will want to do is compare the costs of their current 401(k) plan versus a plan that is one percent or less – we provide a simple online tool that most employer scan complete in 5-10 minutes with their fee disclosure document at www.401kcomparison.com.”

ShareBuilder 401k offers a selection of free online tools designed to help plan sponsors and participants better understand their 401(k) plans, the fees they are paying, and what to do if they are paying too much. Employees can visit www.401kfeefighters.com, and employers can find tools at www.401kcomparison.com or by simply visiting www.sharebuilder401k.com for more information.

Media Relations Contact:
Alison Cahill Rouse
acrouse@sharebuilder.com
917-653-7592

“As with any investment, fixed income or ‘bond’ funds are subject to risk, but they also offer investors diversification, price transparency, and ease of use and access,” said Dan Greenshields, president of ING DIRECT Investing. “Fixed income is a key component to a well-diversified² portfolio, and ShareBuilder is committed to offering the products and tools to support investors as they work toward their goals – and that help make investing easy.”³

ShareBuilder’s new Bond Funds Center features:

• Screening tools: identify fixed income mutual funds or ETFs based on popular, pre-defined screens, or do a custom search by fund type, classification or rating
• Educational articles: learn about the differences between bonds and bond funds with educational articles from SmartMoney.com
• Fund ratings: view the top-rated bond mutual funds and ETFs from Lipper Leader Ratings⁴, a global leader in supplying mutual fund information, analytical tools and commentary
• Performance views: view bond fund performance over time with a dynamic view of the U.S. Treasury Yield Curve

For more information, visit www.sharebuilder.com.

At ShareBuilder, investors have quick and easy access to buy, sell and trade bond mutual funds and ETFs. ShareBuilder also offers access to recent innovations including “defined maturity” bond funds.

Media Relations Contact:
Alison Cahill Rouse
acrouse@sharebuilder.com
917-653-7592

“401(k) plan fees can have a major impact on an individual’s ability to save for retirement, and at ShareBuilder, we encourage employers to keep employee fees below one percent,” said ShareBuilder 401k General Manager Stuart Robertson. “Now that sponsors will have a full accounting of their 401k fees with fee disclosure, many could be left wondering if they are paying too much. Our goal is to make it quick and easy for employers to review their company’s 401(k) plan and determine if they’re getting a good deal, or should consider a change.”

ShareBuilder 401k now offers a free online “fee checker” that quickly and easily calculates a 401(k) plan’s employee fee percentage. Available at www.401kFeeSaver.com, employers simply enter their plan’s total assets (or average annual balance) and total investment product fees listed in their 401(k) plan fee disclosure document, and a quick estimate and assessment of their plan’s fees is produced.

For a full custom cost comparison, employers can simply submit their fee disclosure documents to 401kpros@sharebuilder.com, and within 48 hours, ShareBuilder 401k will return a clear breakout of potential cost savings for both employer-paid and employee-paid costs on an annual basis and over a five-year horizon.

“Many all-in employee-based fees charged by 401(k) providers for small and midsize businesses are often over two percent and, in some cases, even higher,” Robertson said. “The difference between one and two percent in fees may at first blush seem small, but over several decades, it can have a very significant impact on retirement savings.”

Since 2005, ShareBuilder 401k has made all of its pricing readily available on its website, and the company began advocating for an industry benchmark of less than one percent for “all-in” employee-paid fees in 2007. ShareBuilder 401k has already updated its fee disclosures in line with the Department of Labor’s sample and guidance for new plan sales, and is in the process of sending disclosures to clients in advance of the July 1 deadline.

ShareBuilder 401k is not a fund provider and takes an unbiased approach in the evaluation and selection of funds with a focus on low-expense, index based investments from the leading ETF providers such as Vanguard, iShares, SPDR and PowerShares to create a powerful line-up from which participants can choose, including five model portfolios.

All ShareBuilder 401k products offer the latest features including auto-enrollment, auto-re-balancing, Roth, signature-ready 5500s and much more. The plans are typically priced significantly less to start up and administer than traditional providers. Additionally, each plan is fully-supported with access to 401(k) consultants, customer success managers, implementation specialists and customer care for each participant.

Media Relations Contact:
Alison Cahill Rouse
acrouse@sharebuilder.com
917-653-7592

Through the IPO Center, customers have direct access to a full calendar of upcoming offerings and details on each, including company fundamentals and the issuers’ prospectuses. For recent IPOs, the center links to detailed quotes and performance pages featuring more in-depth information and tools including interactive charts, key stats and ratios, and the ability to buy or sell securities in just a few clicks.

“With the IPO market picking back up and several large and highly anticipated offerings around the corner, now is a great time to boost our IPO news and content – to help investors learn about the IPO market and make smart investing decisions,” said Dan Greenshields, president of ING DIRECT Investing. “Our objective is to educate customers by helping them help themselves, and we look forward to adding more research, reports and educational content to our IPO Center in the near future.”

ShareBuilder’s IPO Center was introduced in conjunction with a number of new research and trading tools for active investors including:

• New Trade Types – ShareBuilder recently added Trailing Stops to its list of trade types, allowing investors to set stop loss orders at a percentage level or dollar amount below market price. This adds to a full stable of trading options for investors, including: Market, Limit, Stop-Loss, Stop-Limit and Market on Close.
• Customizable Charts – Customers can now view their buy and sell transactions as key “events” on stocks charts, as well as other market events including dividends, earnings, splits, ratings changes and other news. This offers a visual history of how key events impacted share price and where customers’ trading plays fit into the mix.
• Quick-Quote Toolbar – A new easy-to-use pop-up toolbar allows customers to check portfolio holdings, watch lists, news and markets – or look up a symbol and place a quick trade – from anywhere within the research center.

“In today’s markets, it is crucial investors take a proactive, disciplined approach to their investments,” Greenshields said. “We’re committed to providing quality, easy-to-use tools and information to help investors generate ideas and make smart investing decisions.”

ShareBuilder offers multiple ways to invest in securities, with a full selection of real-time market, limit and stop-loss order types, or through our proprietary Automatic Investing¹ platform, which enables customers to schedule partial-share purchases of stocks, mutual funds and ETFs – ahead of time and with reduced commissions.

For more information, visit www.sharebuilder.com.

Media Relations Contact:
Alison Cahill Rouse
acrouse@sharebuilder.com
917-653-7592

“Our survey results suggest many small business owners are still in the dark when it comes to their 401(k) plans and costs, demonstrating our industry has more work to do in disclosing fees transparently and in ways that are easy to understand,” said Stuart Robertson, President of ShareBuilder 401k. “Everyone has a right to know the fees they’re paying for their 401(k) as over the course of a career, paying an extra percentage point can shrink your nest egg by hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Effective March 1, ShareBuilder 401k’s easy-to-use, cost effective retirement planning platform for businesses ranging from self-employed to mid-size companies has added the following funds to its All-ETF 401(k) lineup:

• iShares Gold Fund (IAU);
• PowerShares General Commodities Fund (DBC)
• iShares Socially Responsible Fund (KLD)
• SPDR’s International Bond Fund (BMX)
• PowerShares Emerging Market Bond Fund (PCY)

“We’re pleased to enhance our All-ETF 401(k) with access to new commodities, international fixed income, emerging markets and socially responsible funds,” said Stuart Robertson, ShareBuilder 401k general manager. “These funds offer important diversification options to help investors preserve and grow investments through varying economic climates while, at the same time, address the growing demand for socially responsible investments.”

Historically, asset classes perform differently as economic growth and inflation fluctuates. For example, during strong economic growth periods with low inflation, stocks have performed well. However, when the economy slows and there is high inflation, gold and commodities have outperformed other asset classes.

ShareBuilder 401k now offers access to a total of 20 ETFs and one money market fund. As ShareBuilder 401k is not a fund provider, it takes an unbiased approach in the evaluation and selection of funds with a focus on low-expense investments from the leading ETF providers. Plan participants may select funds independently or choose from five model portfolios designed and managed by ShareBuilder’s in-house investment committee. Each plan is fully-supported with access to 401(k) consultants, customer success managers, implementation specialists and customer care for each participant.

“Our goal is to provide a quality, low-cost, easy-to-use platform where employees can create customized, adjustable, goals-based plans and feel confident about their financial futures,” Robertson said. For more information on ShareBuilder 401k, visit www.sharebuilder401k.com, or call 800-943-6108 (extension 1).

Media Relations Contact:
Alison Cahill Rouse
acrouse@sharebuilder.com
917-653-7592