We are excited to present another sponsor profile, this one from Scottrade, a company that has generous agreed to sponsor the Winner Gift Bags:

Whether clients want to manage their own investments, just need help with where to start, or require management solutions, Scottrade can help.

Investors and traders can build confidence through portfolio reviews, find potential investment opportunities with pre-defined screens, tap stock market research, and access a full line of investment products online, many starting at $7 per trade.

Founded in 1980, Scottrade continues its mission to improve lives by helping people overcome barriers to financial success. Today, the firm offers a nationwide network of branch offices, where knowledgeable investment consultants provide personal service and education about Scottrade’s trading tools and investment products.

The firm was built on the principles of doing what’s right and giving clients more than they expect, so it’s no coincidence Scottrade was ranked “Highest in Investor Satisfaction with Self-Directed Services” in the J.D. Power 2014 Self-Directed Investor Satisfaction Study SM.1

Scottrade Listens to Clients

Enhancements to the firm’s trading tools and the introduction of new investing solutions are fueled by the voices of clients. Their feedback through a variety of channels inspires and prioritizes the work of product development and information technology teams. Employing the agile method of project management and client usability testing to help ensure tools are easy to use, Scottrade is able to move new tools to market quickly.

New this year.

• ScottradeELITE® – Scottrade unveiled several new updates to its advanced trading platform to help traders analyze price movements, identify and measure trend strength and react to market shifts as they occur. Features in the new platform include easier research capabilities and enhanced charting with 50-plus indicators, sophisticated drawing tools, and the ability to replay market shifts. Scottrade’s Sector Trends tool provides deeper insight into the market using a new proprietary formula that measures momentum strength.
• Portfolio Reviews – Scottrade created a free portfolio review tool to help clients develop an investment strategy that fits their goals. On their own or in one-on-one conversations with a Scottrade investment consultant, clients can view their current allocation, then manage their risk and investment allocation. The tool offers five different asset allocation models to help match investments with investment goals.

Scottrade launched its first blog in 2010, and today engages with more than 53,000 followers on Facebook, more than 59,000 on Twitter, more than 55,000 on Google+, and more than 9,000 on LinkedIn. Scottrade uses its channels to listen to clients as well as share data revealed through regular research studies and expand on educational opportunities.

For more information about Scottrade, visit www.scottrade.com or about.scottrade.com.

Member FINRA/SIPC.

Disclosures:

1Scottrade received the highest numerical score among self-directed investing service providers in the proprietary J.D. Power 2014 Self-Directed Investor Satisfaction StudySM. Study based on responses from 3,764 investors measuring 10 providers and measures satisfaction of self-directed investors. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in January-February 2014. Your experiences may vary. Visitjdpower.com.

One of the great things about FinCon is the ability to network while having fun. This year, we are hosting a Happy Hour after the Plutus Awards and before the FinCon Closing Party. This should be a fun way to relax, and to network with fellow bloggers, journalists, and financial services providers.

Putting on a Happy Hour is a big job (as planner Athena Lent can tell you), so we’re glad that Experian is generously sponsoring the event. We’ve long been impressed with Experian’s participation in the personal finance blogosphere. Not only does Experian support bloggers, but the company also actively engages us, with the great#CreditChat held each week on Twitter, and through great video interviews with financial bloggers.

There are few financial bloggers that haven’t had a great experience with Experian’s great team. Experian is great about outreach, and is always willing to share blogger stories on social media, often using the @Experian_USTwitter handle, or sharing via Google Plus. It’s great to have Experian on board with this year’s Plutus Awards, and all the FinCon attendees should be grateful to Experian for sponsoring the Plutus Awards Happy Hour.

Here is a little more information about Experian:

Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients around the world. The Group helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making.

The Experian Consumer Services division provides credit monitoring and other information services, such as identity protection, to millions of consumers via the Internet. The organization enables consumers to monitor the accuracy of their credit reports online, check their credit scores and protect against identity theft. Its products include Experian’s ProtectMyID and Experian.com.

Experian Consumer Services has established integrated, co-branded partnerships with leading online financial destinations that provide consumers with a broad range of comprehensive online financial products and information essential to managing one’s financial life.

Without our great sponsors, the Plutus Awards wouldn’t be possible. This year, we redesigned our web site, and Fidelity made it happen with a generous sponsorship.

Not only is this the third year that Fidelity has been involved with FinCon, but it is also the second year that Fidelity has helped sponsor the Plutus Awards.

“Fidelity is committed to supporting the financial blogger community,” says John Sweeney, Executive Vice President of Retirement and Investing Strategies at Fidelity. “When people better understand how to manage their finances and save for the future, it can empower them to live the lives they want.”

In 2008, Fidelity introduced Viewpoints, which provides easy-to-understand insights from Fidelity. Viewpoints focuses on timely, relevant analysis on the economy and markets, as well as information on personal finance. The resource was introduced in response to consumer interest, and it’s provided helpful guidance since then. Bloggers can also find interesting topics to blog about by visiting the page and seeing the latest.

Not only that, but Fidelity also commissions surveys and studies to reveal insights on the behaviors and attitudes of individuals. Some of the recent studies include a Couples Retirement Study, a Grandparents and College Savingsstudy, and an Intra-Family Generational Finance study. Fidelity offers other resources that provide insight into financial behaviors.

Understanding these trends, and being made aware of how they affect your own life, can help you make better decisions about your money.

Fidelity’s goal is to make financial expertise broadly accessible and effective to all people. Fidelity’s efforts span a wide customer base, including 23 million people investing their own life savings and 20,000 businesses that get help managing their employee benefits programs. Additionally, 10,000 advisors make use of Fidelity’s tools as they effectively manage their clients’ money.

One of the great things about Fidelity is that, with all that they do on their own, the company also acknowledges the role that blogs play in educating consumers about their money and their financial choices.

“Our customers tell us they read blogs to see how others address finance in their daily lives — whether they are budgeting, saving for retirement, actively investing, or saving for college — so we’re encouraged that such a dedicated group of bloggers have formed a community to share their stories,” Sweeney says.

Fidelity is a great partner for the Plutus Awards, and we are pleased that the company has been such a great friend to the financial blogging community. You can find out more about Fidelity by visiting www.fidelity.com, and by following Fidelity on Twitter.