Companies for financial products

Here are the companies I currently use to do my investing through. They consist of a Bank (Zions Bank), a Brokerage firm (Zions Direct) and a Mutual fund company (Vanguard).

Zions Bank

https://www.zionsbank.com/

I use Zions bank because it has been in business since 1873, it is a very stable bank with good rates and a very good business ethic.

A brief history of Zions First National Bank On July 10, 1873, Zion's Savings Bank and Trust Company was incorporated under the laws of the Utah Territory under the direction of Brigham Young, becoming Utah's first chartered savings bank and trust company. During its first day of business on October 1, 1873, the bank's cashier and tellers recorded deposits of $5,876.20. The bank prospered and grew, surviving its only major threat – the depression caused by the stock market crash of 1929.

A major event happened on December 31, 1957. Zion's Savings Bank and Trust Company (1873), Utah Savings and Trust Company (1889) and First National Bank of Salt Lake City (1890) merged to form Zions First National Bank. The newly enlarged institution had a total of $109.5 million in deposits. At this time, the long-familiar apostrophe in Zion's was dropped.

In early 1960, authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to divest itself of its banking interests, and on April 22, 1960, the Church sold majority control of Zions First National Bank to Keystone Insurance and Investment Company. Keystone was owned by a group of businessmen headed by Leland B. Flint, Roy W. Simmons and Judson S. Sayre. At the time of the sale, the Bank had total deposits of just under $120 million.

On February 17, 1961, Zions First National Investment Company was incorporated in Nevada and became the majority owner of the bank stock controlled by the Keystone group. In 1965, the name of the investment company was changed to Zions Bancorporation.

Today, Zions Bancorporation operates full-service banking offices in ten Western states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington. Zions Bank operates 114 full-service branches throughout Utah, 24 full-service branches in Idaho, and nearly 200 ATMs in the two states. In addition to a wide range of traditional banking services, Zions offers a comprehensive array of investment and mortgage services, and has a network of loan origination offices for small businesses nationwide. The company is also a leader in providing electronic banking services, including electronic municipal bond trading. Founded in 1873, Zions has been serving the communities of the Intermountain West for more than 130 years.

From the vision of founder Brigham Young to the reality of one of the nation's most impressive banking organizations, Zions continues to be a pioneer in banking.

Zions Direct

https://zd.zionsdirect.com/

This is the company I chose to use as my online brokerage account. They charge $10.95 per trade which is competitive, and offer a really good range of products.

Why Zions Direct?

Everyday great value guaranteed! Trade stock and bonds online for $10.95 regardless of the size of trade or how many trades you place per month, quarter, or year. Compare Zions Direct to online brokers.

You are in control! Trade stock, bonds, and mutual funds at everyday low prices and get up to the minute news, research, and planning tools to help you make intelligent investment decisions. They provide the tools - you call the shots.

Convenience - Access your account anywhere - tools to plan and invest! They provide the online access and the tools for you to manage your portfolio; however, if you ever need assistance with handling a trade or customer service on your account, you can always contact an experienced Zions Direct Service Representative between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. MST at 1-800-524-8875.

Opening an account is easy! Click here to view account types and ways to apply. Consolidate your accounts - transfer your online brokerage account to Zions Direct.

BRIEF HISTORY

Zions Bancorporation originated as Keystone Insurance and Investment Co., a Utah corporation, on April 25, 1955. In April 1960, Keystone, together with several other individuals, acquired a 57.5 percent interest in Zions First National Bank from the LDS Church.

On April 23, 1965, the name of the company was changed to Zions Bancorporation. However, later that year the name was changed to Zions Utah Bancorporation. The first public offering of shares in Zions Bancorporation was made in January 1966. There continued to be some minority shareholders in Zions First National Bank until April 7, 1972 when the company exchanged the remaining minority shares for common shares. In April 1987, Zions Utah Bancorporation again changed its name to Zions Bancorporation.

TOTAL ASSETS

$52.9 billion (as of December 31, 2007)


OWNERSHIP

Zions Bancorporation is a publicly traded company. The company's common shares are traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol "ZION." The Company had 106,720,884 shares of common stock outstanding at the close of business on December 31, 2007.

Vanguard

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/home?fromPage=portal

I use Vanguard Mutual Fund company for their selection of funds available, and for their very low fees. They offer some of the lowest fees of any mutual fund company.

For a complete list of their funds visit their home page.

Our mission statement
Vanguard's mission is to help clients reach their financial goals by being the world's highest-value provider of investment products and services.

Corporate headquarters-Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Founded-May 1, 1975

First fund-Wellington Fund (inception date: July 1, 1929)

U.S. offices-Charlotte, North Carolina,Scottsdale, Arizona and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

International offices-Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Brussels, Belgium, London, England, Melbourne, Australia, Paris, France, Seoul, South Korea, Singapore, Sydney, Australia,
Tokyo, Japan and Zurich, Switzerland

Total assets-Approximately $1 trillion in U.S. mutual funds (as of December 31, 2008)

Number of funds-150 domestic funds (including variable annuity portfolios); plus additional funds in international markets

Number of employees-12,500 in United States

Average expense ratio-0.20% (expenses as a percentage of 2008 average net assets)

Mailing address-P.O. Box 2600, Valley Forge, PA 19482

Link to the 1st post in this series that has links to all the other posts:

My quest for financial freedom: Back ground for this quest

Main link to this blog:

http://quest-for-financial-freedom.blogspot.com/