Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a system and method by which the recommendations of a third party advisor chosen by an investor and with whom an investor has entered into a separate relationship can be matched with conditional trading criteria chosen by the investor. In a process for structuring such a trading system, when a matching correspondence occurs between the criteria specified in trades recommended by an advisory service and conditions chosen by the individual investor, the combined set of matching criteria then becomes the basis to initiate a formal trading order for the financial securities so defined. The trading order so generated may additionally include specified criteria not pre-defined by the investor, such as for example timing instructions that can be designated without prescription from the investor.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/062,590 filed Jan. 31, 2002. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a system and method that facilitates the efficient management and trading of financial instruments. More particularly, the invention relates to a computerized online system and process that permits an investor to structure an automated online interaction between one or more independent financial advisory service providers, the individual investor, and an independent financial instrument ordering service so that orders are placed after trading recommendations offered by the one or more advisory service providers chosen by the investor agree with trading criteria pre-selected by the individual investor. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Investors may engage in the trading of a wide variety of properties to achieve some financial or other advantage. For example, investors may choose from a wide variety of financial instruments such as corporate stocks and stock options, mutual funds, fixed-income securities, commodity futures and options, index futures and options, among others. Investors may also engage in the trading of other items whose value varies according to market perception such as coins, stamps, books, objects of fine art, craftsmanship, and those having historical significance, among other collectible items. The present invention has potential application to all such financial instruments, items, and properties that may bought and sold in a generally open marketplace at a price that varies according to market perception, but may have heightened relevance with respect to the trading of stock equity options. 
         [0004]    Stock options are essentially contract rights that can be bought and sold on the open market. By paying a certain premium amount, the owner of an option acquires the right to buy or sell the underlying security at a designated strike price during a limited period of time prior to expiration of the option. Buyers and sellers of options are termed “holders” and “writers,” respectively. A call option is an option to buy a certain stock at a specific price on or before a certain date. If the underlying corporate stock issue increases in value over the strike price, the value of the call option then increases, as well. The owner of a call option may exercise the right to purchase the stock before the expiration date of the option, logically whenever the stock exceeds the strike price, at which time the option seller becomes obligated to sell the stock. If the stock does not exceed the strike price, the owner has lost nothing more than the price paid for the option, or the option premium. A put option is an option to sell a stock at a specific price on or before a certain date. The owner of a put option may exercise the right to sell the stock before the expiration date of the option, logically whenever the stock falls beneath the strike price, at which time the option seller becomes obligated to buy the stock. If the stock does not fall beneath the strike price, the owner has again lost nothing more than the option premium. 
         [0005]    To offset potential financial liabilities that might otherwise accrue from changes in the value of an underlying stock issue, investors often seek to acquire option rights as a type of financial insurance policy. Similar to paying an insurance premium, the cost of buying call options becomes a standard business expense, required for proper risk management. In like manner, investors sell put options to obtain a calculable minimum return on investments as a means for ensuring against financial risk. Separate and apart from their risk management function, stock equity options may furthermore provide investors with a potentially lucrative trading instrument, allowing for investment in the performance of the underlying security with a lesser amount of investment capital required. 
         [0006]    Investing in traded stock options typically requires specialized financial knowledge. Without it, individual investors may not be aware of the benefits and opportunities that trading in certain options provide, nor the range of possible trading strategies. However, the average individual investor does not have access to the same quantity and quality of market information that is ordinarily available to those routinely involved in trading options. Even sophisticated investors may recognize the value of complementing the information they have with advice from knowledgeable sources concerning current economic variables and conditions, price levels forecasted for particular corporate stocks or other securities, and the appropriateness of certain specific trades. To illustrate, trading from which a profit may be realized on an ongoing basis necessitates that the investor make the best possible decision regarding the timing of the trade. Specifying both a proper price and a proper time for trading, and then acting in a timely fashion to obtain maximum advantage, tends to decrease the risk of trading and increases the opportunity to realize a profit from such trades. 
         [0007]    Once again, it should be noted that investors may engage in the trading of a wide variety of properties to achieve some financial or other advantage. For example, investors may choose from a wide variety of financial instruments such as corporate stocks and stock options, mutual funds, fixed-income securities, commodity futures and options, index futures and options, among others. Investors may also engage in the trading of other items whose value varies according to market perception such as coins, stamps, books, objects of fine art, craftsmanship, and those having historical significance, among other collectible items. The present invention has potential application to all such financial instruments, items, and properties (collectively identified for purposes of this application as “financial instruments”) that may bought and sold in a generally open marketplace at a price that varies according to market perception, but may have heightened relevance with respect to the trading of stock equity options. 
         [0008]    Individual investors typically obtain their financial advice from many different sources but may come to rely on those advisors that demonstrate an expertise in those investment areas of interest to the investor. To satisfy the public demand for reliable market advice and information, most financial service providers periodically publish a newsletter or brochure containing articles, either in printed form or as accessible online via e-mail or the Internet. To have access to highly detailed forms of trading information, the investor must typically enter into a subscription agreement with the advisory service provider, and pay a subscription fee. Advisory information so offered may specify a stock issue and type of option, a duration period before expiration of the option, and a time interval appropriate for either buying or selling the option. The specified criteria of recommended trades may include also a strike price for trading the option, and an acceptable price range for the option premium. The specific trades recommended by an advisory service provider may be described by a greater or lesser multiple of such definable criteria. 
         [0009]    To make proper use of the trading recommendations contained in an advisor&#39;s publication, an investor typically will consider all the information provided and determine whether the trades recommended may be appropriate for the investor&#39;s personal financial objectives. More selective investors will require that a greater number of conditional criteria be applied to their trading decisions. However, because most individual investors do not have the time and access to regularly monitor market activity, to receive and process price and volume information reported from the floor of the exchange, and to enter and fulfill trades based upon the advice of third-party sources, while at the same time conducting such trading activities in accordance with their own selected trading preferences and financial priorities, the investors typically do not realize the full value of opportunities presented to them. 
         [0010]    A demand therefore exists for a system and process whereby various trading recommendations offered by one or more financial advisory service providers can be readily accessed and surveyed by individual investors, and whereby the particular elements of such recommended trades can be accurately and efficiently compared to the trading conditions that individual investors may require. The present invention satisfies the demand for this type of structured trading system. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0011]    The present invention is directed to a system and method by which the recommendations of a third party advisor chosen by an investor and with whom an investor has entered into a separate relationship can be matched with conditional trading criteria chosen by the investor. In a process for structuring such a trading system, when a matching correspondence occurs between the criteria specified in trades recommended by an advisory service and conditions established by the individual investor, the combined set of matching criteria then becomes the basis to initiate a formal trading order for the financial securities so defined. The trading order so generated may additionally include specified criteria not defined by the investor, such as for example timing instructions that can be designated without prescription from the investor. 
         [0012]    In a preferred embodiment, the invention permits the investor to establish certain trading criteria as conditions required to initiate trading orders on the investor&#39;s behalf. The minimal criteria for such conditions may identify the type of security or securities traded (such as stock or a stock option) and the amount of monetary funds the investor wishes to assign to designated trading accounts. Additional criteria for initiating trades may include defined elements such as the class or series of corporate stock for the option being traded. The investor may also further require nonspecific trading instructions, such as the percentage of total investment assets allocated to any particular trade or range of potential trades. 
         [0013]    From an array of multiple third-party advisory service providers, the investor will typically receive financial information from one or more of such advisory service providers. At the same time, the investor enters into a contractual agreement with a brokerage firm that has access to the same information provided by the advisory services. The brokerage firm agrees to initiate trades on the investor&#39;s behalf according to recommendations offered by such third party advisors, whenever the particular criteria defined by such trading recommendations meet and coalesce with similar particular conditions as pre-determined by the investor. The conditional criteria specified by the investor may also be modified, as the investor&#39;s trading preferences and financial priorities change over time. 
         [0014]    By preference, the trading system so described may operate automatically so that the trading order is entered immediately whenever the investor&#39;s trade criteria match the third party advisor&#39;s recommendations. Alternatively, if the recommendations from the advisory service are not communicated in such a form as to permit automatic entry, particularized criteria to define the qualified trading recommendations can be communicated personally to an individual or individuals having responsibility to organize and interpret the trading recommendations so provided, and to convey the instances where a coalition between individuals and advisory service providers may occur, or where an investor&#39;s pre-defined trading criteria may have been reached in the trading recommendations offered. At that point, a system operator working within a brokerage firm generates a trading order and the order so generated is brought to the exchange, for fulfillment of the transaction similar to orders generated by the system automatically. 
         [0015]    From the perspective of the individual investor, one advantage to the invention is that it permits investments to be made according to the recommendations of a party chosen by the investor, apart from any conflicting interests that might otherwise imply a certain bias inherent to the advice offered by brokerage firms, in their dealings with individual investors. Another advantage that accrues to the individual investor in the present invention derives from having a lag time, during the period before an actual trade is generated, to observe market activity in the sector area or specific options or issues pre-selected by the investor. Having the advantage of this lag time period provides the investor with an extra layer of protection, for example against negative consequences of particularly persuasive sales tactics, impulsive trading decisions, or other such eventualities. Riskier investment choices or decisions not otherwise appropriate for the investor&#39;s portfolio may thereby also be avoided. A further advantage of the present invention involves the expanded opportunity provided to investors for participation in certain securities markets that might not otherwise have been prudent or possible, considering the specialized information and trading expertise required, where complex trading decisions in the relevant markets must be formulated in real time, on a daily basis. 
         [0016]    Once the investor&#39;s trading account and conditional criteria are established, the system of the present invention allows financial investments to be made upon the initiative of an automated process. Yet another advantage accrues from the fact that trades are executed automatically upon a matching of trading criteria, without external intermediation. This aspect of the invention is also advantageous from the perspective of the advisory information service, since trading recommendations are promulgated without consideration of any particular individual investor&#39;s pre-stated conditional trading criteria. The responsibility for the profit or loss resulting from trades recommended by the advisory service provider thus remains with the individual investor. The invention is also advantageous to the brokerage or system operator, since the process of matching recommended trades with investor&#39;s trading criteria does not implicate a financial responsibility for the trade, but improves the accuracy and efficiency of processing trading orders for bookkeeping purposes, and adds innovative capabilities for providing brokerage services to individuals. 
         [0017]    A principal object of the present invention is therefore to provide a system and method by which an investor may have securities trades executed based upon recommendations received from a selected third party source. Since the third party&#39;s recommendations remain impersonal and impartial, in the sense that they are not influenced by a prior knowledge of any given investor&#39;s trading conditions, and since the advisory service selected by the investor acquires no financial obligation either to the investor or the system operator, another principal object of the present invention is to provide a system and method by which investments can be made automatically, without implying any underlying bias whereby, for example, the brokerage firm or investment system operator might improperly seek to increase trading volume. 
         [0018]    An additional object of the invention is to provide an online trading system and methods for structuring a system for online trading of financial securities, to include configurable computer software that permits the investment system operator to monitor on a continuous basis communications from third party recommendation sources and from investors, and to increase the efficiency of such monitoring functions by means of programmed control using automated data processing, thus to provide means whereby trading orders from individual investors may be initiated and subsequently fulfilled without requiring further intervention from the operator. 
         [0019]    These, together with other objects and advantages, will be further understood in the details of the construction and operation of the invention as more fully hereinafter described, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, wherein the numerals refer to the like part throughout. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, that illustrates the operation of the investment system; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2   a  is a schematic flowchart depicting the process by which an investor may initialize a securities trading account in accordance with the present invention, coordinating account initialization with a financial service provider and a system operator; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2   b  shows a flowchart for market monitoring by the automated and semi-automated process of the present invention; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 2   c  illustrates continuation of the market monitoring process, with initiation of trade orders. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]      FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a system and method by which an independent and individual investor may trade in financial instruments, and where informed trading decisions (effectuated by an independent system operator) are based upon confirmed recommendations provided by one or more third party, or independent, financial advisory services. 
         [0025]    Preferably, referring to  FIG. 1 , which illustrates financial instruments trading system  5  of the present invention, interactions between individual investor  10 , independent financial advisory service provider  20  and independent system operator  30  are conducted primarily by means of a computerized form of informational communication. For example, the system  5  may conduct business online, such as via the World Wide Web (WWW), the Internet or any other form of online informational communication means, whether that means be digital, analog or a combination. Alternatively, the system  5  may also be conducted via any other means of informational communication, such as, for example, via a telephone, via a two- (or multi-) way radio or through the mail. 
         [0026]    For purposes of the present invention, a financial advisory service provider is any individual or entity which provides financial instrument information in the preferred form of advice, recommendation, or the like, as to whether to buy, sell, hold, or perform another financial transaction, on a specific financial instrument. Moreover, the financial advisory service provider does not gain a benefit from the acting on of the advice (e.g., when the order is placed), but rather benefits upon the mere dissemination of the information. 
         [0027]    For purposes of the present invention, the independent system operator is an individual or entity that acts as a liaison between both the independent investor and the financial advisory services provider. It receives information from both the independent investor and the financial advisory services provider, and performs the desired tasks requested by the individual investor if (and only if) there is a match between the two forms of information received. In cases in which there is not a match, no transaction is effectuated. The system operator may comprise a completely automated system, a semi-automated system or a non-automated system. 
         [0028]    Thus, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , individual investor  10  subscribes to receive financial instrument information from financial advisory service provider  20 . Preferably, individual investor  10  chooses financial advisory service provider  20 ; however, individual investor  10  may select financial advisory service provider from a prior list of “approved” or appropriate providers, or may even have a provider pre-selected. According to a mode of typical practice, any financial advisory information provided to individual investor would most likely be provided in the form of a publication-written, oral, electronic or other-including one or more trading recommendations. 
         [0029]    For purposes of illustration, in  FIG. 1 , one individual investor  10 , one financial advisory service provider  20  and one independent system operator  30  and is illustrated. However, in practical application of financial instruments trading system  5 , the same basic arrangement may include additional entities. As a result, multiple investors may access financial instruments information offered by several advisory service providers simultaneously. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , financial transactions recommended by financial service provider  20  are defined in terms of their specifiable elements, or advisor&#39;s criteria  25 . This advisor&#39;s criteria  25  characterize the recommended financial transaction, from the point of view of financial service provider  20 , with sufficient particularity so as to permit initiation of a financial transaction. For example, in the case of stock equity options, such advisor&#39;s criteria  25  may include the underlying stock issue, the type of recommended stock equity option (i.e., call or put), the strike price for the underlying stock issue, the time duration before expiration of the stock equity option and the current, or most, recent bid or asked market price of the stock equity option. Additional specific criteria could be added if more elaborate or detailed trading recommendations are desired. 
         [0031]    Advisor&#39;s criteria  25  are then communicated to independent system operator  30 . This communication may be effectuated either in computerized form (for example, as a record file formatted for an existing database) or, as one alternative, in a verbal form (for example, via a telephone). 
         [0032]    As further shown in  FIG. 1 , independent investor  10  also sets forth a list of specific conditional trading criteria  15 . At the same time when such trading criteria  15  are specified, independent investor  10  transfers funding amounts sufficient to execute financial transactions to an account managed by independent system operator  30 , or, in typical practice, for example, by the accounting services of a brokerage firm. Margin requirements for such transactional trading accounts may be established in accordance with exchange regulations by agreement between individual investor  10  and independent system operator  30 . In such a case, independent system operator  30  then becomes responsible for monitoring the activity of any relevant exchange markets, as well as any trading recommendations issued by financial advisory service provider  20 . When trading criteria  15  established by independent investor  10  matches the corresponding advisor&#39;s criteria  25  for financial transactions recommended by financial advisory service provider  20 , brokerage order  35  for the financial transaction is preferably automatically entered at the first possible instance. 
         [0033]      FIG. 2  provides a more specific discussion of the operation of the present invention. For clarity,  FIG. 2  is divided into three separate modules representing the various stages of financial instruments trading system  5 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2   a , the process for initializing a trading account for independent investor  10  requires selection by individual investor  10  of financial advisory service provider  20 . This is illustrated in Block  100 . Upon receiving the selected financial advisory service provider  20  from independent investor  10 , financial instruments trading system  5  of the present invention performs a determination as to whether financial advisory service provider  20  is “within the system.” That is, financial advisory service provider  20  presumably would need to be registered to interact with financial instruments trading system  5 . This is illustrated in Block  115 . Such registration may be formal (i.e., registration process prior to being selected) or informal (i.e., conducting a registration process after or during selection by independent investor  10 ). If financial advisory service provider  20  is not available or cannot be registered with financial instruments trading system  5 , then, as is illustrated by Block  125 , the investment is cancelled. 
         [0034]    Additionally, independent investor  10  selects independent system operator  30 . This is illustrated in Block  105 . Similar to the description immediately above, upon receiving the selected independent system operator  30  from independent investor  10 , financial instruments trading system  5  of the present invention performs a determination as to whether independent system operator  30  is “within the system.” That is, independent system operator  30  presumably would need to be registered to interact with financial instruments trading system  5 . This is illustrated in Block  120 . Such registration may be formal (i.e., registration process prior to being selected) or informal (i.e., conducting a registration process after or during selection by independent investor  10 ). If independent system operator  30  is not available or cannot be registered with financial instruments trading system  5 , then, as is illustrated by Block  125 , the investment is cancelled. 
         [0035]    At the same time, independent investor  10  sets forth conditions to establish one or more specifiable conditional trading criteria  15 . This is illustrated in Block  110 . At this point, the trading account is initialized, and all information selected or established by independent investor  10  is collected and transferred, within financial instruments trading system  5  to independent system operator  30 . Summation Step  130  illustrates this. 
         [0036]    When the trading account is initialized, financial instruments trading system  5  then requests financial advisory service provider  20  to communicate recommendations (i.e., those recommendations proffered by financial advisory service provider  20 ) to financial instruments trading system  5 . Thereafter, financial instruments trading system  5  may preferably record and store the trading recommendations. Block  135  illustrates this step. In parallel, financial instruments trading system  5  additionally monitors communications from independent investor  10 . Preferably financial instruments trading system  5  records and stores a summary of trading criteria  15  (i.e., that criteria specified by individual investor  10 ), including trading criteria  15  which has been revised or modified subsequent to account initialization. Block  140  illustrates this step. 
         [0037]    The incoming sets of data from the two parallel sources having been received, as illustrated by Summation Step  150 , the present invention proceeds to  FIG. 2   b .  FIG. 2   b  describes the second component process module of financial instruments trading system  5 , where combined datasets containing parallel specifiable criteria, output from the first module (as described in  FIG. 2   a ), are transferred to a separate computerized process  200 , and where the two parallel parts of criteria  15 ,  25  are compared against each other. Both Blocks  205  and  210  illustrate this. 
         [0038]    For instances where a positive match corresponding between parallel criteria occur, financial instruments trading system  5  initializes a third component module; that of performing the transaction desired by independent investor  10 . This is illustrated in Block  205  of  FIG. 2   b . As is shown by Block  205 , financial instruments trading system  5  performs this on a totally automated basis. As an alternative, Block  210  illustrates that the performance of the desired transaction may be semi-automatic; that is, portions of the transaction may be performed in a manner other than electronic. 
         [0039]    In Blocks  215  and  220 , financial instruments trading system  5  determines whether a match has been made. Where no such positive match occurs, there is no investment (refer to Block  225 ). 
         [0040]    In the third component module of financial instruments trading system  5 , as shown in  FIG. 2   c , a positive correspondence resulting from the process of matching parallel criteria will generate a trading order that is entered automatically by financial instruments trading system  5 . This is illustrated in Block  305 . In a subsequent step, the system may also communicate information about the recently-placed trading order to independent investor  10 , as illustrated by Block  310 . 
         [0041]    It should be appreciated that the embodiments described above are to be considered in all respects only illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the following claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents are to be embraced within their scope.