Patent ID: 7685046

Claim:
A computer implemented method for managing an investment account for a customer associated with a sponsoring organization comprising: interacting using a graphical user interface with the customer over a computer network to create a portfolio of investments that satisfy a plurality of restrictions on investment activity of the customer while meeting pre-defined investment needs of the customer; establishing with a computer an aggregate portfolio of investments from the customer and from a plurality of other customers of the sponsoring organization, wherein said aggregating includes combining orders for investments from the customer and the plurality of other customers into a single order for each investment, including combining at least one economically unviable order for an investment, wherein said economically unviable order includes at least one trading order for a fractional share of one investment, and wherein said single order for each investment is specified as a whole number of shares of said each investment; transmitting a portfolio of desired investments over the computer network for execution; allocating by a computer all fractional shares of said at least one investment to all customers that ordered a fractional share of said at least one investment; and maintaining in a separate account up to one single share of each investment in which there was at least one trading order for a fractional share of said each investment, wherein said maintaining includes holding any remaining fractional shares of said at least one investment after said allocating for subsequent trading.