E-Documents FAQs

Find answers to all your questions about E-Documents, our system to store your statements, confirms, and other important documents on our secure website.

	Why can't I open my E-Documents? What are PDF files? Why is my account available, I haven't enrolled with E-Documents? Where is my 1099? How long will my trade confirmations and monthly statements stay online? Why can't I sign up for E-Delivery? My email address has changed, how do I update my address online? Where are the proxies and annual reports? Why have I started receiving printed statements and confirmations? What is my PIN? Are statements available each month?

Why can't I open my E-Documents? What are PDF files?
Firstrade's E-Documents system stores files in PDF format, which is not only the industry standard but also the file format that the U.S. Government relies on for documents. To access documents in PDF format, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader. If you do not currently have this program on your system, you can download it for free from www.adobe.com.

Some of the reports stored in E-Documents are quite lengthy and will require some time to load, especially if you are connecting to Firstrade using a dial-up connection. If your computer has Adobe Reader properly installed, once you click to retrieve an electronic document, please be patient as your document is loading and will be ready shortly.

Why is my account available, I haven't enrolled in E-Documents?
All Firstrade accounts automatically have access to their important account documents via the E-Documents system. To "turn-off" paper statements and confirmations, please log in to your Firstrade account, click on E-Documents, and click on the "Enroll in E-Delivery" (Turn off paper statements).

Where is my 1099?
1099s are made available at the end of January. If you have enrolled in E-Delivery, you will be notified by email when the document is available. Once available, you will find the 1099 under the category "1099s" and "Regulatory" in the document selection screen.

How long will my trade confirmations and monthly statements stay online?
Trade confirmations and monthly statements are stored in the E-Documents system permanently.

Why can't I sign up for E-Delivery?
The account number and social security number you provided do not correspond with the information we have on record for you. Corporate Accounts and Investment Clubs will use Tax IDs instead of Social Security Numbers.

For international account holders, click the link found on top of the enrollment page to access the International Accounts E-Delivery Enrollment page.

My email address has changed, how do I update my address online?
In order to preserve your E-Delivery enrollment, you must change your email address within the E-Document page. Please select your E-Documents enrolled account and then click "Change Email". If you have more than one account enrolled in E-Delivery, you must change the email address for each account. Finally, if you also want to use the new email address for other correspondence with Firstrade, please update your Account Profile under the "My Accounts" tab.

Where are the Proxies and Annual Reports?
These documents are not kept in your E-Documents file, instead you will receive emails that contain links to the Proxies and Annual Reports. Please retain your email notifications for future reference.

Why have I started receiving printed statements and confirmations?
E-Delivery for your account may have been discontinued if there is a problem with your email address either being invalid or your mailbox is full and we could not deliver your email notification. In this case, we are required to discontinue electronic delivery and mail your statements and trade confirmations. You must enroll the account again in order to take advantage of our E-Delivery service. Please be sure that the email address is valid and is able to receive emails.

What is my PIN?
Your PIN for E-Documents is the same last 4 digits of the Social Security Number or Corporate Tax ID used when you enrolled in E-Documents. If you are an international account holder, your PIN is the month and year of your date of birth (for example, February 1980 = 0280).

Are statements available each month?
Account Statements are not available for a particular month if you do not have any account activity. However, regardless of account activity, a statement is made available each quarter (ending March, June, September and December).