Powered by Broadridge, Firstrade will provide its customers with direct access to the site while simultaneously allowing them the convenience of managing their Firstrade account.

The Investor Network aims to be the premier investment-oriented social networking site for validated investors to discuss topics, share ideas and gain real-time insight. The Investor Network offers value above and beyond what is currently available for retail investors. For example, brokerage firms that integrate with The Investor Network enable their customers to have easy access and single sign-on capability directly through their brokerage firm website, thereby avoiding the need to divulge private information, a common requirement found in other social communities for investors.

An integral component of The Investor Network is the Shareholder Forum. Used by publicly-held companies, Shareholder Forums provide a mechanism for corporate issuers to have structured, controlled communication with their shareholders on a timely and regular basis. Broadridge also recently announced that Intel Corporation will be the first public company to host a Shareholder Forum on The Investor Network.

"We are excited to be the first firm to offer our customers a new and unique online community with The Investor Network. Integrating with the social networking site allows all Firstrade customers to directly access the community through their account without the inconvenience of a separate logon. All participants are validated and can share their portfolio holdings, lending greater credibility to their investment discussions," said John Liu, Chairman and CEO, at Firstrade.

Firstrade's partnership with Broadridge will provide the brokerage firm and its customers with a number of benefits including:

• The ability to confirm share ownership, reducing the "noise" commonly found in other investment communities, while also maintaining investor anonymity.
• The confidence in having a secure, online community run, maintained and serviced by an experienced financial services industry leader offering unprecedented scale and trust.

"We are proud to offer the industry an online experience for investors unlike any other platform currently available. We are confident that The Investor Network will allow Firstrade and other brokerage firms to tap into the large and currently unmet demand for a social networking experience for the investing community," said Richard J. Daly, Chief Executive Officer, Broadridge. "We have always been proud of the leading role we play in shareholder communication and look forward to expanding it in this new age of social networking."