Because of the concerns for account handling by the brokerage firms, additions and corrections were made to the way the fees were applied to the non-discretionary accounts. As of October 2007, advice may be given by the brokers to non-discretionary account holders, but it is up to the client to accept or deny it, and instead of commission-based fee, a yearly flat fee may be asked. Commission-based accounts still exist, but the investor is given more choices. For the financial advisors, if the client's portfolio grows, compensation is based on the overall value of the portfolio.

When an investor applies to open a brokerage account, he has to present his name, address, social security or employer identification numbers, home and work phones, date of birth, employment information, and salary disclosure so that the brokerage agency can determine what type of trading the investor needs. The investor, also, has to sign the "Payer's Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification" form, which guarantees the authenticity of the investor's federal social security number.

Then, the broker will ask the investor's marital and citizenship status, tax bracket, investment experience, net worth, risk tolerance, investment objectives, and if an immediate family member is a director or a majority shareholder in a publicly traded company. At this time, since stock trading fees may differ among firms, the investor should ask the broker about the fee system in the firm.

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