Led

On your point about consolidating accounts, quite often at this time of year discount brokerages at the banks offer incentives to move your account. This often includes $xxx into your account if you deposit $xxx new dollars or transfer $xxx from another brokerage. They often cover some of the transfer costs and also give you a certain number of free trades depending on amounts moved.

Check out the various sites for ITrade, BMO Investorline and others. Usually January is when I see quite a few good deals. It sometimes make sense to transfer from one to another (assuming you've got enough to make it worthwhile).

masila