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Opening An Account
Cambridge Investment Research gives investors the ability to establish a brokerage account with a wide variety of investment options, including stocks,
bonds, mutual funds – both load and no-load – exchange traded funds (ETFs), options, and certificates of deposit (CDs). The firm generally opens accounts
through a registered representative of the firm called an advisor. Many Cambridge advisors are well established in the securities business, and can prepare the short set of
paperwork required to open an individual brokerage account. General information, including investment history, outside accounts held at other financial
institutions, name, date of birth, and marital status, is necessary to complete the account registration.
Online Access
Cambridge Investment Research provides online account management - NetInvestor - which allows investors to view their account information,
including current balance, recent trades, and cash available. The company allows for an individual’s checking or savings account to be directly linked to his
or her brokerage account to expedite the transfer of funds both to and from the account. In addition,
Cambridge offers a number of investment analysis tools to brokerage account holders.
Cambridge Investment Research Brokerage Rates and Fees
Because Cambridge Investment Research relies heavily on advisors, rates and fees associated with investing and account maintenance can be higher than
the industry average. A traditional load mutual fund can charge an upfront sales load to the investor, while
stock and bond purchases can also come with transaction charges that vary by product, custodian, and account setup.
These rates are extremely high. Some top performing mutual funds and ETFs at discount brokers will charge very low annual expense ratios.
Buying a $2,000 worth of stock can trigger ticket charges and service charges at Cambridge, while the same transaction will cost $0 at
Charles Schwab.
There are additional fees associated with Cambridge Investment Research brokerage accounts. These can include:
- Annual account maintenance fee: $35 per account
- Closing an account: $125 outgoing transfer fee
- Wired funds: $15 per transaction
- Cost basis tracking: $0.82 per statement, or $1.07 for detailed tracking, on some accounts
- Insufficient funds (returned check): $15 per incident
- Trade confirmation: $1.00 per paper trade confirmation
- There is an additional document delivery fee of $1.00 per statement for opting out of the organization’s e-delivery system for account statements
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Franchise
Cambridge Investment Research promotes its broker dealer business as a franchise option for smaller groups of registered representatives to establish
their own firms locally that have a national backing. Because of this unique structure and relationship between registered advisors and the broker dealer,
brokerage account options through Cambridge Investment Research are a viable option for investors wishing to have an advisor help guide them through what
can be a complicated path of investing.
Although there are a handful of very specific positive aspects of working with Cambridge Investment Research and one of its registered advisors, some caveats exist.
Because most Cambridge-backed firms are local and created under the purview of a partnership between a few seasoned advisors, communication as it relates to gathering
information on a brokerage account – trade status, securities recommendations, or other account maintenance issues – may be lacking. As Cambridge firms are generally
small in size, an investor does not have the option to be patched through to another advisor should his or her account need immediate attention.
Given this, investors must rely on the on-line account access site, NetInvestor, to maintain trading and money management when his or her advisor is unavailable.
The site requires a number of security questions to establish a secure connection, and as long as the investor does not misplace this information, the medium to
view and update an account is great. However, should a password be lost or a username be forgotten, the investor may need to contact the Cambridge advisor assigned to
his or her account or Cambridge support to request help with access.
Cambridge Investment Research Review Summary
All in all, Cambridge Investment Research is a sound option for those investors needing more attention than a seasoned investor, and the advisors
assigned to brokerage accounts have ample experience in the industry. However, the cost of investing with them is sky high.
Better Priced Alternatives
If you don't want to pay Cambridge's fees, you can
find the best priced Financial Advisor in your area.
Updated on 4/17/2026.
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