Business Administration Homework

This homework is to be done individually.

You are to do research on opening a Roth IRA account.  You should research four different institutions: two banks or credit unions and two investment companies.  The banks or credit unions may be any two of your choice, such as Affinity Credit Union, PNC Bank, Bank of America, Citi Bank, Investors Bank, or other.  Select two of these investment companies: Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab, and TD Ameritrade.

1. Compare the different Roth IRAs that are offered.  You should minimally look at:

  • Minimum amount required to open an account

  • What investments can you make inside the Roth IRA?  Stocks?  Funds?  What type of funds? 

  • How additions can be made: online, automatically, etc.

  • How you open an account  (Is it difficult?)

2. Where would you go to open a Roth IRA?

3. How would you invest your money in the Roth IRA?  Be specific.  How much would you put in each asset class and within each asset class, what would invest in – specifically?  If a fund, which fund?  If stocks, which stocks?

4. What keeps you from opening a Roth IRA?

Your grade will be based upon both the professional presentation and the content.  A professional work does not mean that it is in a fancy binder.  It includes how well the paper is structured, grammar, spelling, use of paragraphs, etc.  A very important part will be how you show the comparisons between the different companies.  I strongly urge you to use a table.  Give this some thought.

The content portion of the grade will look at the depth of your research and the thought you put into answering the questions.

Deliverables:

Analysis including all five items above.

Grading rubric:

A B C D F
Professionalism Typed, stapled, no spelling or grammar errors.
Good use of section headings.
Uses the template.
Typed, stapled, no spelling or grammar errors.
Good use of section headings.
Uses the template.
Typed, stapled, minor spelling or grammar errors. 

Uses the template.

Not stapled, spelling and grammar errors. 

Does not use template.

Not typed or stapled.  Grammar and spelling errors. 
Does not use template.
Question 1 Uses a table for side-by-side comparison.

Table entries are clean and easy to read.

Adds additional it

Uses a table for side-by-side comparison.

Table entries may be cluttered.

Comparisons are made in text with well-structured paragraphs. Comparisons are in rambling, unstructured text. Comparisons are in rambling, unstructured text.
Question 2 Good thought on where to invest. Shows thought on where to invest. Says where would invest. Generic answer about where someone might invest. Minimal effort.
Question 3 Good thought in how to invest.  Provides reasons and uses terms from class.

Gives asset allocation

Gives specific investments for each asset class.

Good thought in how to invest. 
 
Gives asset allocation

Gives specific investments for each asset class.

Gives general idea of investments. Investment choice not clear. Minimal effort.
Question 4 Shows thought. Shows thought. Minimal thought. Minimal effot. Minimal effort.
References Describes how information was obtained.  Gives references in the text and has works cited page. Describes how information was obtained.  Gives references in the text and has works cited page. Describes how information was obtained with works cited page. Gives no reference to how information as obtained. Gives no reference to how information as obtained.