In an Undecided Economy, Americans Are Determined to Save and Invest More in the New Year

In spite of a changing economy, Americans are determined to save and invest more money in 2010 according to an annual New Year’s Resolution survey released by TD AMERITRADE Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: AMTD).

While health-related resolutions, such as exercising more and losing weight, remained top resolutions, 75 percent of respondents report they will make at least one financial-related New Year’s resolution in 2010.

“Perhaps we’re seeing signs of the lessons learned from a struggling economy. Investor confidence took a hit during the recession, but rather than feeling discouraged, people are using this as motivation to get on track and be better prepared for the future,” said Diane Young, director, retirement and goal planning, TD AMERITRADE.

Driving this positive trend are Hispanic Americans and African Americans, with a total of 56 percent reporting they are more likely to make a resolution about personal finances in 2010 than they were in 2009, compared to 32 percent of White Americans who reported the same.

The survey also revealed an increase in the number of women who plan to save more money this year – 66 percent, up from 60 percent last year. This compares to the 59 percent of male respondents who plan to save more money, which showed no change year over year.

Additionally, 52 percent of young Americans (ages 18-34) are more likely to make a New Year’s resolution about personal finances in 2010 – more than any other age group.

And, when it comes to investing and retirement planning, Americans are showing greater ambition this year than last year. The survey found the following to be true:

• Overall, 27 percent of respondents resolve to start or build on retirement savings, such as 401(k) or IRA, compared to 21 percent in 2009.
• Overall, 22 percent plan to start or build an investment portfolio, such as stocks or mutual funds, compared to 13 percent in 2009.
• 38 percent of Hispanics resolved to start or build an investment portfolio, such as stocks or mutual funds in 2010, compared to 10 percent who resolved to do the same in 2009.
• 43 percent of African Americans resolved to start or build an investment portfolio, such as stocks or mutual funds in 2010, compared to 26 percent who resolved to do the same in 2009.

“While it’s encouraging to see such resiliency in the attitudes of Americans, the most important finding here is the need for greater education and better planning. All Americans, no matter what their background, age or gender, should evaluate their current financial situation and put a plan in place to start working towards their long-term financial goals,” Young continued. “Many firms offer free investor education, research and tools, like TD AMERITRADE’s WealthRuler™ and IRA Selection Wizard. We encourage investors to take advantage of these free tools to help implement their investment decisions.”

How much of a barometer is a New Year’s resolution? The general consensus may be that they are easily made and easily broken, but when it comes to money, people stick to their guns. In fact, when asked how well they stuck to last year’s personal finance resolution, 60 percent reported they are still going strong.

For more information on how TD AMERITRADE can help investors with retirement planning or other long-term investment goals, please visit www.tdameritrade.com.

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SURVEY METHOLODOGY

These results are based on a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey on behalf of TD AMERITRADE. One thousand and two (1,002) adults who are age 21 or older participated in a telephone survey conducted September 24-27, 2009. Survey participants across the country were asked to share their New Year’s resolutions for 2010. The margin of error in this survey is ±3.1 percentage points. . This means that in 19 cases out of 20, survey results based on 1,002 respondents will differ by no more than 3.1 percentage points in either direction from what would have been obtained by seeking the opinions of all eligible US adults who are 21 years of age or older. . Opinion Research Corporation and TD AMERITRADE Institutional are separate, unaffiliated companies and are not responsible for each other's products and services.

About ORC

Opinion Research Corporation is a leader in global market research with expertise in Information Technology and Telecommunications, Healthcare, Financial Services, Public Services and Consumer Behavior. For more information, visit www.opinionresearch.com.

About TD AMERITRADE Holding Corporation

TD AMERITRADE Holding Corporation, through its brokerage subsidiaries,(1) combines innovative trading technology, easy-to-use and understand investment tools and services, investor education and a client-centric, multi-channel sales and service model to create a market-leading financial services experience. Now home to the award-winning thinkorswim brokerage and dynamic trading platform(2) and the Investools investor education program, TD AMERITRADE provides millions of retail investors, traders and independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) with the tools, service and support they need to help build confidence in today’s rapidly-changing market environment. The Company’s common stock trades under the ticker symbol AMTD. For more information, please visit www.amtd.com.

(1) TD AMERITRADE, Inc., member FINRA (www.FINRA.org) /SIPC (www.SIPC.org), TD AMERITRADE Clearing, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and thinkorswim, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC/NFA (www.nfa.futures.org).

(2) thinkorswim was rated #1 overall online broker, “best for frequent traders,” and “best for options traders” in Barron’s ranking of online brokers, 3/16/2009. thinkorswim was evaluated versus others in eight total categories, including trade experience/execution, trading technology, usability, range of offerings, research amenities, portfolio analysis & reporting, customer service & access and costs. thinkorswim topped the list in 2009 with the highest weighted-average score. Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company ©2009.