Investment management tool

• US 7,512,555 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gregory M. Finn
• Original Assignee: Gregory M. Finn
• Inventors: Finn, Gregory M
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell; James P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Badii; Behrang
• Application Number:
  US10/292,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20030093348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,331 Days
• Field of Search: 705/37, 705/1, 705/38, 705/39, 705/36.R
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

An investment portfolio development and management system using dynamically linked and re-configurable portfolio building blocks for the construction and management of hierarchical portfolios. These building blocks are graphical structural elements of an investment portfolio that represent either individual investments or the hierarchical groupings of individual investments in a multi-tiered investment structure. The portfolio building blocks provide access to a variety of identity/position specific investment tools and they can be individually programmed and dynamically linked to enable two-way information flow both up and down the hierarchical structure to facilitate structured portfolio management functionality and information transfer consistent with the portfolio'"'"'s structural design.

Claims

1. An investment portfolio development and management system for a plurality of individual investors to visually develop and manage customized, graphical, hierarchical, multi-tiered portfolios in their at least one account, the system further enabling the plurality of investors to selectively buy and sell interests in each of at least one of a plurality of different individual securities and security-based investment instruments traded on at least one financial market, the system including:

(a) a programmed computerized data processing system, including one or more central processing units for performing processing steps associated with investment portfolio development and management;

(b) storage devices and databases for storing account and portfolio information;

(c) communications interfaces for enabling communication between the computerized data processing system, the financial markets, information resources and investor computers;

(d) a graphical user interface (GUI) executing on at least one of said investor computers and in communication with the programmed computerized data processing system, the GUI comprising graphic, structural portfolio building blocks changeably configured, positioned and programmed by the investor, whereby each building block actively participating in the hierarchical portfolio;

(i) graphically represents a constituency of either an individual security, a security-based investment instrument, or the building block components directly linked to it on the underlying tier in the portfolio;

(ii)virtually links to graphically associated building blocks within the portfolio structure;

(iii) automatically generates portfolio account relationships between the graphically associated building blocks enabling two-way information flow both up and down the hierarchical structure to facilitate structured portfolio management functionality and information transfer consistent with the portfolio'"'"'s structural design;

(iv) visually displays constituency related account information;

(v) providing access to constituency relevant management tools; and

(vi) providing access to visual configuring and information displaying functions;

(e) investment management toolsets stored on said storage devices and accessible on investor computers in communication with the programmed computerized data processing system via the communications interfaces, the toolsets providing building block specific portfolio management functions relevant to a building block'"'"'s one or more constituents, including those for receiving and processing the investor'"'"'s;

(i) purchase orders;

(ii) sell orders;

(iii) limit orders;

(iv) asset allocation instructions; and

(v) programming instructions to changeably customize, at least one of scheduling and automating these portfolio management functions, and;

(f) information resource management toolsets stored on said storage devices and accessible on investor computers in communication with the programmed computerized data processing system via the communications interfaces, the toolsets providing building block specific information resources relevant to a building block'"'"'s one or more constituents and functions for receiving and processing programming instructions for changeably customized information delivery.

2. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 wherein the said system further includes data and processing mechanisms for investors to selectively buy and sell interests in fractionalized market units of an individual security.

3. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 wherein at least one portfolio building block provides the investor with access to a plurality of automated portfolio management and information resource tools providing customizing, programming, and modification functions.

4. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 wherein said graphical user interface further provides programming functionality for the building block'"'"'s one or more constituents relating to, at least one of, automated alerts, and information resource presentation.

5. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 said system further providing hierarchical portfolio limit order functionality wherein a limit order applied to a building block applies to the one or more building block constituents and further corresponds to any investor applied asset allocation factor assigned to those constituents.

6. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 wherein the GUI utilizes drag-and-drop functions.

7. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 6 wherein said portfolio building blocks changeably positioned within the hierarchical portfolio structure automatically establish relevant account linkages and associations.

8. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 further supplying the investor with at least one toolset function as a result of, at least one of, the investor assigned position, and the investor assigned identity of a building block.

9. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 said information resource management toolsets further supplying information and customizing functions relevant to a building block'"'"'s one or more constituents that relates to at least one of;

(i) news items, (ii) third party research, (iii) research and analysis tools, (iv) historical portfolio activities, (v) charting, and (vi) investment performance comparisons.

10. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 wherein said system further contains customizing functions for information resource delivery, including those for key word searching.

11. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 wherein said GUI further contains customizing functions for the information display within the visual context of the portfolio building block.

12. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 wherein said GUI automatically alerts the investor to any customizing or programming function that appears problematic.

13. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 12 wherein said alternate portfolio building block relationships apply to at least one of the entire main portfolio building block structure, a subset of the main portfolio building block structure, and any structural combination of existing portfolio constituents and newly introducing portfolio constituents.

14. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 1 wherein said system supporting alternate portfolio building block relationships within an account in addition to the main portfolio structure and building block relationships.

15. An investment portfolio development and management system for a plurality of individual investors to visually develop and manage customized, graphical, hierarchical, multi-tiered portfolios in their at least one account, the system further enabling the plurality of investors to selectively buy and sell fractionalized market unit interests in each of at least one of a plurality of different individual securities and security-based investment instruments traded on at least one financial market, the system including:

(a) a programmed computerized data processing system, including one or more central processing units for performing processing steps associated with investment portfolio development and management;

(b) storage devices and databases for storing account and portfolio information;

(c) communications interfaces for enabling communication between the computerized data processing system, the financial markets, information resources and investor computers;

(d) a graphical user interface (GUI) executing on at least one of said investor computers and in communication with the programmed computerized data processing system, the GUI comprising graphic, structural portfolio building blocks changeably configured, positioned and programmed by the investor, whereby each building block actively participating in the hierarchical portfolio;

(i) graphically represents a constituency of either an individual security, a security-based investment instrument, or the building block components directly linked to it on the underlying tier in the portfolio;

(ii) virtually links to graphically associated building blocks within the portfolio structure;

(iii) automatically generates portfolio account relationships between the graphically associated building blocks enabling two-way information flow both up and down the hierarchical structure to facilitate two-way information flow so that portfolio management functionality and information transfer remains consistent with the portfolio'"'"'s visually structured design;

(iv) visually displays constituency related account information;

(v) providing access to constituency relevant management tools; and

(vi) providing access to visual configuring and information displaying functions;

(e) investment management toolsets stored on said storage devices and accessible on investor computers in communication with the programmed computerized data processing system via the communications interfaces, the toolsets providing building block specific portfolio management functions relevant to a building block'"'"'s one or more constituents, including those for receiving and processing the investor'"'"'s;

(i) purchase orders;

(ii) sell orders;

(iii) limit orders;

(iv) asset allocation instructions; and

(v) programming instructions to changeably customize, at least one of, scheduling and automating these portfolio management functions, and;

(f) information resource management toolsets stored on said storage devices and accessible on investor computers in communication with the programmed computerized data processing system via the communications interfaces, the toolsets providing building block specific information resources relevant to a building block'"'"'s one or more constituents and functions for receiving and processing programming instructions for changeably customized information delivery.

16. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 15 wherein said graphical user interface further provides programming functionality for the building block'"'"'s one or more constituents relating to, at least one of, automated alerts, and information resource presentation.

17. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 15 said system further providing hierarchical portfolio limit order functionality wherein a limit order applied to a building block applies to the one or more building block constituents and further corresponds to any investor applied asset allocation factor assigned to those constituents.

18. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 15 wherein the GUI utilizes drag-and-drop functions.

19. The investment portfolio development and management system of claim 15 further supplying the investor with at least one toolset function as a result of, at least one of, the investor assigned position, and the investor assigned identity of a building block.

20. An investment portfolio development and management system for a plurality of individual investors to visually develop and manage customized, graphical, hierarchical, multi-tiered portfolios in their at least one account, the system further enabling the plurality of investors to selectively buy and sell fractionalized market unit interests in each of at least one of a plurality of different individual securities and security-based investment instruments traded on at least one financial market, the system including:

(a) a programmed computerized data processing system, including one or more central processing units for performing processing steps associated with investment portfolio development and management;

(b) storage devices and databases fin storing account and portfolio information;

(c) communications interfaces for enabling communication between the computerized data processing system, the financial markets, information resources and investor computers;

(d) a graphical user interface (GUI) executing on at least one of said investor computers and in communication with the programmed computerized data processing system, the GUI comprising graphic, structural portfolio building blocks changeably configured, positioned and programmed by the investor, whereby each building block actively participating in the hierarchical portfolio;

(i) graphically represents a constituency of either an individual security, a security-based investment instrument, or the building block components directly linked to it on the underlying tier in the portfolio;

(ii) virtually links to graphically associated building blocks within the portfolio structure;

(iii) automatically generates portfolio account relationships between the graphically associated building blocks enabling two-way information flow both up and down the hierarchical structure to facilitate two-way information flow so that portfolio management functionality and information transfer remains consistent with the portfolio'"'"'s visually structured design;

(iv) visually displays constituency related account information;

(v) providing access to constituency relevant management tools; and

(vi) providing access to visual configuring and information displaying functions;

(e) investment management toolsets stored on said storage devices and accessible on investor computers in communication with the programmed computerized data processing system via the communications interfaces, the toolsets providing building block specific portfolio management functions relevant to a building block'"'"'s one or more constituents, including those for receiving and processing the investor'"'"'s;

(i) purchase orders;

(ii) sell orders;

(iii) limit orders wherein a limit order applied to a building block applies to the one or more building block constituents and further corresponds to any investor applied asset allocation factor assigned to those constituents;

(iv) asset allocation instructions; and

(v) programming instructions to changeably customize, at least one of scheduling and automating these portfolio management functions, and;

(f) information resource management toolsets stored on said storage devices and accessible on investor computers in communication with the programmed computerized data processing system via the communications interfaces, the toolsets providing building block specific information resources relevant to a building block'"'"'s one or more constituents and functions for receiving and processing programming instructions for changeably customized information delivery.