TD Ameritrade 2018 Annual Report

8 immediate access to the client's account data when the call is received. Client service representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. • TTY services for the hearing impaired . To ensure effective communication in connection with the provision of financial services, we provide sign language and oral interpreters and/or other auxiliary aids and services free of charge for the hearing impaired. • Mobile app . Support on our TD Ameritrade Mobile Trader App allows clients to text with a trading specialist for immediate answers to their questions or share their screen for help with navigating the app. Technology and Information Systems Our technological capabilities and systems are central to our business and are critical to our goal of providing the best execution at the best value to our clients. Our operations require reliable, scalable systems that can handle complex financial transactions for our clients with speed and accuracy. We maintain sophisticated and proprietary technology that automates traditionally labor-intensive securities transactions. Our ability to effectively leverage and adopt new technology to improve our services is a key component of our success. We continue to make investments in technology and information systems. We have spent a significant amount of resources to increase capacity and improve speed, reliability and security. To provide for system continuity during potential power outages, we have equipped our data centers with uninterruptible power supply units and back-up generators. Advertising and Marketing We intend to continue to grow and increase our market share by advertising online, on television, in print, on our own websites, and utilizing various forms of social media. We invest heavily in advertising programs designed to bring greater brand recognition to our services, and we intend to continue to aggressively advertise. From time to time, we may choose to increase our advertising to target specific groups of investors or to increase or decrease advertising in response to market conditions. Advertising for retail clients is generally conducted through digital, search and social media, financial news networks and other television and cable networks. We also place print advertisements in a broad range of business publications. Advertising for institutional clients is significantly less than for retail clients and is generally conducted through highly-targeted media. To monitor the success of our various marketing efforts, we utilize a media mix model that uses robust data sets to analyze the return on investment of our marketing channels. This model also supports decisions on spending levels and helps us determine the point at which we begin to experience diminishing returns. Additionally, our advanced data and analytics capabilities enable a more targeted, personalized experience for prospective and existing clients. How we share client information is disclosed in our privacy statement. All of our securities brokerage-related communications with the public are regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"). All of our futures and foreign exchange brokerage-related communications with the public are regulated by the National Futures Association ("NFA"). Clearing Operations Our subsidiary, TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc. ("TDAC"), provides clearing and execution services for our securities brokerage business. Clearing services include the confirmation, receipt, settlement, delivery and record-keeping functions involved in processing securities transactions. TDAC provides the following back office functions: • Maintaining client accounts; • Extending credit in a margin account to the client; • Engaging in securities lending and borrowing transactions; • Settling securities transactions with clearinghouses such as The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation and The Options Clearing Corporation; • Settling commissions and transaction fees;