Most of our members prefer to save paper and receive important documents from us digitally. You can always choose to receive physical mail from us, but this does include a “paper fee” given the additional costs of reaching you that way.
What causes a paper fee?
Platforms like Public have a responsibility to communicate important information to investors, such as monthly statements, trade confirmations, and/or tax documents.
When we can’t reach you via the email address you provided to us, we must instead send physical mail to your address. If this happens, you will incur a small fee given the additional cost of sending physical mail.
The main reasons we may not be able to reach you via email are:
The email address we have on file is inactive
Your mailbox is full and is automatically blocking new messages from coming in
The original email you signed up with had a typo or was incorrect
How do I avoid future paper fees?
Avoiding paper fees in the future is as simple as ensuring the email associated with your account is active and accurate. You can check the email we have on file in your Settings. If the email needs to be updated, you can make that request here, or email support@public.com.
How much is the paper fee?
Public gets charged $5 per paper statement, $5 per tax document, and $2 per trade confirmation. These are costs we directly incur and must pass back to our members. However, it is important to note that Public does not mark up these costs in any way.
How will I know if I’ve incurred a fee?
We will always notify you prior to a paper fee being added to your account. You can also see any fees charged directly in your Apex account. We know that financial services fees can be a little tricky, so for paper fees, we’ll cover the costs the first time around.
You can see a complete view of all of your fees directly on the Apex website. You can learn more about accessing and viewing your Apex account here.
What happens if I don’t have enough cash in my account to cover the fee?
After we have reached out to notify you about the fee, we will first try to deduct the fees from any withdrawable cash you have in your account. Unfortunately, if you do not have enough cash to cover the fees, the fees may cause a negative balance in your account.
What happens if I have a negative balance on my account?
If you see a negative balance, it’s critical to cover the unpaid balance right away by making a new deposit into your brokerage account. To learn why this is important, please check out this guide from the SEC. If you do not deposit funds, we may have to sell some of your positions to cover the balance.
When else could I be charged a fee?
For a complete view of our fee schedule, click here. If you ever have questions, the team is always here for you, so feel free to give us a shout on the app’s Chat or via email at support@public.com.
What should I do if I have questions about a fee?
If you have any questions about fees or anything else, please reach out to your Member Support team, using the app’s Chat or by emailing support@public.com.