It seems that we all get the Fidelity calls. I also invest in Fidelity. My answer was send me the info in the mail. Now that I aware that others have received them I won't anser again. If the investment firm is using outside telemarkters or giving them the investers names,I migh think twice aboy using this firm. I will call my broker on Monday to give him this information.
These calls are legit, albeit annoying. Had someone call here who barely speaks English mumble through the DF King, Fidelity Proxy yada yada yada for a mutual fund. He asked if I had received the proxy package to which I replied "I don't think so." He started telling me how they were mailed in January. OK. You say that you mailed it in January and in mid-April I'm saying that I don't think I received it. Now what? I'm supposed to change my answer and say "Oh, right. I remember that mailing 4 months ago."
Freakin idiots. I hung up. And don't hire people who can't speak English.
Hi-
The call is from Fidelity. These are not nuisance or telemarketing calls, and yelling is not an appropriate response. As a shareholder, you have a say in how the company manages your money. Either vote or don't, but drama is not necessary here. Open those proxy envelopes- you can register to vote your shares online and never get calls.
I also checked out these calls, as my mother (age 89) is receiving them and now I am too. They are indeed legitimate calls, asking you to exercise your legal rights as a shareholder in Fidelity.
KEEP IN MIND: If you have investments in a Fidelity fund, you ARE a Fidelity shareholder.
You may resent the fact that Fidelity has hired a separate firm to phone you and ask you to vote your shares, but do you think that Fidelity's excellent full-time staff should stop answering your investment-related phone calls in order to make these vote-reminder calls themselves? Of course not.
By LAW, Fidelity MUST hold an annual meeting to elect officers and to vote on bylaws and other matters.
Fidelity is required by LAW to send ballots to all shareholders. The board of directors of Fidelity proposes board candidates and recommends votes on specific issues.
IF few people vote--and participation in such voting has dropped precipitously in recent years, then a shareholder proposal--which might be weird, damaging, or more--could be approved by a majority of a tiny percentage of shareholders. If, say, only 5% of shareholders vote, what conclusion should the board draw?
I do think that the present situation--of low shareholder participation and angry "don't call ME!" attitudes--will intensify as investment holders age. When I'm in my 80s, living on the excellent returns I'm getting from Fidelity funds, will I be able and willing to "vote my shares"?
But for now I am able and more than willing to have a say in the management of my funds.
I also got a call from this Fidelity line. When I rang back, the phone was answered and the person gave me their name. I said they called me and I was just calling back. The person said I was called to ensure I received my package with the voting card and all I had to do was vote and sign and return the card--he was very polite and it was a quick call. I would not have called back if I had to pay for each toll call, but I'm on a set-fee-per-month phone plan, so it's not a problem for me.