Fidelity International

ABOUT THIS COMPANY:

The big dog

Seeking financial advice, about 24 million individuals go to Fidelity Investments, the largest mutual fund company in the U.S.  As of August 2009, Fidelity Investments had $1.36 trillion in assets under management.  Operating in 100 cities throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia, Fidelity Investment's 46,400 employees field more than 263,000 phone calls per day from retail and institutional clients, while its online discount brokerage sites handle an average of 2.4 million hits a day.  Managing 436 mutual funds, Fidelity—also known by its legal name, FMR— has been the country's largest mutual fund company since 1988, when it surpassed competitor Merrill Lynch.  The company now holds a 10 percent or greater stake in at least 100 of the country's largest 1,000 companies.  It is also the country's largest provider of defined-contribution 401(k) retirement savings plans and a leading online brokerage firm.  The company also offers discount brokerage, retirement, estate planning, wealth management, securities execution and clearance, life insurance, and other services to its individual and institutional clients.