InvestorLine – Page 22

Posted on January 27, 2017 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – January 27, 2017

Sometimes change is good. Sometimes it’s not. Either way for discount brokerages in Canada and the US, change, and more specifically the ability to navigate change, appears to be what will separate the winners from the rest of the crowd.

In this week’s roundup we take a look at the latest digital shift from one of Canada’s largest online brokerages to see how they’re changing elements to keep looking fresh. From there, we take a look at the details from two recent US online brokerage conference calls with a specific eye as to what online brokerages are working on for the future. As usual, we’ll wrap up the roundup with a look at what investors were talking about on social media as well as in the investing forums.

TD Direct Investing Website Gets Refresh

In more ways than one, the new reality for online investors and those that service them is dealing with change. As online brokerages increasingly evolve into technology companies, the need to be agile and responsive is greater than ever before. Their platforms need to keep up with the times, as do all of their websites, social media feeds, mobile apps and so on. More than just the technology, online brokerages also have to keep up with what an online investor looks like – not just those already in the markets, but those who are looking to get in too.

Over the past three years, there has been a noticeable evolution of the websites and marketing at most of Canada’s online brokerages. This month, there has been yet another website enhancement made from Canada’s largest bank-owned online brokerage – TD Direct Investing.

Looking back at the evolution of the TD Direct Investing story, one of the first important changes took place when TD Waterhouse switched to TD Direct Investing in late 2012.

In late 2015, TD Direct Investing then updated the front end of their website, modifying the look and feel of the brand to become more modern, not only in web design terms, but also in portraying what the ‘typical investor’ looks like. As part of a trend amongst the major Canadian banks, looking and feeling more appealing to everyday Canadians meant recognizing the diversity of what Canadians look like and what they support.

Now, in 2017, TD Direct Investing has updated their look and feel yet again in order to appear more modern and harmonize the brand experience the parent brand.

Screenshot of TD Direct Investing website 2017-01-27

The front end of the TD Direct Investing section of the TD website, with the scroll features that tells the TDDI story, is remarkably familiar to many robo-advisor websites and borrows design elements that are found on other Canadian brokerage websites that use icons and the scroll-based design.

Clicking through the homepage, there are links that still point to pages that use the previous design standard as well as links that point to the newer look, signaling a gradual transition to a newer look and feel rather than a wholesale change. It is an interesting choice from a design point of view in that users see the old and new imagery and layouts within the same visit.

While the updated design does add an element of change, the key observation is that TD continues to use bold imagery of ordinary looking people. These may be stock images, however there is more thought in their selection that shows they’re conscientious about recognizing a more diverse-looking set of customers. Fortunately, TD Direct Investing is not alone in this regard. This is also true for a couple of TD Direct Investing’s bank-owned brokerage peers – BMO InvestorLine and RBC Direct Investing. With so much divisive rhetoric emerging from the US it’s nice to see Canadian banks being Canadian and embracing the portrait of an online investor as a mixture of men and women, old and young and all shades of skin colour.

On the Line

With markets making new all-time highs and a difficult to predict new president, there’s lots of uncertainty for investors on exactly how they’re going to approach trading this market. To get some insights, it was interesting to review the latest news coming out of US online brokerages’ earnings conference calls as they reported their quarterly earnings and spent time explaining their strategies and vision for 2017 as well as where they see investors headed during these uncertain times.

In the E*trade Financial conference call, one of the interesting priorities for them in the upcoming year will be in marketing. As we had mentioned in a previous weekly roundup, in a hypercompetitive marketplace, in particular in the online brokerage space, an increasing amount of focus will have to be paid to getting client acquisition and retention right. This means undertaking some bold but thoughtful marketing.

The comments made by E*Trade Financial’s CEO Karl Roessner during the most recent conference call certainly highlight that E*Trade will be focused on aggressively onboarding new clients, with the ever-prized active trader segment being of particular interest.

In conjunction with the strategy of acquiring new clients, it appears that E*Trade is also going to be undertaking major branding initiatives and enhancing their digital experience by upgrading their web presence. Like the recent moves observed by TD Direct Investing referenced above, the following quote signals that keeping the digital experience of E*Trade fresh and current is a key component to their marketing plans:

And at the top of a long list of initiatives is the re-launch of our brand. We’ve enjoyed phenomenal brand awareness, and we intend to build on that to reclaim our challenger position in the industry. Expect to see more around mid-year. In the meantime, we are working on updates to our website, including an overhaul to the look and feel, along with improved navigation.

Another conference call from an online brokerage took place this week, this time from TD Ameritrade. While also discussing the results of an integration with Scottrade, there were a number of interesting nuggets on the technology front revealed by TD Ameritrade.

For example, the launch of innovative integrations with Amazon’s Alexa (using the TD Ameritrade skill app) that enable individuals to get stock market updates points to a future where home automation or virtual assistants will meet the world of investing.

In addition, there was also some insight given on the social media monitoring tool, Social Signals, that helps investors look for investment opportunities based on what stocks individuals are talking about online – in particular on Twitter.

One of the most interesting perspectives, however, came from CEO Tim Hockey’s answer on the possible behaviour of retail investors heading into the next few months post-Trump’s election. Specifically, Hockey’s position is that DIY investors will be looking to reposition their portfolios given the new US President’s policies and initiatives. In particular, the comment that investors appear to be moving in a contrarian fashion – pulling money out on the big rallies, signals there’s some skepticism as to the valuation of the US markets and especially in the larger cap names.

While the US online brokerage marketplace is certainly distinct from Canada’s, there is clearly a view towards what the future may hold for the industry in Canada.

With regards to innovation, US brokerages such as TD Ameritrade are clearly developing the next generation of tools that DIY investors can use to monitor and potentially trade with. The race to bring in innovation to the DIY trading world reinforces the observation that online brokerages are going to have to become much more technology based than they already are, which may be easier said than done.

One potentially noteworthy comment by Interactive Brokers’ CEO Thomas Peterffy in their latest conference call probably should serve as a warning to online brokerages. Specifically, Peterffy was asked about why Interactive Brokers took the unusual step of payment of high amount of bonuses to employees at the end of Q4, to which Peterffy responded “It’s a very competitive world.”

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

It was a tough week for online investors caught on the wrong side of a platform outage at Questrade illustrating once again that trading isn’t without its random risks. Mentioned this week were BMO InvestorLine, CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, Scotia iTRADE & TD Direct Investing.

Discount Brokerage Tweets – 01-27-2017 – Curated tweets by angeloAtSparx

From the Forums

Cut it Out

This past week the firestorm of tweets on Questrade’s platform outage also extended to comments in reddit’s Personal Finance Canada thread in this post. Fortunately, Questrade also stepped in to the discussion to help let people know their options during an outage.

Unpleasant Exchange

In this post, from the RedFlagDeals.com investing forum, one user learned the hard lesson about currency conversions at online brokerages – namely that they can get expensive. Read on to find out how others can get around the extra fees related to currency conversions.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap on the first chaotic week of the Trump presidency and a record breaking week on the markets. For those trying to figure out where markets go from here, you may want to take the weekend off and simply remember that the trend is your friend until it ends. For all those celebrating the Lunar New Year this weekend – happy New Year! And for those looking for something to celebrate – Monday isn’t here for another couple of days, make the most of it!

Posted on January 20, 2017 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – January 20, 2017

Trump, or more formally, President Trump is known for many things – among them, the art of the deal. The new US president isn’t the only deal maker around, however, as Canadian brokerages are also looking to start giving some ‘bigly’ deals to DIY investors.

This week’s roundup puts a spotlight on the latest deals action that occurred this week – a signal that competition amongst Canadian discount brokerages is reaching a new high. From there we’ll take a look at what DIY investors had to say to Canada’s online brokerages on Twitter and what was on the minds of investors in the financial forums.

Deals Reach Feverish Levels

This week there were three new offers that were added to the long list of promotions being offered by Canada’s discount brokerages to entice potential clients (as well as a few existing clients) to bring in assets. Joining the fray this week were offers from Qtrade Investor, Credential Direct and RBC Direct Investing. Both Qtrade Investor and Credential Direct launched cash back promotional offers while RBC Direct Investing launched a points based promotion linked for RBC credit card holders.

With the addition of these new offers, the total number of advertised offers now stands at 32, of which 7 were added to the list in January – a sign that competition amongst Canadian brokerages has increased significantly. Interestingly, the only major Canadian online brokerages not offering a cash back or commission-free trading deal (at least at the time of publication) for new accounts are RBC Direct Investing and Interactive Brokers.

Whether it is the specter of Robo-advisors, the changes forecast with the CRM2 fee disclosures, the rally in the markets, or some combination of these, Canadian discount brokerages are definitely trying to perfect the art of the deal in order to attract new clients (or more precisely, new assets).

Heading into RRSP season, it’s clear that innovation and new features have taken a back seat to cold hard cash. In particular, there’s been a noticeable increase in cash back offers as a proportion of the total deals being offered which speaks to the growing recognition of the preference for these offers with DIY investors over commission-free trades.

With all of the offers now in play navigating them can be somewhat of a challenge. As such, we’ve done a little bit of the homework for readers looking to compare cash back offers between discount brokerages below.

In terms of cash back offers, there two main types to consider, those that are available without a referral and those that are part of a referral offer. A quick comparison of the two show that for someone opening a new account (or in some cases bringing new assets) with a non-referral offer, the cash back bonus ranges from 0.1% to 0.5% of assets deposited. For the referral-based cash back offers, the range is wider going from 0.1% to 2.5%.

In the case of referral-based cash back offers, these generally are better deals for deposits of between $1,000 and $10,000 simply because there are no non-referral cash back offers for deposits under $15,000. In fact, for deposits under $25,000 referral bonuses offer the best selection and rates for a cash back bonus. Nonetheless, Credential Direct’s offer of $75 cash back for a minimum $15,000 and Questrade’s referral-based offer of $75 cash back for a minimum deposit of $25,000 are the offers that provide clients with the largest bonus in the sub-$25,000 deposit range.

Perhaps the most crowded segment of the deals market is at the $50,000 deposit mark, where there are 7 different offers ranging from a low of $50 (from BMO InvestorLine and Qtrade Investor) to a high of $200 (from CIBC Investor’s Edge). In this segment, CIBC Investor’s Edge’s offer is more than 1.5x that of its nearest competitor, Credential Direct (who’s offering $125 cash back). In addition, at that deposit level, brokerages are also willing to cover transfer out fees meaning that even greater total value can be obtained.

Interestingly, at the $100,000 deposit mark, the field thins out, with four offers specifically targeting minimum deposits at this level. The range for cash back bonuses goes from a low of $100 (Qtrade Investor) to a high of $400 (CIBC Investor’s Edge).

Finally, for deposit tiers higher than $150,000 (up to the $1M+ range), cash back bonuses range between 0.1% and 0.25% with maximum bonuses of $1,000 cash back being offered by Credential Direct and Qtrade Investor at the highest deposit tiers.

The big picture for DIY investors is that there are 27 different deposit tiers that they can qualify for between the referral and non-referral cash back offers – an extraordinary level of choice. Paradoxically, on a percentage basis, at most brokerages the higher the amount of assets an individual brings in, the lower the reward. So, for example, an individual who deposits $50,000 at Credential Direct receives $125 but if they were to deposit $500,000 they would not receive $1250, but only $500 instead.

Arguably, the cash back incentives are not going to be the primary reason an individual chooses a particular brokerage. With the dollar amounts being given out, there simply isn’t enough financial incentive for most people to go through the process of moving investments around just to get a cash bonus. That said, with services, features and pricing at most online brokerages being very close to one another, the tie-breaker will almost certainly come down to who’s more willing to give to get. And, when it comes to getting a new client, money definitely talks loudest.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

January might be the middle of winter but some of this week’s tweet seemed extra cold. Mentioned this week were CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE and TD Direct Investing.

Discount Brokerage Tweets – 01-20-2017 – Curated tweets by angeloAtSparx

From the Forums

Stating the Facts

With CRM2 rolling out at Canadian discount brokerages, this post from Canadian Money Forum offers a very interesting look across the board at how investors are reacting to the new statements.

Deal or no deal?

With the launch of their cash back (plus free trade) offer, CIBC Investor’s Edge not only has an ultra-competitive commission cost but now one of the most competitive deals out there for those who qualify. This thread from the investing sub-forum of RedFlagDeals.com gauges the reaction of the bargain hunting community on whether the offer from CIBC Investor’s Edge measures up.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap on one of the most historic weeks in the new year. Within just a few hours of taking office there’s already lots for traders and investors to digest with Trump now at the helm of the US. At this point, there’s little doubt that things are going to continue to get interesting for investors. For those who are just a little too Trumped out, thankfully there’s some good football ahead. Stay warm!

Posted on January 13, 2017 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – January 13, 2017

For the superstitious, Friday the 13^th is supposedly an unlucky day. As this week draws to a close, however, it seems that DIY investors are in luck as deals and promotions activity is red hot at the outset of 2017.

We’ll keep things light for this edition of the roundup, putting the spotlight on the deals and promotions being offered by Canadian discount brokerages and how the new deals that launched this past week could shake things up for other Canadian brokerages. From there, we’ll take a look at some interesting news and developments from across the online brokerage landscape that caught our attention and round out with the latest tweets from Canadian investors & online brokerages as well as what people are talking about on the investor forums.

Everyone into the Pool

This week, the deals gauge went from hot to red hot, and with good reason. There are now at least 28 advertised offers from Canadian discount brokerages, with cash back/commission-free trades now making a comeback after pulling back late in 2016.

The two brokerages causing the commotion this week, CIBC Investor’s Edge and Scotia iTRADE, have now made the case for all Canadian online brokerages to have a live cash back or commission-free trade offer or risk losing out new business to those who do.

CIBC Investor’s Edge, which has the lowest standard commission costs amongst Canadian bank-owned brokerages, made a big splash by offering up a cash back promotion of up to $400 for deposits of $100K or more. In addition, individuals who set up a ‘Regular Investment Plan’ (amusingly given the acronym RIP), are also eligible for up to 50 commission-free trades.

So, while it is a positive development for DIY investors that CIBC Investor’s Edge has stepped into the promotions space to start 2017, there are also a number of other reasons why their entry is significant.

First, as one of the lowest cost commission rates available, CIBC Investor’s Edge naturally enjoys a competitive edge over its bank-owned brokerage peers as well as the non-bank-owned group. This means that they inevitably get more attention or get considered more often by virtue of the fact that many DIY investors are looking for the best value – and low commissions for many investors equates to just that.

Second, now that CIBC Investor’s Edge is in the fray, the only major bank-owned brokerage without a cash-back or commission-free trade offer is RBC Direct Investing (BMO, CIBC, Scotia and TD are all offering these promos) which means RBC Direct Investing will either have to post a promotion or contend with direct competitors grabbing attention and market share from them. If mortgage rates and other financial services offer any clues, the odds that RBC Direct Investing stands idly by while the rest of the field eats their lunch just got lower.

Finally, while CIBC Investor’s Edge has offered promotions in the past, the presentation of this offer (specifically the push to a cleanly designed landing page) suggests an overhaul to the Investor’s Edge look and feel are probably on the way. The broader CIBC user experience (for example on mobile) has seen an upgrade so to maintain a consistent user experience, it looks like a new website will likely be on its way.

Scotia iTRADE also returned to the deals and promotions section, this time with two offers launching simultaneously. The primary offer of interest to DIY investors is a commission free-trade offer that ranges from 75 trades up to 250 trades, depending on the amount deposited into the new account. The second promotion is actually tied to their travel credit card program in which individuals who do have a Scotia credit card and who sign up for a new online brokerage account can receive a combination of 50 commission-free trades points

An interesting angle on the deals and promotions activity might also be a response to the Rob Carrick article recently published that encourages DIY investors to try non-bank-owned online brokerages on for size rather than defaulting to a big bank. To say that this has made waves is certainly an understatement considering the degree of influence Carrick has with Canadians – and especially within the realm of Canadian personal finance. What this means is that big bank-owned brokerages may need to be more active with deals and promotional activity to counter the recommendation from Carrick’s article for DIY investors to try a non-bank-owned brokerage.

While there are important points Carrick makes in the article about fees and banks recently being in the news for overcharging investors, the point to be made (and certainly reading through comments from investors who are clients at non-bank-owned brokerages also highlights this) is that all financial service providers can make mistakes – whether by omission or commission. There are simply too many moving parts, from technology integration, compliance, security and more to not expect something to break. The real questions are (or should be) which provider would be best able to address an issue when it comes up and what would be a reasonable price to pay for that as a consumer?

Marketing Pullback

Normally this is the section where we mention upcoming education events or events of interest to DIY investors. One such event that’s coming up is the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference taking place on 22nd and 23rd of January. While the focus of this conference has been primarily on natural resource related investing, historically there have been a couple of Canadian online brokerages exhibiting in person, specifically Desjardins Online Brokerage and TD Direct Investing. Interestingly, neither of these brokerages are on the list of exhibitors this year (as of publication), hinting at least of a redrawing of plans in terms of where brokerages are going to spend their time (and money) connecting with investors.

Rise of the Machines

While robo-advisors are currently getting a lion’s share of the attention with regards to using algorithms in financial services, another story crossed our radar regarding the use of artificial intelligence integrated into the trading platform interface at Interactive Brokers. Their recently deployed “IBot” is gathering data on how individuals trade in the hopes of determining how best to work with human traders in providing information/answers they are seeking. While it seems like a high-powered search engine at this point, it certainly provides a glimpse into the kinds of innovation to the trading experience that will be required to get DIY investors excited. Provided, of course, that it works the way it’s supposed to.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

This week saw the big bank owned brokerages in the cross hairs of more than a few DIY investors. Mentioned this week were BMO InvestorLine, CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE, TD Direct Investing and Virtual Brokers.

Discount Brokerage Tweets – 01-13-2017 – Curated tweets by angeloAtSparx

From the Forums

Mini-Series

For DIY investors, one of the most popular choices are low cost mutual funds, such as the TD E-series. In this post from reddit’s personal finance Canada thread, one community member was interested in finding out whether the grass was greener on the DIY side of the fence or if E-series was the way to go.

Money-weighted Return

With new CRM2 compliant investor statements heading out to DIY investors, one of the less familiar terms to be aware of is money-weighted return (performance). In this post from reddit’s personal finance Canada section, one Questrade user was looking for a little more clarity and got a number of good examples to help explain the concept.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap on this week’s action across the Canadian discount brokerage landscape. Remember, US markets will be closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. With all of the uncertainty in the markets, it seems appropriate to check out something a little lighthearted heading into the weekend. Of course, for all of the market watchers, maybe the picture of a bubble might hold a little more meaning. Stay warm and go Seahawks!

#TWNFan Jeff Schultes mixed dish soap, maple syrup, sugar & warm water to make frozen bubbles in -20°C temperatures in Regina, SK this week pic.twitter.com/NSrOW8KdzU

— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) January 10, 2017

Posted on January 6, 2017 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – January 6, 2017

Welcome to the first roundup of new year! It’s good to be back at the helm in what will likely be one of the most exciting and unpredictable years for DIY investors in recent memory. Given all of the uncertainty, the theme of this year seems to be strategy – the traditional playbook is out and the ability to improvise and rapidly adapt is in. For Canadian online brokerages, this year more than any other will test their resourcefulness as well as their talent for getting creative.

In this week’s roundup we take a look at how the deals and promotions from Canadian discount brokerages started the year and what incentives might be in store for DIY investors heading into 2017. From there we take a look at the preparations brokerages are making for the final stretch of CRM2 and then recap the tweets to and from Canadian brokerages this past week. Finally, we close out with some topics of interest from DIY investor forums.

Deal updates

At the start of 2017, Canadian DIY investors looking to open a new brokerage account (or to switch brokerages) have lots to look forward to in the way of deals and promotions. This month’s deals action has already been swift, with new offers from HSBC InvesDirect and BMO InvestorLine to start the year.

Screenshots of offers from HSBC InvestDirect (top) and BMO InvestorLine (bottom) at the beginning of January 2017.

In total, we’ve spotted 25 public promotions that are now active that DIY investors can look to when shopping around online for a new trading account. Part of the reason this number is at this level was because two bank-owned brokerages, TD Direct Investing and National Bank Direct Brokerage, each launched deals ahead of the holiday season. Also sources at several other brokerages have indicated that January is likely to see additional deals activity so there is even more in the works for online investors.

As far as deals and promotions from Canadian online brokerages are concerned, the lead up to the RRSP contribution deadline will be a busy time.

With markets flirting with new all-time highs in both the US and Canada, an IPO for Snapchat on the horizon and whispers of a potentially frothy year for IPOs in general, the roll out of the final phase of CRM2 and added competition from robo-advisors looking to win over prized millennial investors, Canadian online brokerages will be pulling out all the stops this year to get attention from DIY investors thinking about investing online.

We will continue to monitor the deals and promotions activity but bullish signals such as the long expiry dates for most offers, healthy participation from multiple brokerages as well as renewed enthusiasm in the equity markets will likely translate into Canadian discount brokerages stepping up their efforts to gain market share, and more importantly to them, share of wallet.

Making a statement

For a very long time, investors have had to face unclear and sometimes incomprehensible investment statements. Over the past few years, however, things have gotten better and in 2017, investors are about to see more detail on how their investments are being managed and exactly where the costs for managing their money are coming from.

To better assist Canadian investors with understanding exactly where and how fees are generated on their investment accounts, financial market regulators required financial service providers, including Canadian online brokerages, to disclose fees more clearly to their clients. A great primer on the upcoming changes done by the Globe and Mail can be found here and a good explanation is also provided by FAIR Canada in the video below.

Heading into 2017 Canadian discount brokerages have begun alerting clients on their respective websites and via email that newer, easier to understand, investment statements are now available. Some of the more visible notifications have come from firms such as BMO InvestorLine, National Bank Direct Brokerage and CIBC Investor’s Edge. Interestingly, BMO InvestorLine and CIBC Investor’s Edge went a step further by also including a video that explains the changes to their statements.

Interestingly, and certainly not by accident, Questrade has been anticipating this transition with a popular and widespread campaign on asking tough questions to financial advisors.

The reasoning is that once investors, especially those with mutual funds, begin to see what they’re paying for the service with these new statements, they may start to look around for better value. Curiously, other brokerages have been less visible or have yet to launch campaigns directed at capitalizing on the ‘sticker shock’ of finding out how much in fees is being eaten up. In this regard, Questrade has managed to get out in front of their competitors and will stand to benefit from having timed their campaign so well.

It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which the new statements being sent to investors would not provoke investors into considering a lower fee alternative. For the larger institutions, there has been a noticeable effort to become more ‘friendly’ and also more service focused, in hopes of being able to demonstrate value for the fees that are being charged.

Perhaps the biggest upshot for investors year end summaries of activity will be able to show how much is being spent on trading commissions. For active traders, this will really hit home to see whether or not trade execution could be more economical at another brokerage. This would certainly be an interesting and opportune moment for a savvy online brokerage to drop standard commission fees or for those with low commission rates to speak up. We suspect either of these may already be in the works.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

Fees, speed, service – this week had a little bit of everything to kick off 2017. Mentioned this week were BMO InvestorLine, CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, Scotia iTRADE and TD Direct Investing.

Discount Brokerage Tweets – 01-06-2017 – Curated tweets by angeloAtSparx

From the Forums

Dating issues

In this post from the reddit personal finance Canada thread, one user wanted to get what seems like a simple answer to what date the deadline is for contributing to an RRSP in 2017. Interestingly, there is clearly still quite a bit of confusion as to when an individual investor can make a contribution to their RRSP and which year it “counts” towards when making it.

TFSA and Daytrading

This post from reddit’s personal finance Canada thread is a perennial favourite for those who seek clarity on whether or not ‘trading’ in a TFSA is allowed. Definitely interesting to see the variety of interpretations on what is a very grey area to begin with.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap on the first week of 2017. While this year is going to be full of surprises, perhaps one of the most curious sights was the clamoring of individuals for ‘free salt’ in Vancouver. Not sure what the lesson is here (or even if there’s just one) but something about supply and demand springs to mind. Whatever you happen to get up to this weekend, hopefully you’re staying warm (and you have enough salt)!

#Breaking: salt arrives at hall 17, people break out of line and rush the pile. Incredible. @GlobalBC pic.twitter.com/WFhiLlaRxQ

— Jordan Armstrong (@jarmstrongbc) January 5, 2017

Posted on January 3, 2017 by user — 6 Comments

Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – January 2017

*Update: Jan. 17* It’s a new year, a new month and for DIY investors, a chance to get some good news while shopping around for an online trading account. While 2016 saw some interesting developments in the deals & promotions space, one of the more notable occurrences was the pullback in offers from Questrade. In their absence, however, a number of other offers did come to market and as the year drew to a close, we observed a spike in deals being offered by Canadian discount brokerages.

Heading into this new year, there are now 25 offers from Canadian discount brokerages, with major players like TD Direct Investing and National Bank Direct Brokerage launching promotional offers in mid-December. In addition, this month has more promotions coming to market. Even though these offers have yet to be advertised to the public, the deal count appears healthy at the outset of the year. The only deals set to expire in January are the BMO InvestorLine offer due to expire at midnight (E.T.) of January 3^rd, and fee transfer offers from Qtrade Investor and Virtual Brokers.

As always, if there are promotions or deals from Canadian discount brokerages that we might have missed, drop us a note and we can add them to the list.

Expired Deals

*Update: Jan 17 – Qtrade Investor’s transfer fee offer that required a lower deposit amount ($10,000) to qualify has now expired. Qtrade Investor still offers to cover transfer fees but the minimum deposit amount required is now $25,000.*

*Update: Jan 5 – BMO InvestorLine’s cash back plus commission-free trade offer has officially expired and has been replaced with a new cash back offer. See below for more details*

HSBC InvestDirect’s transfer in bonus offer officially expired at the end of December. Fortunately, HSBC InvestDirect is also launching a new deal to replace this outgoing one – see below for more info.

Extended Deals

A couple of deals managed to get extended out into 2017. Desjardins Online Brokerage has extended the deadline for their 1% commission-rebate offer out to the end of February. In addition, Qtrade Investor has extended their transfer fee offer a few more weeks until January 16^th.

New Deals

*Update: Jan. 17 – Qtrade Investor has now officially jumped into the cash back promotion race, with a new tiered offer ranging from $25 to $1,000 cash back. See the table below for more details on deposit tiers.

Credential Direct, also surprised us this week by launching a new cash back promotion of their own. Like several offers out there, they have elected to have a tiered cash back reward for different deposit levels. This promotion is open to both new accounts as well as to existing clients who deposit additional funds. In addition, however, Credential Direct will donate the equivalent of 10% of the bonus payments paid out during this promotion to the United Way, meaning that DIY investors can also do a little good while getting a reward.*

*Update: Jan. 12 – CIBC Investor’s Edge has now stepped into the deals arena, launching a new cash back and free trade offer . The minimum deposit to qualify for the cash-back promotion is $50,000 in assets however for individuals who set up a “Regular Investment Plan”, there is also a bonus of 50 commission-free equity trades available. See table below for more information. Thanks to a reader Jake for letting us know about this one.

Scotia iTRADE also got back into deal mode with the launch of a commission-free trading deal. Their latest free trade promotion offers up between 75 and 250 commission-free trades depending on the amount deposited. In addition to their latest commission-free trade offer, Scotia iTRADE has also launched a commission-free trade offer + travel points reward offer for Scotia travel credit card holders.*

*Update: Jan. 5 – Two new deals have crossed the wires this week. First, as anticipated, details of HSBC InvestDirect’s 50 free trade offer have been published on the HSBC InvestDirect website so we are able to share the details listed in the table below. Of note, there is no minimum deposit required to qualify for this offer and it appears that those interested in the deal are being encouraged to call in to client services to sign up.

BMO InvestorLine also launched a new deal this week to replace their outgoing cash back + commission-free trade offer. The latest promotional offer from BMO InvestorLine is a traditional cash back deal that offers three tiers of cash back based on different deposit amount. The cash back tiers include $200 cash back for a $100,000 deposit, $400 cash back for a $200,000 deposit or $750 for a $300,000+ deposit. Interestingly, this is one of the first cash back offers to not decrease (in proportionate terms) as deposits increase. See table below for more details*

Although no new deals were technically published online from any of the Canadian online brokerages at the outset of the month, we did get confirmation from HSBC InvestDirect that a promotion has started as of January 3^rd which is a commission-free trade offer. Until we see the promotion posted live on the website, we don’t know the full terms and conditions, however we have been told that it is a 50 commission-free trade offer that requires no deposit minimum to qualify. This promotion is scheduled to run from January 3^rd through to March 3^rd. Additional details will be provided in the table below when they’re available online.

This month we also added the Virtual Brokers transfer promotion back into the list of transfer offers as we noticed it reappeared in their terms and conditions section on their website.

Discount Brokerage Deals

Cash Back/Free Trade/Product Offer Promotions
Referral Promotions
Transfer Fee Promotions
Contests & Other Offers

Cash Back/Free Trade/Product Offer Promotions

Company	Brief Description	Minimum Deposit Amount	Commission/Cash Offer/Promotion Type	Time Limit to Use Commission/Cash Offer	Details Link	Deadline
	A Sparx Trading exclusive offer! Use the promo code “Sparx Trading” when signing up for a new account with Jitneytrade and receive access to their preferred pricing package.	n/a	Discounted Commission Rates	none	For more details click here	none
	Open a new account with HSBC InvestDirect and you may be eligible to receive up to 50 commission-free North American equity trades. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full offer details.	n/a	50 commission-free North American equity trades	60 days	HSBC InvestDirect Cash Bonus Promo	March 3, 2017
	Open and fund a new account (TFSA, Margin or RRSP) with at least $1,000 and you may be eligible to receive 5 commission-free trades. Use promo code 5FREETRADES when signing up. Be sure to read terms and conditions carefully.	$1,000	5 commission-free trades	60 days	5 commission-free trade offer	December 31, 2017
	Open and fund a new account at Virtual Brokers with at least $5,000 and you may be eligible to receive 3 months of commission-free equity trading and a $150 USD/mo credit towards Edge Trader Pro for 3 months. Use promo code sent at sign up to qualify. Be sure to read full terms and conditions for details.	$5,000	3 months commission-free equity trading + $150 USD/mo platform fee rebate.	3 months	3 months free trading / Sign up form for promo code available here	none
	Desjardins Online Brokerage is offering new clients 1% of assets transferred into the new account in the form of commission credits (to a maximum value of $1,000). Minimum qualifying deposit is $10,000. To qualify, individuals will have to call 1-866-873-7103 and mention promo code DisnatFlex or email: [email protected]. See details link for more info.	$10,000	1% of assets transferred in the form of commission-credits (max credits: $1,000)	6 months	Disnat 1% Commission Credit Promo	February 28, 2017
	Open and fund a new account or fund an existing account at Credential Direct with at least A) $15,000; B) $50,000; C) $150,000; D) $500,000 or E) $1,000,000+ in new assets and you may be eligible to receive A) $75; B) $125; C) $200; D) $500 or E) $1,000. Use promo code CASH2017RSP when signing up. As an added bonus, Credential Direct will donate an amount equivalent to 10% of the bonus paid out to United Way.	A) $15,000 – $49,999 B) $50,000 – $149,999 C) $150,000 – $499,999 D) $500,000 – $999,999 E) 1,000,000+	A) $75 B) $125 C) $200 D) $500 E) $1,000	Cash back will be deposited week of October 9, 2017.	Credential Direct Cash Back Promotion	March 16, 2017
	Open and fund a new account by March 31st with at least A) $20,000 or B) $100,00+ and you may qualify to receive up to either A) $500 or B) $1000 in commission reimbursements. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full offer details.	A) $20,000 – $99,999 B) $100,000+	A) up to $500 commission reimbursements B) up to $1000 commission reimbursements	90 days	National Bank Direct Brokerage Cash Back Promotion	March 31, 2017
	Open and fund a new account with Qtrade Investor with a deposit of at least A) $25,000; B) $50,000; C) $100,000; D) $250,000; E) $500,000 or F) $1,000,000 or more and you may be eligible to receive a cash back bonus of A) $25; B) $50; C) $100; D) $250; E) $500 or F) $1,000. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details.	A) $25,000 – $49,999 B) $50,000 – $99,999 C) $100,000 – $249,999 D) $250,000 – $499,999 E) $500,000 – $999,999 F) $1,000,000+	A) $25 B) $50 C) $100 D) $250 E) $500 F) $1,000	Cash back will be deposited by July 31, 2017.	Qtrade Investor Cash Back Bonus	February 28, 2017
	Open and fund a new account at TD Direct Investing with at least A) $25,000; B) $50,000 or C) $100,000+ and you may be eligible to receive A) 50; B) 100 or C) 200 commission-free trades. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full offer details	A) $25,000 – $49,999 B) $50,000 – $99,999 C) $100,000+	A) 50 commission-free trades (max value: $500) B) 100 commission-free trades (max value: $1000) C) 200 commission-free trades (max value: $2000)	April 28th, 2017 Commission charges will be credited the month following when the charge was incurred.	TD Direct Investing 200 Commission-free Trade Offer	March 31, 2017
	Open and fund a new account with Scotia iTRADE with at least A) $25,000; B) $50,000; C) $100,000 or D) $250,000+ and you may be eligible to receive A) 75; B) 150; C) 200 or D) $250,000+ in commission-free trades. In addition, new clients will also receive FlightDesk active trading platform free for 90 days. Use promo code W17FT when signing up to be eligible. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details.	A) $25,000 – $49,999 B) $50,000 – $99,999 C) $100,000 – $249,999 D) $250,000+	A) 75 (max value: $749.25) B) 150 (max value: $1498.50) C) 200 (max value: $1,998) D) 250 (max value: $2,497.50)	90 days	Winter 2017 Free Trade Offer	March 31, 2017
	Open and fund a new account at CIBC Investor’s Edge with at least A) $50,000 or B) $100,000 and you may be eligible to receive A) $200 or B) $400 in cash back. Also, individuals who setup a regular investment plan may also be eligible to receive 50 commission-free equity trades. Be sure to read terms and conditions for more information.	A) $50,000 – $99,999 B) $100,000+	A) $200 B) $400 +Bonus 50 commission-free trades for setting up Regular Investment Plan.	Cash back will be deposited within 30 business days after account funding. Commission-free equity trades good for 60 days after setup of Regular Investment Plan.	Cash Back & Free Trade Offer	March 31, 2017
	Open a new qualifying account with BMO InvestorLine, and fund it with at least A) $100,000; B) $200,000 or C) $300,000+ in net new assets and you may be eligible to receive A) $200; B) $400 or C) $750 cash back. Use promo code PROMO750 when signing up to be eligible. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for more details on the offer.	A) $100,000 – $199,999 B) $200,000 – $299,999 C) $300,000+	Cash back bonus A) $200 B) $400 C) $750	Cash back will be deposited the week of November 6, 2017.	2017 Winter Campaign	April 2, 2017
Expired Offers
	Open a new qualifying account with BMO InvestorLine, and fund it with at least $100,000 and you may be eligible to receive $200 cash back as well as 20 commission-free equity trades. Use promo code PROMO200 when signing up to be eligible. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for more details on the offer.	$100,000	$200 cash back + 20 commission-free equity trades	Cash back will be deposited the week of August 7, 2017.	Fall 2016 Promotion Phase 2 (link no longer active)	January 3, 2017
Last Updated: Jan. 17, 2016 10:15 PT

Referral Promotions

Company	Brief Description	Minimum Deposit Amount	Incentive Structure	Time Limit to Use Commission/Cash Offer Deposit	Details Link	Deadline
	Refer a friend to Questrade and when they open an account you receive $25 cash back and they receive either A) $25; B) $50; C) $75; D) $100; or E) $250 depending on the amount deposited amount. Enter code: 476104302388759 during account sign up to qualify. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for eligibility and additional bonus payment structure and minimum balance requirements.	A) $1,000 – $9,999 B) $10,000 – $24,999 C) $25,000 – $49,999 D) $50,000 -$99,999 E) $100,000+	$25 cash back (for referrer per referral; $50 bonus cash back for every 3rd referral) For referred individuals: A) $25 cash back B) $50 cash back C) $75 cash back D) $100 cash back E) $250 cash back	Cash deposited into Questrade billing account within 7 days after funding period ends (90 days)	Refer a friend terms and conditions Code Number: 476104302388759	none
	If you refer a friend/family member who is not already a Scotia iTrade account holder to them, both you and your friend get a bonus of either cash or free trades. You have to use the referral form to pass along your info as well as your friend/family members’ contact info in order to qualify. There are lots of details/conditions to this deal so be sure to read the details link.	A) $10,000 B) $50,000+	A) You(referrer): $50 or 10 free trades; Your “Friend”: $50 or 10 free trades (max total value:$99.90) B) You(referrer): $100 cash or 50 free trades; Your “Friend”: $100 cash or 50 free trades (max total value: $499.50)	60 days	Refer A Friend to Scotia iTrade	tbd
	If you (an existing Virtual Brokers client) refer a friend or family member to open a new account with at least $1,000 you may be eligible to receive $25 cash per referral. For 3 or more referrals Virtual Brokers will add a $50 bonus. Referred individuals depositing either A) $1,000 – $24,999; B) $25,000 – $49,999 or C) $50,000+ may be eligible to receive A) $25; B) $50 or C) $75 cash back. Be sure to read the full terms and conditions carefully for full details.	A) $1,000 – $24,999 B) $25,000 – $49,999 C) $50,000+	Referrer: $25 per referral; $50 bonus for each 3 or more referrals. Referee: A) $25 B) $50 C) $75	Cash to be deposited to VB account by March 31, 2017.	Cash Referral Program	January 31, 2017
	If you (an existing BMO InvestorLine client) refer a new client to BMO InvestorLine and they open an account with at least $50,000 the referrer and the referee may both be eligible to receive $50 cash. To qualify the referee must use the email of the referrer that is linked to their BMO InvestorLine account. See terms and conditions for full details.	$50,000	You(referrer): $50; Your Friend(referee): $50	Payout occurs 45 days after minimum 90 day holding period(subject to conditions).	BMO InvestorLine Refer-a-Friend	June 30, 2017
Expired Offers
	Open a new account (TFSA, Margin or RRSP) and receive $50 commission credit . Use promo code: kdkfnbbc	$1,000	$50 commission credit	30 days	none	none
Last Updated: Jan. 3, 2016 9:00 PT

Transfer Fee Promotions

Company	Brief Description	Maximum Transfer Fee Coverage Amount	Minimum Deposit Amount for Transfer Fee Eligibility	Details Link	Deadline
	Transfer $15,000 or more to RBC Direct Investing and they will pay up to $135 in transfer fees	$135	$15,000	Transfer Fee Rebate Details	none
	Transfer $25,000 or more from another brokerage and Credential Direct will cover up to $150 in transfer fees. Use promo code SWITCHME when signing up to qualify for the transfer promotion.	$150	$25,000	Credential Direct Transfer Fee Rebate	none
	Transfer $25,000 or more to Qtrade Investor from another brokerage and Qtrade Investor may cover up to $150 in transfer fees. See terms and conditions for more details.	$150	$25,000	Transfer Fee Rebate	none
	Move your brokerage account to Questrade and they’ll cover the transfer-out fee up to $150.	$150	$25,000	Transfer Fee Promo	none
	Transfer at least $25,000 or more in new assets to TD Direct Investing when opening a new account and you may qualify to have transfer fees reimbursed up to $150. Be sure to contact TD Direct Investing for further details.	$150	$25,000	Contact client service for more information (1-800-465-5463).	none
	Transfer $25,000 or more to Virtual Brokers and they may cover up to $150 in transfer fees.	$150	$25,000	Transfer Fee promo	January 31, 2017
	Transfer $25,000 or more into a CIBC Investor’s Edge account and they will reimburse up to $135 in brokerage transfer fees. Clients must call customer service to request rebate after transfer made.	$135	$25,000	Confirmed with reps. Contact client service for more information (1-800-567-3343).	none
	Transfer $25,000 or more to a National Bank Direct Brokerage account and they will pay up to $135 plus taxes in transfer fees	$135	$25,000	Transfer Fee Rebate	none
	Disnat is offering up to $150 to cover the cost of transfer fees from another institution. To be eligible, new/existing clients need to deposit $50,000 into a Disnat account. You’ll have to call 1-866-873-7103 and mention promo code DisnatFlex. See details link for more info.	$150	$50,000	Disnat 1% Commission Credit Promo	February 28, 2017
Expired Offers
Last Updated: Jan. 17, 2017 8:55 PT

Other Promotions

Company	Brief Description	Minimum Deposit Amount Required	Details Link	Deadline
	Credential Direct has partnered with Trend Micro to offer 50% off Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security. Use code “TrendCF” at checkout.	n/a	Trend Micro Special Offer Code	none
	Desjardins Online Brokerage, in conjunction with MoneyTalks, is offering 3 months of the “Inside Edge” investor information service to Desjardins Online Brokerage clients. Use promo code DESJ2016 during checkout to qualify. Be sure to read full terms and conditions for more information.	n/a	MoneyTalks Inside Edge Discount	none
	Desjardins Online Brokerage is offering $50 in commission credits for new Disnat Classic clients depositing at least $1,000. See terms and conditions for full details.	$1,000	Broker@ge 18-30 Promotion	none
	Scotiabank StartRight customers can receive 10 commission-free trades when investing $1,000 or more in a new Scotia iTrade account. Trades are good for use for up to 1 year from the date the account is funded. Use promo code SRPE15 when applying (in English) or SRPF15 when applying in French. Be sure to read full terms and conditions for full details.	$1,000	StartRight Free Trade offer	none
	Open a new account with Virtual Brokers with a deposit of at least $1,000 (for the Classic Commission Account) or $5,000 (for the Commission Free Trading Account) and you may be eligible to receive a one-year subscription to access 5i Research. Use promo code 5iVB2016 when signing up. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details.	$1,000 (Classic Commission Account); $5,000 (Commission Free Trading Account)	5i Research Offer	March 31, 2017
Expired Offers
Last Updated: Jan. 3, 2017 9:30 PT

Posted on December 16, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – December 16, 2016

If there was any doubt that winter is coming, it’s pretty much been buried at this point underneath a pile of snow. The infamous game of thrones reference seems more appropriate than ever, not just for markets, but also for the tough times to come for Canada’s discount brokerages.

In this week’s roundup, we take a look at the most influential brokerage ranking of the year and what it signals about the Canadian discount brokerage landscape. From there, we’ll take a look at the second roundup of roundups from 2016 and then close out with some interesting tweets from the week and investor forum chatter.

Globe & Mail Online Brokerage Rankings 2016: Evolution or Revolution?

This past week, the 18^th (yes that’s right) annual discount brokerage rankings were published by Rob Carrick at the Globe and Mail. It’s an amazing milestone, even more so considering how much of the online world has changed over that span of time. Ironically, change, or lack thereof, happens to be an interesting theme when looking at this year’s results and when evaluating Canadian discount brokerages.

While the results themselves tell an interesting story, perhaps the bigger and more intriguing picture is what the rankings and the accompanying commentary suggest about Canadian online brokerages. Namely, like many 18 year olds, this year’s Canadian online brokerage rankings seem like they’re ‘over it’.

Before looking at the big picture, let’s recap the results.

This year’s results saw Qtrade Investor and Virtual Brokers both achieving the highest letter grade, an A, resulting in a tie for ‘the best’ online brokerage in Canada whereas HSBC InvestDirect once again earned the dubious distinction of coming in last. Interestingly, the results from this year’s rankings are largely the same as past four rankings going back to 2013 (see table below) this despite substantial changes in pricing, features, websites, and trading platforms across the industry.

On a year-over-year basis, letter grades improved for CIBC Investor’s Edge, Desjardins Online Brokerage, Qtrade Investor and RBC Direct Investing. Dipping slightly was Questrade, who fell to a B+ from an A-. Nonetheless, Virtual Brokers and Qtrade Investor have remained the clear favourites for Rob Carrick’s rankings for four years running, owing in large part to the curb appeal for “everyday” investors.

For Qtrade Investor, this has been a big year for awards as they’ve landed top scores with MoneySense’s ranking, Surviscor’s ranking and now the Globe and Mail ranking.

In keeping with years past, there was the combination of commentary on each of the brokerages, much of it colourful and pulling no punches, as well as commentary on the industry as a whole. In addition, there was also a table containing forty features of a “great” discount brokerage.

While we will be publishing a more detailed analysis on the Globe & Mail online brokerage rankings in the near future, here are several very interesting observations about the latest online brokerage rankings that stood out.

First, for any long-time follower of the rankings, this iteration felt leaner than years past. It’s true that the style of writing has shifted to become more concise and digestible (a deliberate appeal to millennial readers and the tl;dr generation) but there are a number of features, such as screenshots, extra comparison tables and analysis that were not present this go around.

The second very interesting observation was the tone of this year’s rankings. While it’s generally difficult to get very excited over financial services, this year’s online brokerage rankings felt particularly grim with Carrick stating “The old binary world of full-service and do-it-yourself investing is dead.”

These are very strong words coming from one of the most influential voices in the Canadian personal finance space, and certainly should give pause to Canadian online brokerages. For 17 versions of the rankings things have seemed upbeat and exciting, but for number 18, it seems that the writing is on the wall for Canadian discount brokerages, and the message clear: innovate or become irrelevant.

Of course, as with any ranking or rating, it is important to contextualize the figures and commentary. The letter grades, while based on a system, still reflect a high degree of subjectivity and opinion of the author.

In the case of these online brokerage rankings, it is particularly interesting to note the lack of variance in the rankings over the years and also to compare the 40 attributes of a great online brokerage to the letter grades that were given.

While we will explore these in more depth in a subsequent article, it was noteworthy to observe that the more attributes of a great brokerage a provider has, it doesn’t necessarily translate into a better letter grade, and in fact, in some cases the differences between letter grade and number of features can be substantial. The following table shows, for example, that despite having more “great” features, RBC Direct Investing and Scotia iTRADE (each with 29 out of 40 attributes) received a grade of B while Questrade (with 22 out of 40) received a B+.

Change, and more importantly exciting change, as the tables above show, is hard to come by in this space. Over the past several ranking cycles, at least according to the categories measured by Rob Carrick’s analysis, most Canadian online brokerages are treading water.

With shrinking margins and increasing competition from other investment service providers, innovations in the online brokerage world seem like they’re going to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. DIY investors, on the other hand, might need to stop asking ‘which online brokerage is best?’ and start asking ‘which online brokerage adapts the best?’

Roundup of Roundups Q2

The quarter was filled with excitement – a Canadian election, wildfires in Alberta and a Brexit all dominated the news cycle. On the discount brokerage front there were also some noteworthy developments heading out of the ‘busy season’.

The first important development noted was the pullback in deals from Questrade. As the dominant promotional offer provider, it was interesting to see them pump the brakes on offering new deals or promotions. This move would come to define the deals space for the remainder of 2016 and it opened up the field to other brokerages, such as Virtual Brokers, who were ramping up in providing incentives and promotions.

Another interesting development was the launch of the MoneySense brokerage rankings in April. These rankings, powered by Surviscor, crowned Qtrade Investor as the best Canadian discount brokerage overall, with numerous awards being the best at something being given out to many other brokerages too. As we would come to learn later in the year, MoneySense magazine would abandon doing print versions of its magazine and instead publish exclusively online.

Social media starts to show signs of life in May with Scotia iTRADE launching another competition to drive traffic to its investor centre and National Bank Direct Brokerage making a play on LinkedIn to get a foothold there. Interestingly, late spring is when a number of issues and outages were noted with TD Direct Investing’s WebBroker – especially around the Brexit vote aftermath. These issues would continue to persist and irritate investors through the summer and fall.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

Glitches and technical hiccups were the theme of many tweets this week. Mentioned this week were BMO InvestorLine, CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, Scotia iTRADE, TD Direct Investing and Virtual Brokers.

From the Forums

Green and/or Green

In this post from reddit’s Personal Finance Canada section, one investor was considering the pros and cons of choosing betwen a TD e-series account or a DIY investor account at Questrade. Find out what users (and Questrade) had to say.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap on a cold and snowy week. Remember, if you can’t get out of it, you’ve got to learn to get into it. Stay safe and warm this weekend!

Posted on December 9, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – December 9, 2016

It looks like 2016 is not about to go quietly. With new all-time high for the Dow and markets generally buoyant after the US election, bulls are still driving the bus. Good thing for them they’ve got snow tires. Also not slowing down heading into the end of the year: some Canadian discount brokerages who are hoping to hit the ground running (as it were) in January.

This week’s roundup features the latest big launch from one of Canada’s non-bank-owned brokerages as they double down on investor education. Next, we look back at Q1 of 2016 for the first in the series of reviews on 2016. As usual, we also have the latest investor chatter from Twitter and close out with conversations on investing forums to bring a little more colour into the mix.

Virtual Brokers Bets on Learning

Despite the finish line to 2016 being only a few weeks away, at least one Canadian online brokerage wanted to end the year on a high note with the launch of a new investor education section. Virtual Brokers, a non-bank owned online broker, launched a new investor education section on their website earlier this week.

The new investor education section contains a selection of videos and articles on a variety of topics relevant to DIY investors, such as options trading, registered accounts, different types of investing products and more.

One of the first things that stands out about the investor section is that it has a very different layout and experience than the rest of the Virtual Brokers website. The navigation of the education section is definitely built around being in the education section, something that Virtual Brokers believed to be important to creating a more content-focused experience for visitors to this section of the website.

As the investor education section has just launched, the content that is currently there will grow and it will likely evolve over time, according to Dennis Kim, a marketing specialist at Virtual Brokers who was directly involved in the development of this section. For the moment, however, the categories focus on a mixture of specific topics, such as account types, or life stages/personas, such as students, families or those who are working or retired.

The content itself is a mixture of internally produced and authored material, as well as content authored by investment firm AGF, which was republished by Virtual Brokers.

One of the key themes of the investor education section, according to Virtual Brokers, was to make information entertaining and ‘fun’. Admittedly, finding information is a bit of an adventure as the layout may be challenging to navigate for specific information. Nonetheless, the content is freely available to website visitors without having to register or provide personal information – which is a big plus to those who would like to get information without having to provide their own contact details to access it.

Investor education provided by online brokerages has traditionally been something that DIY investors have met with some trepidation. On the one hand, there is clearly a benefit on the part of online brokerages to promote trading and investing, as that directly leads to more commissions being generated. Conversely, investors, especially those seeking to enter the markets for the first time or who are investing on their own, benefit from having tools, knowledge and confidence to navigate the markets.

So, while it seems like the ultimate win-win, investor education from most Canadian discount brokerages has historically fallen short of providing well structured, comprehensive investor education. The reason is probably simple: discount brokerages are not in the primary business of education. To be fair, however, most brokerages have gotten around this by offering investor education via partners who are professionals.

From a strategic point of view, the latest move by Virtual Brokers to build out their educational offering is an interesting one.

At a time when the industry as a whole is facing challenges to contain costs, doing investor education well and in a timely manner means that it won’t be cheap. And, with pressures on margins, adding a line item like content creation means there is going to have to be an associated return (i.e. more clients or clients trading more) that can justify the spend. Further, with other sites such as GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca from the OSC and InvestRight from the BCSC also actively marketing themselves as sources for trustworthy information on ‘the basics’ of investing/trading, attracting an audience and differentiating the product to the DIY investor will also take time, effort and ultimately resources.

For DIY investors, the upshot is that in order to effectively compete against one another, Canadian discount brokerages will have to adding features and services that are relevant and useful in order to stand apart from one another. Virtual Brokers’ latest move into investor education signals that they are not standing still in a landscape that is becoming increasingly competitive. With robo-advisors now nipping at their heels and other online brokerages doubling down on technology, now more than ever, the brokerages who aren’t moving, aren’t improving – and that will be a tough lesson for any brokerage to learn the hard way.

TD Direct Investing Launches a Big Deal

Is it a coincidence that TD Direct Investing launches a major commission-free trading deal just before the official colour 2017 was announced to be a shade of green? We think not.

For DIY investors heading into the Christmas break (and who are surfing around for an online brokerage to choose), TD Direct Investing seems to have a knack for timing by launching a new offer that provides up to 200 trades commission free. Of course, being the ever savvy marketers, the ‘pitch’ to investors is that of getting up to $2,000 cash back, something that investors would definitely tune in to. But, all is fair in love and advertising.

This offer looks to take aim at clients that most bank-owned brokerages would be interested in, namely individuals with at least $25,000 in assets. TD Direct Investing’s latest promotion is tiered meaning the more an individual deposits the higher the number of trades they can get commission-free. The minimum deposit is $25,000 which nets 50 commission-free trades; the next tier starts at $50,000 which can get DIY investors up to 100 commission-free trades and finally those depositing at least $100,000 are in line to receive up to 200 trades.

Of course, now that TD Direct Investing has stepped into the deals pool, it will force a pre-Christmas scramble across the board for other brokerages to step in or risk being eclipsed by one of Canada’s most popular online brokerages heading into 2017.

Roundup of Roundups Q1

Now that 2016 is almost over, it’s a great moment to look back on the year that was and reflect on what some of the biggest stories were over the year. With so many great stories to consider, we’ve decided to break down the biggest stories by quarter, starting first with Q1 of 2016.

The year kicked off on a somewhat panicked note for many investors. With the price of oil in a tailspin and investors worried, the savvy investors that braved the bad news were handsomely rewarded. On the discount brokerage front, one of the biggest stories from Q1 came from Virtual Brokers, when they announced their new commission-free trading offer and also reconfigured their commission pricing structure. And that was just January.

Not to be outdone by fee changes, National Bank Direct Brokerage pulled the trigger on removing commission fees altogether on Canadian ETFs. After a couple of promotions in which this same offer was made, the official shift to commission-free ETFs, at least for Canadian ETFs, meant that their bank-owned brokerage peers now had to pony up some serious counter offers to compete. While Scotia iTRADE, the only other Canadian bank-owned brokerage to offer a selection of 50 commission-free ETFs, National Bank Direct Brokerage’s offer made over 500 ETFs available. With the shift in the Canadian dollar, this made the offer all the more attractive for NBDB. As the year went on, however, there wasn’t as much hype or advertising around this feature, nor from NBDB in general – a surprise given the contest to gain ground against more visible and established online brokerages can really only be won at this point by a boost in awareness (i.e. marketing).

Lastly, the trend towards improving user experience via website improvements saw RBC Direct Investing announce a major upgrade to their previous website. As a very recognizable brand, RBC Direct Investing later found out very quickly that newer doesn’t necessarily mean better – something that should ring true while technology budgets are increasing across the board in financial services. While generally receiving positive feedback, there were still many users who had grown accustomed to the previous layouts and where to find things that mattered to them. Nonetheless, the shift in digital direction spoke to a larger trend across the online brokerage space where technology and digital strategy became a huge talking point for 2016.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

This past week there was lots of green and red on users screens, not just from upticks and downticks. Mentioned this week were BMO InvestorLine, CIBC Investor’s Edge, Qtrade Investor, Questrade, Scotia iTRADE, TD Direct Investing and Virtual Brokers.

From the Forums

Easy Come

In this post from the reddit Personal Finance Canada thread, one user recounts the process involved in opening an online brokerage account with TD Direct Investing along with questions on some of the thornier parts of getting started.

Easy Go

In contrast to the post above, this post, also from the reddit Personal Finance Canada thread, was about the experience of switching out of TD to Questrade.

Into the Close

That does it for this week’s roundup. For those of you who managed to conquer the snowpocaplypse in Vancouver, congratulations! Of course just know that the rest of Canada is looking westward and thinking it still seems like a dusting. Whether you’re digging out from under a pile of snow or digging around in a mall for a last minute Christmas gift, have a great weekend!

Posted on December 2, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – December 2, 2016

Every now and then, the real world throws an interesting case study in the uncertainty factor of markets. The air miles reversal on letting their points expire is a great example of why in markets, just as in life, the scenario of the ‘unknown’ needs to be priced into assumptions. Perhaps the best way to sum it up is that the future always has some degree of uncertainty to it. For DIY investors, this is now the territory they find themselves in with regards to the Canadian online brokerage space heading into 2017.

In this week’s roundup, we take a look at the latest deals & promotions activity at Canadian discount brokerages to give our view on what the market is saying and what may be coming around the corner heading into 2017. Next we take a look at the latest online brokerage rankings to see what they can tell us about the landscape of Canadian discount brokerages and online investing in general. From there we’ll take a look at the latest tweets and close out with chatter from investor forums.

‘Tis the Season

Deals have been a hot topic for the past few weeks. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday now behind us, the start of a new month provides the chance to take the pulse of the latest promotional offers from Canadian discount brokerages.

In a market, ebbs and flows are natural. For the Canadian discount brokerage marketplace, deals and promotions fluctuate across the year but heading into the last month of 2016, there’s a noticeable pullback. The biggest contributor to the month over month decline in offers was from Scotia iTRADE, whose three promotional offers expired at the end of November and were not renewed.

Of course, to make things more interesting, December also has three offers set to expire from three different brokerages. Should these offers not be renewed or replaced with other offers, this would reduce the number of cash back/commission-free trades from six down to four. Interestingly, BMO InvestorLine’s cash back offer is set to expire in early January 2017 meaning that it is possible that cash-back and free-trade promotions could make up the smallest segment of offer types at the outset of the new year. This would be a very different scenario than has been the case over the past three years in which cash-back or commission-free trades, in particular, have been a mainstay of the deals section.

With RRSP season not that far away, however, odds favour a surge in the marketing efforts by Canadian online brokerages in the new year. Some interesting hiring patterns at several brokerages combined with an increase in advertising on social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook mean that DIY investors can look forward to getting the message online when or if brokerages decide to push go.

The bigger picture, however, seems to suggest that the industry as a whole is in a bit of a transition period. When it comes to incentives specifically, however, the online brokerage industry is no longer aggressively innovating or competing.

Incentive offers are, arguably, a signal of market sentiment and confidence. The absence of new offers or the relatively slow velocity of offers getting to market suggests that while competition is present, many brokerages seem uncertain about their own direction at the moment. Ironically, for those Canadian online brokerages that do not appear excited about online investing, it will be hard to convince DIY investors to be excited too.

Season’s Ratings

Aside from Christmas displays and holiday cheer, the final few weeks of the year are when Canadian discount brokerage rankings get published. Earlier today, brokerage rankings from financial services research firm Surviscor were published online and broadcast on BNN.

This year’s top rated Canadian online brokerage was Qtrade Investor, who scored 87% on the scorCard ratings which take into account nine different categories of a firm’s performance. While Qtrade Investor’s rating was significantly higher than its competitors, the second place through fifth place ratings were separated by only 2 percentage points signaling that in many ways, the majority of Canadian discount brokerages are neck in neck when it comes to features, pricing and accessibility. In other words, nobody really stands out.

From the BNN broadcasts, however, it also seems like the online brokerage industry, at least in 2016, has been trying to figure out how or if robo-advisors will make a difference. In an in-depth study on robo-advisors by DALBAR Canada (full disclosure, we assisted with analysis in this study), there are very clear differences in the way Canadian robo-advisors attract and work with new clients.

When compared side-by-side with Canadian discount brokerages, however, there are even more apparent differences that emerge about the way in which robo-advisors are handling bringing new clients aboard and about the sign up process in general.

Like all discount brokerage rankings, we always suggest a measure of caution when looking at the results.

Over the course of 2016, we have chronicled the changes taking place at Canadian brokerages and can certainly validate the claims that Qtrade Investor has gone to great lengths to improve many areas of their offering, from pricing and features to overall user experience.

As for the rest of the field, however, the Surviscor ratings reflect the challenge in objectively assessing the changes that have been made. For example, when changes are made to a website or to a trading platform, the improvement in “user experience” is difficult to quantify. Canadian discount brokerages may have made improvements, however, the extent to which they are noticeable and quantifiable (such as changing pricing) impacts how drastically they can be distinguished from competitor firms.

On an interesting to note, three of the top five Canadian online brokerages in the latest ratings were not bank-owned brokerages.

One place in particular that the Surviscor ratings are able to shine is in the tracking and measurement of response times across channels, such as emails. The key takeaway from Glenn Lacoste, president of Surviscor, as well as from Dale Jackson in a segment broadcast earlier on BNN is that service response times have degraded at Canadian online brokerages.

For Qtrade Investor, however, there are clearly a number of areas in which they’ve managed to make meaningful strides in 2016. According to a comment in today’s press release, Catherine Wood, Senior VP and Head of Online Brokerage at Qtrade Financial Group stated:

“The results of this assessment validate our commitment to improving and streamlining the client experience and to offering competitive pricing in order to provide the absolute best value among Canada’s online brokerages. The enhancements we made this year were inspired by client feedback and supported by client usage analytics, and thus far we’ve been very pleased by the positive reaction from our clients.”

Encouragingly, there appears to be an increased reliance on client usage data in the decisions driving changes to features and user experience.

Looking forward into 2017, many online brokerages will need to finally decide if and how they are going to be deploying a digital advice product and whichever direction they go in, start to work to innovate the online brokerage experience for DIY investors. If there’s one thing that these latest rankings have made clear, is that innovation and improvements need to happen often and visibly throughout the year. Standing still only lets other firms who are hungrier to win get ahead.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

This week marketing was pushing the envelope and getting people talking. But isn’t that the point? Mentioned this week, was BMO InvestorLine, CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, Scotia iTRADE, TD Direct Investing and Virtual Brokers.

From the Forums

‘Mo Money, ‘Mo Problems

It’s definitely a nice problem to have but if your portfolio grows beyond the CIPF coverage, what then? In this post from Redflagdeals.com’s investing section, one user tries to find out what their options are when it comes to getting more coverage for a bigger portfolio, especially in the event that a brokerage goes bankrupt.

DIY another day

Have we reached peak DIY investing? The growth in popularity of passive investing strategies coupled with the rise of robo-advisors means that those on the fence about DIY investing are getting mixed messages when it comes to the merits of stock picking versus having someone or something else do it. In this post from reddit’s personal finance Canada section, it was interesting to gauge the sentiment of would-be DIY investors stepping into the markets for the first time.

Into the Close

Another week in the books. With only a few weeks (or days) left until Christmas, good luck to the shoppers looking to make it through their shopping list. For those savvy investors who’ve gone long on online retailers, this is hopefully a great weekend to watch the transaction traffic pay off. Either way, have a great weekend!

Posted on December 1, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – December 1, 2016

*Update: Dec. 23* December is here and the end of 2016 is just a few short weeks away. What a year it has been. As we head into the final month of the year, we expect there to be a gradual decrease in deals & promotion activity at Canadian discount brokerages leading up to Christmas. Nevertheless, we don’t rule out a potential surprise or two before the holidays officially kick in.

There weren’t any new deals that crossed our radar into the turn of the new month. In fact, there was a slight pull back in the number of offers (there are currently 23 at the time of publication) as the promotions scheduled to expire at the end of November by Scotia iTRADE were not renewed – or at least not yet.

December will be another interesting month across the deals & promotions landscape for two reasons. First, there are a number of deals set to expire, notably from HSBC InvestDirect, Disnat and Qtrade Investor. BMO InvestorLine’s deal, while still technically live through December is set to expire at the beginning (January 3^rd) of 2017. The second reason that this will be an interesting month to watch for deals & promotions is that once this month is over, there will be a massive push to attract new clients and assets for RRSP season. As such, it might not be surprising to see a couple of savvy brokerages launch through December to get a jump on January. We’ll keep monitoring to see where things go from here.

Expired Deals

The three deals that were scheduled to expire at the end of November were all from Scotia iTRADE. Now retired are the commission-free trades (up to 250 commission free trades) and trades + SCENE points promotional offer (as well as the accompanying transfer fee deal).

Extended

Questrade has extended the deadline to their 5 commission-free trades offer from the end of December 2016 through to the end of December 2017. That’s great news for individual investors just starting out and who need a referral to qualify for a promotional offer with Questrade.

New Offers

*Update: Dec. 23 – National Bank Direct Brokerage has also jumped into the deals & promotions race ahead of the Christmas break with a headline grabbing promotion of their own. They’re offering up to $1000 in commission reimbursements for individuals who either open up a new account or for existing clients who open a new account type. See table below for more information.*

*Update: Dec. 9 – It took some time to get here, but at last there’s a deal from TD Direct Investing. The big green is offering up a tiered commission-free trading offer that is likely to get the attention of DIY investors and, of course, TD Direct Investing’s competition. While this latest deal does help TD Direct Investing get an edge on its bank-owned brokerage peers, what is even more interesting is the timing of the offer. With only a few weeks to go, not only will other bank-owned brokerages have to scramble to respond (if they choose to do so) but they’ll be doing it heading into the holidays. For DIY investors, this a great little gift ahead of the holiday season and the year end. See the table below for more details.*

No new offers to report at this time.