Tag: Qtrade Investor

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – April 27, 2018

For traders of Canadian securities listed on the TSX/TSX-V and Montreal Exchange, the weekend showed up a little earlier than anyone expected. With trading on these markets halted, it was an opportune time for the Toronto crowd to tune into the wizardry of the Toronto Raptors. Of course, online brokerages in Canada are used to throwing a few surprises at the DIY investing space and this week, some pleasant surprises came to market that spell interesting times for active traders.

In this edition of the roundup, we take a look at an acquisition deal that beefs up one online brokerage’s war chest and is part of a new and exciting chapter for Canadian online brokerages. From there we’ll review some interesting developments with a bank-owned online brokerage that’s turning its efforts to Western Canada. Also, we’ll report on a new active trader feature that offers an interesting approach to short-selling at one independent online brokerage. Speaking of surprise developments, this will be the final week we roll out tweets of the week in the current format – we’ll be switching things up and putting this feature on pause. Not on pause though will be chatter from DIY investors which will close out this edition of the roundup.

Jitneytrade to be acquired by Canaccord

After years of treading water, it appears the Canadian online brokerage market is now on the move. This week, a big name in Canadian wealth management, Canaccord Genuity, made a very interesting play by initiating an acquisition of Jitneytrade, a Canadian online brokerage that caters primarily to active traders.

The deal, which was announced by press release, will see Canaccord Genuity acquire both Jitneytrade as well as FinlogiK, the parent to Jitneytrade.

According to the press release Jitneytrade will continue to operate independently however the release also states that the acquisition “serves to support Canaccord Genuity’s mid-market share of equities trading and providing access to new areas of growth through accelerating its development of an enhanced fintech product offering.”

There’s certainly a hint in there that Canaccord, with its strong book of deals and deep client base, could present a genuine challenge to other Canadian online brokerages who cater to active trading clients – in particular options trading clients. Of course, there’s also the fact that through Jitneytrade, Canaccord clients may now be inclined to reconsider which online brokerage they want to actively invest with.

What makes this deal between Jitneytrade and Canaccord all the more interesting is that it is yet another example of smaller Canadian online brokerages integrating with larger financial services players in Canada.

In September 2017, for example, CI Financial announced that it was acquiring BBS Securities, parent to Virtual Brokers. And, in December of 2017, Qtrade Investor and Credential Direct announced they would be merging under the umbrella of wealth management firm Aviso.

Clearly the days of the smaller online brokerage players in Canada are numbered.

“Smaller” non-bank-owned online brokerages are now better capitalized to take on bank-owned online brokerages’ dominance of the wealth management space which should make things even more competitive for DIY investors going forward.

On a more speculative note, Questrade is now the only independent online brokerage to be standing on its own two feet – and given the recent activity in online brokerage space in Canada, one wonders if it too will become acquisition target.

National Bank Direct Brokerage looking west

Sometimes it’s the little things that actually turn out to be interesting signals of things to come in the online brokerage space in Canada.

This past week, a sponsorship by National Bank Direct Brokerage of a conference in Vancouver crossed our radar.  Specifically National Bank Direct Brokerage is a sponsor of the “Investment in Innovation – GCFF Vancouver Conference” which caters to Vancouver’s Chinese investor community. Included in the conference are companies from a number of headline-making sectors, including blockchain, fintech, medical marijuana and more.

Event sponsorships for online brokerages have become increasingly rare, so it was telling that NBDB would be reaching out to this particular event. The combination of a number of small-cap companies as well as connecting with a critical mass of investors from the Chinese community is an interesting choice for a bank-owned online brokerage that is much better known in Quebec and Ontario and is likely a clear signal of greater intentions to explore how to make inroads in Western Canada, specifically in BC. It’ll be interesting to see how other brokerages with deeper footprints in BC respond and whether the critical mass of Chinese investors represents a compelling niche to stir up competition amongst Canadian online brokerages interested in connecting with this market demographic.

Questrade enhances short-selling experience

Based on an announcement made at the end of last week in Questrade’s community blog, enhancements to its IQ Edge trading platform that include an automated way to determine the cost of selling shares short took effect.

According to the feature announcement, the borrowing rate (and therefore cost) of short selling will be a floating one which will vary based on a security’s value, demand and available inventory. For traders interested in maintaining a short position, Questrade’s platform will be able to display what that carrying cost will look like as long as the trade is live.

When it comes to short-selling, one of the recurring comments from active traders is the challenge obtaining securities – however with this new program in place there might be an interesting mechanism for Questrade to monetize interest in short-selling and/or moderate the availability of shares to short.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

After just about three years and close to 150 weekly stories of DIY investor reactions on Twitter, this is the last edition of the tweets of the week in the current format. Our platform provider as acquired by Adobe and as a result the platform that we used to curate and deliver these tweets has been decommissioned.

We’re hoping we can continue to bring interesting insights about the online brokerage space to you from Twitter and are looking forward to being able to start publishing this segment again soon.

Mentioned this week were CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, Scotia iTRADE, and TD Direct Investing.

From the Forums

Fine Print

For DIY investors contemplating being an active investor, there’s an important set of requirements you ought to be aware of. In this post, from RedFlagDeals.com’s investing thread, one user points out the fine print at a big online brokerage that shows how vulnerable traders can be when it comes trading on margin.

Pay for Parking

When it comes to parking cash in an online investing account, there’s a limited number of choices for safely growing your investment. In this post from reddit’s personal finance thread, one user gets an interesting reply to a question about low fee options.

Into the Close

With this week now in the books, it’s one that Canadians and Torontonians won’t soon forget. Another week and another terrible tragedy. To the victims, their families and loved ones as well as to all Canadians impacted by the horrendous van attack that took place in Toronto, the SparxTrading team offers our deepest condolences.

 

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – April 13, 2018

Friday the 13th seems like an unlucky date for those in the path of a spring-time ice storm (sorry Toronto!) and for others, well, the search for ice is really just to keep drinks cold.  Yes, this edition of the roundup is coming to you from the sunny and warm beaches of Huatulco, Mexico where the struggle to stay cool is real.

In this edition of the roundup, we thought we’d do something a little different. With so much happening in the online brokerage space already in 2018 (and because I am in Mexico while writing this roundup) this was a great opportunity to pause and reflect on some of the biggest stories and emerging trends that shaped the first quarter of 2018. Below are four of the biggest and most interesting things that have happened so far in Canada’s online brokerage space.

Outages & outrage kick off the new year

Many Canadian online brokerages faced a perfect storm at the outset of 2018. Caught up in the groundswell of interest in cryptocurrencies and marijuana stocks, DIY investors were definitely in a risk-on mood to kick off the year.

As a result, trading activity surged beyond the capacity of many of Canada’s (and some of the US’s) largest online brokerages’ systems to handle the order flow.

On an “ordinary” trading day, outages to DIY investors are annoying and occasionally tempers flare, but, when the bulls were stampeding, sidelined DIY investors were left seeing red when their platforms weren’t able to connect or trade on their online brokerage’s network.

For the better part of January, outages at Canadian online brokerages made headlines with major news outlets, including BNN, with Canada’s large bank-owned online brokerages such as TD Direct Investing and RBC Direct Investing in the crosshairs.

A consequence of trading platform outages was that DIY investors had to turn to customer service  phone lines and Twitter channels to either execute trades or to find out what was going on. The result: wait times on the phone surged – stretching to hours in some cases before calls were being answered.

The tough lesson for DIY investors caught in the mix was that regardless of online brokerage size, online trading is not without risks, including the risk of being disconnected.

While a few online brokerages managed to NOT make headlines by maintaining business as usual, this scenario was a wake-up call for Canadian online brokerages on the business case for properly resourcing both online trading capacity and failover systems on phone channels.

Here’s a list of editions of the weekly roundup that outages & wait times made headlines in:

January 5th, 2018

January 12th, 2018

January 19th, 2018

February 2nd, 2018

February 9th, 2018

Online brokerages battle it out with promotions during RSP season

If you think RSP season is a myth, think again. Just like flu season, interest in RSP-related information, and accounts, starts to climb in November and peaks in the first 60 days of the new year.

Google search trends for RRSP’s in Canada over the past five years

While chicken soup offers paired with RRSP deals are likely not coming anytime soon, this year, DIY investors were being wooed by an incredibly high volume of offers, ranging from cash back to commission-free trading. Specifically, this year’s crop of cash back offers stood out as bank-owned brokerages stepped up their use of this promotional offer and smaller non-bank owned players also were prepared to ante up.

Highly savvy investors who typically look to open accounts across providers to access features unique to each and to diversify where their money is parked, were provided with an especially unique scenario this year. Specifically, by splitting up where deposits were made, DIY investors could enjoy substantially higher cash back bonuses than putting all of their assets with one brokerage.

Canadian discount brokerages reviewing the deals & promotions landscape will likely also see that incentive offers are yet another ‘battleground’ that’s opened up and that smaller players looking to win market share will make strides by raising the stakes with cash bonus offers.

At the very least, DIY investors will be willing to look at what’s being offered, especially if the headline numbers are big.

Discount brokerage deals and promotions were another big story last quarter so here is a list of weekly roundups in which deals and promos were referenced and analyzed:

January 5th, 2018

January 12th, 2018

January 19th, 2018

January 26th, 2018

February 2nd, 2018

February 23rd, 2018

March 2nd, 2018

March 23, 2018

Rankings and Ratings Roundup

After much anticipation, the Globe and Mail’s annual online brokerage rankings were published in mid-February.

As the most popular and highly sought out rankings of Canada’s online brokerages, the 19th edition of the assessment did not disappoint with some new comparison features and inclusion of Interactive Brokers Canada. Qtrade Investor walked away with top honours in the Globe’s rankings and of the top five, three were non-bank owned brokerages.

Of course, once these rankings were published, and perhaps even in anticipation of them, the marketing departments at Canada’s online brokerages were busy listing off the various ratings, rankings or accolades that position each respective brokerage as ‘the best’ at one feature or another.

In our roundup on March 9th we featured 8 online brokerages who had listed off awards or recognition that claimed each brokerage was the best at something if not the best online brokerage outright.

Not too long afterwards, our roundup on March 30th featured a deep dive on Interactive Brokers’ win of the Barron’s annual online brokerage rankings in the US. Despite the victory taking place in the US, Canadian online brokerages should pay attention to since interactive brokers Canada offers most of the trading technology and analysis tools as the US version does.

In fact, the high ranking in the Globe and Mail’s assessment, the top finish in the Barron’s ratings and the much more visible advertising presence here in Canada (which we noted here on February 23rd) suggests that Interactive Brokers is going to be getting and generating more attention in 2018.

For DIY investor’s the tip here is to read the fine print on the date of the award because we noted several instances where awards from previous years were being used to justify being characterized as ‘the best.’

BMO breaking through on social media & digital

When it comes to social media and investing online, only one of Canada’s bank-owned wealth management arms successfully managed to execute on an effective social media-based influencer campaign in Q1 of 2018. BMO Wealth Management (parent to BMO InvestorLine) and BMO SmartFolio were able to generate a highly engaged, interactive online Twitter chats on investing online.

The Q&A format did well as did the session thanks in part to the fact that the host of the Twitter chat was Lena Almeida. In January, BMO SmartFolio’s session on investing online helped spark a lively conversation on topics related to investing online. Fast forward a few weeks to March 5th, and BMO Wealth Management was on Twitter with an #InvestSmart session in support of International Women’s Day.

Just prior to the end of Q1, BMO InvestorLine also rolled out a new homepage which was a significant iteration to its previous design.

Screenshots of previous BMO InvestorLine website homepage (left) and new BMO InvestorLine website homepage (right).

Although we covered this new site in more detail in last week’s roundup (here), the latest moves by BMO InvestorLine online showcase that they are not standing still when it comes to embracing digital channels to better connect with DIY investors.

*full disclosure: Sparx Publishing Group Inc. the parent company to SparxTrading.com, may receive affiliate or referral bonuses for individuals signing up to BMO InvestorLine or BMO SmartFolio services via SparxTrading.com, however no compensation from BMO InvestorLine or BMO SmartFolio was received for writing this article.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

Interesting chatter as usual, with technical issues and client service challenges prompting the majority of Twitter comments. Mentioned this week were BMO InvestorLine, CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE, and TD Direct Investing.

From the Forums

Making moves

How easy is it to switch online brokerages? This post, from reddit’s personal finance Canada thread, highlights one user’s question about transferring from TD Direct Investing to Questrade and offers insights into timing and costs.

Tips on RESPs

DIY investing usually means a lot of research to figure out how to maximize the return on investment. When it comes to savings vehicles, like the RESP, however, there’s lots to consider. In this post, also from reddit’s personal finance Canada thread, users weigh in to help one expecting parent navigate the tricky world of investing for their child’s education.

Into the Close

As we head into another weekend, we wanted to take a moment to extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the teammates, families, friends and communities who tragically lost loved ones in the heartbreaking Humboldt Broncos bus accident.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – April 6, 2018

Welcome to April 2018, where the invisible hand has taken to typing away tweets to move markets. The power of digital platforms and the importance of making deals coincidentally happen to be two important themes that Canadian online brokerages are also picking up on, although in a far less blustery manner.

In this edition of the roundup, we take a look at the bullish indicators to come out of the latest online brokerage promotions numbers. From there, we take a deep dive into one bank-owned brokerage’s timely refresh of a website which could be a savvy move to attract active investors seeking to participate in market volatility. And, speaking of volatility, there were some very intriguing tweets from DIY investors about what’s happening in the discount brokerage space as well as some great posts on the investor forums.

Deals Update

Despite the turmoil and uncertainty in the stock market, the Canadian discount brokerage deal offers continue to look bullish for DIY investors.

The latest snapshot of deals for new online investing accounts is now live and this month’s action saw two online brokerages extend offers that were set to expire at the end of March as well as the release of a rare cash back and commission-free trade offer.

Starting first with the extensions, HSBC InvestDirect and Desjardins Online Brokerage both pushed the deadline for their offers out to April 30th and May 31st respectively. What is especially interesting about the HSBC InvestDirect renewal is that it is a cash back offer and now one of only two cash-back offers (the other is from BMO InvestorLine) that DIY investors can choose from that is not part of a refer-a-friend program. Given the attention DIY investor deal hunters place on cash back offers, the absence of competition in this offer segment works out well for both bank-owned online brokers.

The other bullish indicator was the latest offer from BMO InvestorLine, which went live shortly after the roll out of their new front-end website. This latest offer is a rare cash back AND commission-free equity trade promotion that combines a tiered cash bonus and up to 20 commission-free equity trades, which are good for up to two months.  Conveniently, this kind of offer doesn’t force users to choose between either a cash bonus or commission free trade, which is nice, and the cash offer itself is fairly competitive alongside the current cash offers. Also interesting to observe was the minimum deposit amount to qualify for the promotion is $50,000, which is lower than the typical threshold of $100K+.

Once again, it appears that transfer fee promotions have stepped back into the lead as the most common offer available at just about every Canadian online brokerage. As we noted last month, Qtrade Investor now sits atop this list since they lowered their deposit threshold to $15,000 from the common watermark of $25,000. It will be interesting to see which online brokerage decides to match this offer – especially Credential Direct and/or Desjardins Online Brokerage as they move through the process of merging together with Qtrade Investor.

The only deal that didn’t make it through to the end of March was the discounted trading commission offer from Virtual Brokers. Not known for staying on the promotions sidelines for too long, Virtual Brokers may already be cooking something up for the not too distant future.

In fact, we’ll be watching to see what unfolds in April. As stock market turmoil heats up, online brokerages may have to turn to some very creative offers and incentives to encourage investors to open an online investing account rather than sitting out the Twitter storm and market volatility.

BMO InvestorLine Rolls Out New Website

The reality for brands to be online today requires staying fresh to stay interesting. For financial service providers, this presents a unique challenge.

On the one hand, financial services rely heavily on conveying trust, reliability and consistency and as a result, keeping changes to a minimum. On the other, considerations such as user experience and design elements are being considered as metrics of trust now more than ever before in the organization and delivery of online brokerage websites.

Screenshot of new website for BMO InvestorLine

It is against this backdrop, as well as an ongoing evolution in digital strategy, that BMO InvestorLine’s recent website refresh highlights some important trends in design and communicates some key stakeholders BMO InvestorLine is looking to reach.

Although there is lots to dive into, three of the most interesting components of the website refresh fit neatly into the following categories: personas, perks and platforms.

Fair warning, talking about website design might seem overly technical, but when competition between providers is so close, this refresh serves as an example that small changes can make a big difference in how easily users find information and how useful it is when they find it.

Personas

One of the more noticeable changes on the new BMO InvestorLine website is the space dedicated to investor ‘personas’ – or depictions of typical kinds investors. While personas are not new, it is interesting to see the variation in how they’re used. In a refresh that Credential Direct undertook last year, for example, personas were an important part of how the content on the website connected more meaningfully with website visitors.

With BMO InvestorLine’s new layout, these personas feature prominently and use an interesting combination of pictures of individuals as well as text to explain the features/benefits of the category of investor each persona is meant to represent. For example, in terms of writing style, the language used more directly addresses the reader or an approximation of the reader’s investing experience level (e.g. ‘you’ve got the basics and now want more insights…”). It is a subtle thing but as mentioned earlier, it also helps to connect a little more directly with a reader.

Screenshot of investor persona types described by BMO InvestorLine

Another interesting visual element is how DIY investors are portrayed.

Historically, investors have typically been portrayed as older men, however the choices of imagery selected here clearly communicate that DIY investors are more diverse. This trend towards greater diversity and inclusivity is not unique to BMO InvestorLine but reflective of a larger trend in financial services providers doing a more effective job of representing the diverse nature of the Canadian population.

Further, the pictures chosen are of individuals staring into the camera and smiling – not reading a screen or doing some other stereotypical “investing” activity. This was an interesting and powerful choice as it psychologically connects viewers with the person in the image, and communicates safety and satisfaction (as opposed to communicating, “this is what investors look like when they’re investing”).

Perks

Another interesting angle on the new page is how promotional offers as well as “perks” are featured.

BMO InvestorLine is one of a handful of Canadian online brokerages that consistently puts forward promotional offers (see below for more on the new InvestorLine promotion) throughout the year, so promotions are an important part of the brand offering.

Also intriguing was the positioning of added features as “perks”. This is somewhat rare as other online brokerages generally don’t refer to the features associated with either increased trading activity or larger account sizes as perks (or if they do, it’s certainly more muted), but labeling these features in this way enhances the feeling of receiving a bonus. It may be a small change but it is an important one as it makes the idea of getting something seem a bit more special. And, after all, who doesn’t like ‘perks’?

Platforms

A third interesting feature on the new BMO InvestorLine website is the increased prominence of their active trading platform, BMO Market Pro.

Screenshot of active trader platform offering (BMO MarketPro).

This trading platform offers an enhanced trading experience with charting tools, alerts, streaming data, order entry and watchlists. Active traders might be interested to know that the bar to qualify for access to Market Pro is 30 trades per quarter or at least $250,000 in assets with BMO InvestorLine. Interestingly, while the threshold to qualify for this advanced platform (30 trades per quarter) is standard at peer bank-owned brokerages, BMO Market Pro also includes level 2 streaming quotes for TSX-Venture-listed stocks. This data stream generally costs extra (between $25 to $50/mo) on active/advanced platforms (e.g. Scotia iTRADE and TD Direct Investing charge for this) so having it included is a plus for active investors interested in trading small cap stocks.

The competition between online brokerages extends beyond just pricing and features. As the latest refresh from BMO InvestorLine’s website shows, it also is now in the digital experience arena. Ultimately for the site to be a step forward, it needs to improve how quickly individuals locate the information online that they are looking for.

When looking at the ‘big picture’, the new website shows an interesting shift toward highlighting the ‘platform’ and ‘tools’ offered by InvestorLine, as well as feature-rich offerings like the Market Pro platform and 5-star program. Is it a coincidence that with the market volatility picking up, the messaging is turning more to trading rather than buy-and-hold? Perhaps. But for BMO InvestorLine, it’s certainly good timing to be broadcasting their active trader features.

For DIY investors comparing online brokerages, the key takeaways from this website refresh are that BMO InvestorLine is not standing still when it comes to staying current with online experiences – a metric that is increasingly becoming the standard by which brokerages are going to be judged on. Also, there appears to be a greater emphasis on letting the active traders out there know that BMO InvestorLine has a feature set that they might find worthy of a test-drive.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

There were a number of interesting tweets from DIY investors this week. Among the items people were talking about (beyond technical difficulties) were revisions to terms of service, new features with yahoo and money disappearing from an account (not from trading). Mentioned this week were BMO InvestorLine, Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE, and TD Direct Investing.

 

From the Forums

Insight-er Trading

Every so often when an online investor turns to the internet for help, there’s a great resource that emerges. In this post from the reddit Personal Finance Canada thread, one user was experiencing some frustration getting an RDSP setup properly. Fortunately, there was a happy ending and an incredibly thoughtful post that helped walk through the experience of setting up a self-directed RDSP at TD Direct Investing.

Ticked Tax

When it comes to getting documents ready for tax filing, nothing gets DIY investors agitated like delays in receiving tax forms. In this post, from reddit’s Personal Finance Canada thread, we spotted a few users waiting for Questrade forms to filter in.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap for this week. While the traders playing volatility had a fun week, there were lots of moments that made it feel like Friday could come fast enough. Of course, there’s probably a soundtrack on Spotify available for those traders out there trying to get out in front of the hot mess that is the news cycle. Wherever the weekend takes you, hopefully it is filled with better news than what’s trending online! In the meantime, here’s a little something to end the week on a fun note.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – April 2018

*Updated April 2* Spring is officially here and for DIY investor’s it’s already off to a great start. To begin with, there was a bullish sign heading into April as two online brokerages, Desjardins Online Brokerage and HSBC InvestDirect, elected to extend offers that were scheduled to expire at the end of March.

Discount Brokerage Deals Quick Nav

  1. Cash Back/Free Trade/Product Offer Promotions
  2. Referral Promotions
  3. Transfer Fee Promotions
  4. Contests & Other Offers
  5. Digital Advice + Roboadvisor Promotions

In fact, of the four deals set to expire at the end of March, two have already been extended and at least one more, from BMO InvestorLine, is on the way to replace the deal that officially expires on April 1st (it is still live at the time of publication). The only offer that is officially expired at the time of publication is from Virtual Brokers, however there is a strong likelihood that they will not be out of the promotions section for very long.

So, at the kick off to April, there are still two cash back offers on the board, and if the referral promotions are included in there, technically there are five offers on the deals board that DIY investors could use to get a cash bonus upon getting into a new account.

The category with the most offers, by far, is transfer fee coverage offers. As we observed last month, Qtrade Investor lowered the required minimum for investors to qualify from $25,000 to $15,000 and as such, are one of the most competitive offers of the group.

Investors looking for a trading commission-related offer – such as commission free trades or a discounted commission rate, have seven offers to choose from (not including referral offers) so there’s a healthy mix of bank-owned or independent brokerages to choose from in this category.

As always, if there are any other offers that we’ve not listed that might be of interest to other readers, feel free to leave a comment below.

Top cash back promotions at Canadian discount brokerages - April 2018
Top cash back promotions at Canadian discount brokerages – April 2018

Expired Offers

At the time of publication, Virtual Brokers’ discounted commission promotion offer expired.

Extended Offers

HSBC InvestDirect, which is normally somewhat selective in timing offers through the year, elected to extend their cash-back promotion making it and BMO InvestorLine the only two cash-back offers available to all investors.

Also extended was Desjardins Online Brokerage’s popular 1% commission credit offer. The timing coincides with the launch of their new logo as well – a positive sign they’re positioning for interesting activities to come.

New Offers

*Updated April 2: BMO InvestorLine just launched their latest promotion and it is an interesting one! Starting today (April 2nd) and going until May 31st, BMO InvestorLine is offering a cash back and commission-free trade combination promotion. This tiered deposit promotion offers between $50 and $500 for deposits ranging from $50,000 to $300,000+ as well as up to 20 additional commission-free trades which are good for 2 months. Combo offers are rare and the relatively close expiry date signal something very interesting for DIY investors looking for an online trading account to consider. See table below for more details.*

There were no new offers to report at the time of publication, however we’re on the lookout for possible offers coming soon from BMO InvestorLine.

Discount Brokerage Deals

  1. Cash Back/Free Trade/Product Offer Promotions
  2. Referral Promotions
  3. Transfer Fee Promotions
  4. Contests & Other Offers
  5. Digital Advice + Roboadvisor Promotions

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
Jitney Trade 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 and fund a new account (TFSA, Margin or RRSP) with at least $1,000 and you may be eligible to receive $88 in commission credits (up to 17 commission-free trades). Use promo code SPARX88 when signing up. Be sure to read terms and conditions carefully. $1,000 $88 commission credit 60 days Access this offer by clicking here: $88 commission-credit offer . For full terms and conditions, click here. none
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, 2018
Open and fund a new account with Virtual Brokers with at least $5,000 and you may be eligible to receive up to two months of trading at $4.99 per trade (maximum of 15 trades per month). Use promo code 499COM2017 when signing up to qualify. See terms and conditions for full details. $5,000 Up to 2 months of trading at $4.99 per trade (max 15 trades per month) Commissions will be reimbursed after June 30, 2018. For more details, click here March 31, 2018
Disnat 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 DisnatTransfer 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 May 31, 2018
Open a new account at National Bank Direct Brokerage with at least a) $10,000 or B) $20,000+, and you may be eligible to receive up to A) 10 or B) 25 commission-free trades. For the 10 free trades offer, enter promo code FREE10 and for the 25 free trades offer enter promo code FREE25. This offer is also available to existing clients. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details. A) $10,000 B) $20,000+ A) 10 commission-free trades B) 25 commission-free trades 12 months Free Trades Campaign April 30, 2018
Open a new account with HSBC InvestDirect by transferring in at least A) $25,000; B) $100,000; C) $250,000; D) $500,000 or E) $1,000,000 or more from another Canadian financial institution and execute at least three commission-generating trades by April 30th, 2018, and you may be eligible to receive a cash bonus of up to A) $88; B) $188; C) $288; D) $688 or E) $988. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details. A) $25,000 B) $100,000 C) $250,000 D) $500,000 E) $1M+ A) $88 B) $188 C) $288 D) $688 E) $988 Transfer-in bonus will be deposited by November 30, 2018. Winter Offer – Transfer-In Bonus April 30, 2018
Open and fund a new qualifying account with at least $25,000 and you may qualify for one month of unlimited commission-free trades and up to one month free of an advanced data package. Use promo code ADVANTAGE14 when opening a new account. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details. $25,000 commission-free trades for 1 month + 1 month of advanced data. 1 month Active Trader Program December 31, 2018
BMO InvestorLine Open a new qualifying account with BMO InvestorLine or fund a qualifying existing account, with at least A) $50,000; B) $100,000 or C) $300,000+ in net new assets and you may be eligible to receive up to 20 commission-free equity trades plus A) $50 cash back; B) $150 cash back or C) $500 cash back. Commission-free trades are good for up to two months. In addition, eligible individuals can receive an extra $50 as part of the refer a friend program. Use promo code SPRING when signing up. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for more details on the offer. A) $50,000 B) $100,000 C) $300,000 20 commission-free equity trades AND A) $50; B) $150 C) $500. Commission-free equity trades are good for up to two months. Cash back will be deposited the week of January 21, 2019. BMO InvestorLine Spring 2018 Campaign May 31, 2018

Expired Offers
BMO InvestorLine Open a new qualifying account with BMO InvestorLine or fund a qualifying existing account, with at least A) $100,000; B) $200,000 or C) $300,000+ in net new assets and you may be eligible to receive up to A) $200 or 20 commission-free equity trades; B) $400 or 40 commission-free equity trades; or C) $750 cash back or 75 commission-free equity trades. Commission-free trades are good for up to two months. In addition, eligible individuals can receive an extra $50 as part of the refer a friend program. Use promo code SPARXCASH when signing up for the cash back offer or SPARXTRADES when signing up for the commission-free equity trade bonus. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for more details on the offer. A) $100,000 B) $200,000 C) $300,000 A) $200 or 20 commission-free equity trades. B) $400 or 40 commission-free equity trades. C) $750 or 75 commission-free equity trades. Cash back will be deposited the week of Nov. 12, 2018. Commission-free equity trades are good for up to two months. BMO InvestorLine Winter 2018 Campaign April 1, 2018
Last Updated: Apr. 2, 2018 21:45 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 B) $10,000 C) $25,000 D) $50,000 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
Scotia iTrade 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
BMO InvestorLine 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 October 31, 2018

Expired Offers
Last Updated: Apr. 1, 2018 18:45 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 Qtrade Investor from another brokerage and Qtrade Investor may cover up to $150 in transfer fees. See terms and conditions for more details. $150 $15,000 Transfer Fee Rebate none
Transfer $15,000 or more to HSBC InvestDirect, and they will pay up to $150 in transfer fees. $150 $15,000 2018 Winter Offer – Transfer-In Bonus April 30, 2018
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 $20,000 or more to a National Bank Direct Brokerage account and they will pay up to $135 plus taxes in transfer fees. $135 $20,000 Transfer Fee Rebate 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
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 April 30, 2018
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
Disnat 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 DisnatTransfer. See details link for more info. $150 $50,000 Disnat 1% Commission Credit Promo May 31, 2018
BMO InvestorLine Open a new qualifying account with BMO InvestorLine or fund a qualifying existing account, by transferring in at least $200,000+ in net new assets and you may be eligible to have transfer fees covered up to $200. Use promo code SPARXCASH when signing up to also be eligible for cash back offer or SPARXTRADES to be eligible for the commission-free trade offer. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for more details on the offer. $200 $200,000 BMO InvestorLine Winter 2018 Campaign April 1, 2018

Expired Offers
Last Updated: Apr. 1, 18:45 PT

Other Promotions

Company Brief Description Minimum Deposit Amount Required Details Link Deadline
Disnat 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
Disnat 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
Scotia iTrade 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

Expired Offers
Last Updated: Apr. 1, 2018 18:45 PT

Digital Advice + Roboadvisor Promotions

Robo-advisor / Digital advisor Offer Type Offer Description Min. Deposit Reward / Promotion Promo Code Expiry Date Link
Discounted Management Open and fund a new Questrade Portfolio IQ account with a deposit of at least $1,000 and the first month of management will be free. For more information on Portfolio IQ, click the product link. $1000 1st month no management fees KDKFNBBC None Questrade Portfolio IQ Promo Offer
Discounted Management Open a new account with BMO SmartFolio and receive one year of management of up to $15,000 free. See offer terms and conditions for more details. $1,000 1 year no management fees STSF April 1, 2018 SmartFolio New Account Promotion
Cash Back – Referral BMO SmartFolio clients will receive $50 cash back for every friend or family member who opens and funds a new SmartFolio account. Friends and family referred to SmartFolio will receive $50 cash back for opening and funding an account, plus automatic enrollment into SmartFolio’s mass offer in market at the time. See offer terms and conditions for more details. $1,000 $50 cash back (referrer) $50 cash back (referee) Unique link generated from SmartFolio required. None SmartFolio Website
Transfer Fee Coverage Transfer at least $25,000 into Virtual Wealth when opening a new account and you may be eligible to have up to $150 in transfer fees covered by Virtual Wealth. $25,000 up to $150 in transfer fees covered None None Contact customer service directly for more information.
Last Updated: Apr. 1, 2018 18:45 PT
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – March 30, 2018

What better way to cap off March and segue into Easter than with the talk of goodies and mythical bunnies bearing gifts? For Canadian DIY investors hunting for new and exciting features it seems like the best place to look at the moment is further south where all kinds of interesting trader treats are already being released.

In this Good Friday edition of the roundup, we kick things off with a closer look at the latest US online brokerage rankings, specifically with an eye towards interesting findings and cool feature trends. From there we’ll buzz over to a rebrand at one online brokerage that is preparing itself for the next chapter in its storied history. As usual, we’ll cap off the roundup with chatter from Twitter as well as in the investor forums.

Interactive Brokers crowned best online brokerage in the US

Although the recent news cycle south of the border makes Canadians less envious of living in America, trading in America continues to evoke a sense of envy with Canadian DIY investors – and for good reason.

Just over a week ago, Barron’s published their latest rankings of 19 online brokers in the US and found that Interactive Brokers provided online investors with the best overall online experience.

As with all rankings, it’s important to understand what the criteria mean and how the assessment is conducted, and thankfully Barron’s does a great job of providing the details of the online brokerage ranking in a way that none of the Canadian broker rankings do. Specifically, Barron’s actually enables readers to download an excel spreadsheet that contains the details of how the scores were derived.

Before getting too far into the weeds, it’s useful to point out that Barrons’ latest online brokerage rankings assessed brokerages based on the following categories:

  1. Trading Experience & Tech
  2. Usability
  3. Mobile
  4. Range of Offerings
  5. Research Amenities
  6. Portfolio Analysis and Reports
  7. Customer Service, Education, Security
  8. Costs

That Interactive Brokers topped the field of US online brokerages when it comes to costs is perhaps not that surprising. In fact, in looking at the spreadsheet drill down for the margin rates and commission cost per trade, Interactive Brokers stands out as a considerably cheaper option than many of its peers.

What was potentially more surprising was the degree to which Interactive Brokers was able to score highly on the other categories that comprised the online brokerage rankings. Over the past two years or so, it has become increasingly more noticeable that Interactive Brokers has been making additional efforts to go beyond their active trader roots and expand the support, services, products and educational content for online investors. The latest rankings from Barron’s, however, demonstrate just how well Interactive Brokers has managed to do so in the US.

Following Interactive Brokers in first place, the brokerages in second (Fidelity), third (TD Ameritrade) and fourth (Charles Schwab) were all separated by 0.8 points, a sign that it is a very close race between the top four online brokerages in the US.  That said, the graph shows that it isn’t really until after 10th place (Lightspeed Trading) that rankings scores drop off substantially. Firms at the bottom end of the rankings certainly have their work cut out for them, however, as it is clear that this is a very dynamic space.

From a Canadian perspective, it is also interesting to note how small the DIY investor market is here in Canada relative to the US and whether there are too many brokerages in Canada fighting for too small a market share. Barrons’ latest ranking covers 19 online brokerages in the US (with some notable omissions like Robinhood) however that is only slightly more than the 14 online brokerages currently here in Canada, soon to be 13 (or 12) once the Qtrade Financial and Credential Direct merger takes place. Ironically, despite the conditions favouring far more competition here in Canada between discount brokerages, it appears we’re innovating far slower than in the US.

In digging into the actual spreadsheets of the brokerage rankings, there were a few interesting trends noted that might be on the horizon (or just wishful thinking) for Canadian investors. For example, one of the categories that showed up in this year’s detailed ranking breakdown was whether an online brokerage offered cryptocurrency trading.

Already there were 8 online brokerages in the US that had come connectivity to cryptocurrency trading data or trading enabled. Interestingly, Charles Schwab was the only brokerage in the top five ranked online brokers that didn’t offer some kind of connectivity to trade cryptocurrency (e.g. Bitcoin futures).

Other features that we noted that were far ahead of what’s available to Canadian DIY investors included integration with smart home devices, such as Amazon’s Echo. Five online brokerage firms already have this integration deployed or are actively working to do so. Similarly, chatbots on social media are another feature that appears to be growing in popularity with online brokerage providers.

Another interesting observation of the results was the position that Tastyworks ranked in (8th), an amazing feat considering that it was just shy of edging long-time brokerage E*Trade and that Tastyworks has not been around nearly as long. Whether Tastyworks can sustain its growth and challenge better-funded incumbents remains to be seen, but the fact that they’re already scoring as highly as they are means whatever is resonating with investors.

Finally, another feature that casts a very unfavourable light on Canadian online brokerages is the speed with which online brokerages in the US are able to onboard and enable clients to begin trading. Wait times range from almost zero to four days in the US, with the many firms enabling same day trading and account opening.

The US is certainly a faster moving market when it comes to feature development and deployment than Canada is. Nonetheless, it is interesting to note that the Canadian online brokerages looking to make a splash here would be wise to pay attention to some of the abovementioned features.

For the moment, Canadian DIY investors have to content themselves with peering over the fence to see how the other side trades.

To Bee or not to Bee: Desjardins Online Brokerage gets a logo refresh

On the marketing front, Desjardins Online Brokerage updated its corporate logo to bring it in alignment with the parent Desjardins who also updated their storied logo.

This modern incarnation of the logo retains elements of the previous iteration, such as the green colour and the honeycomb hexagon however this logo does not have the stylized bee drawing in the centre of the logo. Also updated was the typeface, with sans serif font replacing the previous version which had serifs.

While it certainly isn’t market moving news, the story behind the logo change reflects that Desjardins is moving in response to the market and readying itself for the next, digital chapter in its story.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

Overall a bit of a quiet week on Twitter aside from the usual mixture of sneers and jeers. Mentioned this week were Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE, TD Direct Investing and Virtual Brokers.

From the Forums

Tax Talk

At this time of year DIY investors are diligently working to compile trading statements and calculate the tax implications for their trades. Ironically, managing the required paperwork is itself taxing.

In this post (on TD Direct Investing) and this post (about BMO InvestorLine) it is interesting to see how some DIY investors are managing the business of keeping their transactions in order.

Short and not sweet

Playing in the investor forum sandbox can sometimes be a place for some tough love. This post, from reddit’s Personal Finance Canada thread highlights one investor’s curiousity about selling puts and a response received to proceed with caution.

Into the Close

Whether you were short the week or long the weekend, on behalf of everyone here at SparxTrading.com, we wanted to wish you a safe and ‘hoppy’ Easter! Remember be on the lookout for pranksters this weekend!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – March 9, 2018

From real war to trade war, what are either good for? Attention apparently. As provinces and countries trade barbs, online brokerages battling one another have turned to toasting rather than roasting.

It was a very full week for Canada’s discount brokerages so there’s lots to get to in this week’s roundup. First, we dive in with a look at the response to the Globe and Mail online brokerage rankings and how Canada’s online brokers have cleverly found ways to shine a light on their perceived strengths. From there we’ll take a quick look at several important developments that took place this week, including the celebration of International Women’s Day and the possible ramp up to online account openings at one of Canada’s largest online brokers. Also on deck this week is an interview we spotted with an online brokerage CEO. As usual we’ll round out the week with a look at DIY investor tweets as well as comments from the investor forums.

Rank & File

One of the greatest boxers of all times, Muhammad Ali, said ‘it ain’t bragging if you can back it up’. While Ali was certainly no stranger to clever marketing, marketing teams at Canadian online brokerages are no light weights either when it comes to trumpeting their achievements.

Following the release of the Globe and Mail’s Canadian online brokerage rankings, several Canadian discount brokerages have ramped up their marketing efforts, highlighting in particular their status as the best Canadian online brokerage. So, how can everyone be Canada’s best online brokerage?

The short answer is that there are enough different measurements of online brokerages that savvy marketing teams can cherry pick which specific category strength best suits their objectives. Below is a compilation of the online brokerage websites and some display ads that we reviewed this week that had some element of claiming to be ‘the best’ online brokerage in Canada.

Discount Brokerage Website Source of Ranking
BMO InvestorLine 2017 Best Mobile Customer Experience Surviscor, Nov. 2017
CIBC Investor’s Edge MoneySense ranks us #1 in Fees and Commissions Moneysense (powered by Surviscor), Jun. 2017
Desjardins Online Brokerage “Highest in investor satisfaction with self-directed brokerage firms” in Canada according to J.D. Power J.D. Power & Associates, Sep. 2017
National Bank Direct Brokerage A study conducted by Surviscor has concluded that we offer the most competitive pricing among direct brokerage firms Surviscor (date not specified)
Qtrade Investor The Globe and Mail’s best online broker in Canada 2018 Globe and Mail, Feb. 2018
Questrade Canada’s leading non-bank online brokerage Not specified
Scotia iTRADE Top Bank-Owned Firm

19th annual review of Canada’s online brokerages by Rob Carrick of The Globe and Mail

 Globe and Mail, Feb. 2018
Virtual Brokers Virtual Brokers takes the #1 spot again in the 18th Annual Globe and Mail Online Brokerage Ranking of 2016 Globe and Mail, Dec. 2016

 

As readers will note from the table above, there are at least 8 online brokerages who are making the claim to be the best in some fashion, which brings us back to a topic that we’ve covered extensively at SparxTrading.com – how does one really define what makes an online brokerage the best?

On the front end of an online brokerage’s website, however, recognition awards look great. And, while the details of those awards may not be fully explained or revealed, some DIY investors who may quickly glance at the messaging might consider it enough to see that something has been won even if that award might be out of date.

For example, Virtual Brokers’ website still has the material stating that it came in first in the Globe and Mail ratings from 2016, but does not mention the 2017/18 rankings at all. Conversely, Qtrade Investor has the current rankings specified in the titling and even includes a version of the full Globe and Mail article.

Of course, while text can be highly specific, it is even more interesting to compare the ‘best online brokerage’ award communication visually.

Take the example of a very well-designed graphic for Scotia iTRADE which appeared on their website this past week. The artwork simply states “Top Bank-Owned Firm” and the 19th Annual Online Broker Ranking however it actually doesn’t specify the source. So, while it looks official, it is not an actual seal issued by the Globe and Mail the way that Surviscor or J.D. Power might award a seal.

By comparison, the badge used on CIBC Investor’s Edge website for the MoneySense rankings has a very visible #1 Best Online Brokerages but doesn’t specify that it’s for pricing – that comes later in the text. Interestingly, because CIBC Investor’s Edge and Questrade were both tied for the ‘best pricing’ recognition, Questrade could verbatim claim the same thing.

For DIY investors the takeaway remains: it is important to understand how the results of online brokerage rankings are measured and what they are actually measuring. Clearly, online brokerages are keen on showcasing results and recognition when they do well – and for some brokerages this might be easier to do than others. Nonetheless consumers need to be mindful of looking at the online brokerage provider’s marketing language closely. Ultimately, brands that make bold promises set expectations high and, as a result, they have to back up the hype with follow through.

Financial Firms Celebrate International Women’s Day

This week, International Women’s Day was recognized the world over and a much-needed spotlight was shone on the progress achieved for equality and challenges that still lie ahead. Encouragingly, recognition and participation in this event continues to grow.

To mark the occasion many Canadian financial service firms put together customized content that spoke to the experiences of women in business as well as delivered perspectives on investing. A couple of noteworthy pieces came from BMO as well as from RBC.

BMO had a few items in place for International Women’s Day. Earlier in the week, BMO Wealth Management along with media personality Lena Almeida (@Listen2Lena) teamed up once again for another Twitter session on investing. This session was specifically geared towards highlighting issues and perspectives related to women and investing. As with the sessions previous, this was a very informative and insightful hour-long session that enabled lots of discussion (and featured lots of gifs) on some very interesting questions. We’ve pulled the questions and answers for those who missed it.


In another piece by BMO, which was shared via Twitter, Joanna Rotenberg, Group Head of Wealth Management shared her perspectives on International Women’s Day and where the challenges and opportunities exist for women in a professional setting.

As part of their Inspired Investor content series, RBC Direct Investing also compiled a very interesting collection of perspectives on investing by women investors.

Having women share their own experiences and impressions of investing first-hand provides a powerful and hopefully engaging way in which to make investing – and DIY investing – more accessible to women.

Read the full article here.

Interview with Questrade’s CEO

This past week, CEO of Questrade appeared on a podcast by Kornel Szrejber of BuildWealthCanada.ca to discuss the world of investing online and where Questrade fits into the Canadian landscape of investment service providers. It was an interesting interview with a broad range of topics covered, however of particular interest to DIY investing followers, was Kholodenko’s perspectives on the competitiveness of the Canadian discount brokerage market. At about the 13-minute mark, he provides his view that competition between Canadian online brokerages is incredibly fierce and that all firms, including Questrade, will be continuously tested to deliver great trading experiences.

TD Direct Investing Rolls Out Online Account Opening

It looks like news of the online account opening feature at TD Direct Investing is starting to percolate. After a bumpy start to 2018, TD Direct Investing appears to be prepping for a larger spotlight to be cast on its online account opening feature.

This week we spotted an article on the TD newsroom site that linked to a sponsored post from a personal finance blogger, David Carlson, who caters specifically to millennials on primarily US-focused content. Carlson’s article provided a walk-through of the account opening process and highlighted some of the noteworthy features, the most important one being the speed with which signups for a TD Direct Investing account can now happen online.

Stay tuned on this story as online account opening will no doubt be an important feature for 2018 that will be the focus of several online brokerages who do not already have this in place yet.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

Tweets from DIY investors were an interesting mix of technical and user issues as well as a handful of compliments. Mentioned this week were BMO InvestorLine, Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE and TD Direct Investing.

From the Forums

Off to a Balanced Start

Passive investing is very popular with many Canadian investors. It is also a major selling point for robo-advisors. This post, from reddit’s Canadian Investor thread highlights a possible threat to robo-advisors and opportunity for online brokerages who can deliver a ‘robo’ like performance to clients without having them switch.

On the Record

Now that tax time is here, there inevitably questions about when forms and documentation arrive. This interesting post from one online investor highlights the timing that TFSA contributions may take to show up in the CRA’s system. As a result, it is a good reminder that part of the reality of online investing entails keeping organized records.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap on another week. Somehow it seems like sanity is going to prevail, with the pharma-bro getting his comeuppance, diplomacy resurfacing and the Cleveland Browns getting a capable quarter back. Of course, things are still stormy in the weather, the White House and between Alberta and BC so there’s still no shortage of drama to tune into this weekend – just a shortage of an hour. Wherever you happen to find yourself, have a great weekend and don’t forget to “spring forward”!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – March 2, 2018

Whether or not we like it, we can’t seem to avoid politics drifting into markets. One thing there is no shortage of, however, is controversy. This week is no exception. With uncertainty creeping into markets, how online brokerages are navigating their way through a very dynamic situation is both exciting and, at times, nerve wracking.

With the start of a new month, we kick off this week’s roundup with a look at the latest action on the deals front and what one Canadian online brokerage appears to be doing to stand out from the crowd. Next we take a look at the return of volatility to the trading markets as well as the return, in a big way, of DIY investors. Also on the docket, a very interesting article that once again raises the specter or hope of a world in which DIY investors don’t pay any trading commissions. We’ll cap off the roundup with a look at what DIY investors were saying on Twitter and in the investor forums.

Deals March On

With the rush of the RSP contribution deadline now behind everyone, Canadian online brokerages are taking a bit of a pause to crunch the numbers on their efforts to attract new clients and deposits into RRSP accounts.

While we wait for the dust to settle on February, early action from the deals and promotions side heading into March point to a pullback in the number of cash back offers as well as an interesting maneuver by Qtrade Investor to incentivize DIY investors to consider making a switch.

Starting first with a quick overview, in this month’s deals & promotions, we noted that with the expiry of cash back offers from Qtrade Investor, TD Direct Investing, CIBC Investor’s Edge and Scotia iTRADE, the field of providers who currently offer the most cash back bonus at a given deposit tier is very diverse.

As the chart above shows, Questrade’s referral cash bonus offer stands out in the <$10K range and surfaces again in the $100K to $200K deposit level. BMO InvestorLine, whose offer does not apply to TFSA accounts, dominates between $200K and $999K. Perhaps a bit of a surprise name on this list is Credential Direct whose offer at the $1M+ level is currently the highest, but also at the $15K to $25K level and between $50K and $100K. Another surprising name is HSBC InvestDirect which happens to have the top offer in the $25K to $50K deposit range however to qualify for that offer, investors need to execute at least three commissionable trades.

Fortunately, there are still many commission-free trade offers which aren’t scheduled to expire just yet, so for some investors, there’s still some value to be had on the way into a new brokerage account.

Of course, making the switch to Qtrade Investor just became a little easier this week. Their new transfer fee reimbursement threshold has been moved down from $25,000 to $15,000. Historically this has been a limited time option and part of a special promotional offer however the website offer details (see below) don’t attach a timeframe to the offer. They do state that the offer can be revoked at any time, however this seems like it might be the new normal. If it is, then Qtrade Investor’s transfer fee coverage becomes one of the most competitive currently in the market.

It’s remarkable how consistent the transfer fee reimbursement is across brokerages. The minimum deposit of $25,000 is pretty much par for the course and for the handful of brokerages (National Bank Direct Brokerage, RBC Direct Investing, HSBC InvestDirect) whose deposit requirements are under $25,000, it is very interesting to observe that Qtrade Investor is the only non-bank-owned brokerage of that bunch.  Strategically, this helps Qtrade Investor stand out quite prominently – they stand out against almost everyone else, and they stand out against bank-owned online brokerages. In addition, the recent Globe and Mail online brokerage rankings will also help amplify their position in the market place.

The good news for DIY investors, in spite of the cash back retracement, is that there are still a number of competitive offers out there. The next big push will be for the tax refund pool before things potentially either taper off for the summer or ratchet up significantly as marijuana legalization comes back into the spotlight, and with it, attention on the cannabis stocks. Of course, volatility in either direction is usually a boon for online brokerages, which just so happens to be a great segue  into the trading stats reported by Interactive Brokers for February.

Guess Who’s Back?

The big V in February this year was not Valentine’s but rather Volatility. After all but disappearing for the better part of five years, uncertainty has crept back into the markets. What the catalyst was is itself the cause of speculation however the bet against volatility seems to be on its way out.

An interesting interview that Chairman and CEO of Interactive Brokers, Thomas Peterffy, had with CNBC pointed to a storm brewing as traders look to unwind bets and are largely at the mercy of the market to do so. Why this matters for investors is because it represents a shift in trading strategies – certainly for options traders – that will no doubt take time to adjust to. Secondarily however, volatility is great for traders and even more beneficial for online brokerages.

The stats from Interactive Brokers’ February 2018 trading metrics also clearly point to volatility pushing up trading activity. The number of Daily Average Revenue Trades (DARTs) is a whopping 50% higher on a year over year basis and 13% higher than already volatile January.

Another stat that stands out at Interactive Brokers is their continued account growth. It’s genuinely hard to argue with their growth in accounts however as good as they were in February, we’re keen to see what rival E*Trade comes out with. In January, they reported an incredible year over year increase of 149% in net new brokerage accounts (factoring in those who joined and those who left). Whether that momentum, largely driven by a frenzy in cryptocurrency, can serve as a catalyst or if it is just a blip that will revert over the next few months, there is clearly a case for volatility to stick around with many more investors jumping into the markets.

Another Final Countdown

Readers of the roundup will no doubt pick up on the reference to the song which capped off last week’s roundup. Admittedly it may have found its way onto my workout playlist however it deserves mention again this week because of an interesting article that surfaced on Seeking Alpha.

The article, which raised the specter of zero-commission trading, focused on whether Interactive Brokers could survive in the ‘post-apocalyptic’ online trading environment of commission-free trading. It is a great question which is even more interesting to ask of Canadian online brokerages whose primary business is order execution.

As technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, order execution should become frictionless, instant and essentially without cost. That, at least, is the business case of online brokerage Robinhood, which now boasts commission-free trading of stocks and options. Here in Canada, commission-free ETF trading already exists at National Bank Direct Brokerage and it will be an incredibly transformative moment should any of the major online brokerages decide to plumb the depths of sub-$5 per trade as a standard rate. Based on what’s happening in the US, it’s a matter of when, not if.

For DIY investors looking for a break, the catalyst to the move down in pricing may come sooner rather than later. After all, strategically all Canadian brokerages have to confront the same reality. The brokerage with the largest amount of assets under management has the best odds of financially weather the zero-commission reckoning. Whoever does it first in Canada will get the biggest headlines, will likely see a flood of assets and will get a very big head start on firms planning for this (and a very big head start on those who deny it could happen here).

Perhaps that catalyst may come from an unlikely place. The Canadian Securities Exchange is rolling out a blockchain platform for instant clearing and settlement of securities, something that the newest and most ‘buzzworthy’ stocks would conceivably want to take advantage of.

By reducing the time it takes to clear and settle a trade to zero, there’s a lot of friction (and cost) to the transaction of trading a stock that can be eliminated, which again makes the case for commission prices to go lower and for the monetization strategy for online brokerages to shift away from charging such high fees per trade.

So, while patience has definitely been a virtue to investors, it seems like the days of trading commissions are finally numbered, and that is definitely worth waiting for.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

We’ve hit a technical hiccup in grabbing the tweets this week. Stay tuned as we investigate this further. In the meantime, here’s a selection of what we’ve gathered so far.

From the Forums

Connections and Transfers

Getting an effortless investing strategy up and running can sometimes take quite a bit of effort. This post from reddit’s Personal Finance Canada section highlights some account funding issues that cropped up for one investor trying to fund a TFSA.

Art of the Deal

With deals on everyone’s mind, it doesn’t hurt to wonder what kind of pricing improvement could be obtained by bargaining with an online brokerage. Find out the experience of one investor who was interested in bargaining down an online brokerage on commission fees in this reddit post here.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap on a week that featured hypersonic nuclear weapons, trade wars and markets still hanging in there. I guess if there is no market to wake up to then the world has bigger problems. On that rosy note, for Toronto investors interested in the rebounding mining sector, be sure to check out the PDAC convention to get an ‘on the ground’ sense of companies who deal ‘underground’. Yours truly will be there so be sure to tune into the SparxTrading Twitter feed for highlights. #HaveAGreatWeekend

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – March 2018

*Updated Mar. 19* With so much activity and anticipation leading up to the RSP contribution deadline for the 2017 tax year, the rollover into March 1st feels a little like the start of a new year.

Discount Brokerage Deals Quick Nav

  1. Cash Back/Free Trade/Product Offer Promotions
  2. Referral Promotions
  3. Transfer Fee Promotions
  4. Contests & Other Offers
  5. Digital Advice + Roboadvisor Promotions

This past RSP season was one of the busiest in recent memory with almost all of Canada’s discount brokerages offering up some kind of deal or promotion to open a new account. Not only has the calendar rolled over, but also a few offers from Canada’s online brokerages have also turned a corner.

In the weekly roundup preceding the launch of this deals update, we also broke down how savvy DIY investors can get more mileage out the current discount brokerage deals by considering multiple brokerages instead of just one. Another important point from that post was that the details of the offer also matter, so be sure to understand the terms and conditions of the offer before agreeing to sign up.

So, with the rest of 2018 now ahead of us, the deals crop at the start of March looks healthy, clocking in at least 24 offers for DIY investors to choose from. We’ve crunched the numbers on the current cash back offers to list the ones that offer the biggest rewards at each deposit tier currently being advertised by all online brokerages. With the exit of TD Direct Investing and Scotia iTRADE, the standout cash back bonus offer field now includes Credential Direct and HSBC InvestDirect – at least for a portion of March.

As always, if there are any offers that you know about that other readers might find helpful, please feel free to share them in the comment section below.

Canadian discount brokerage promotions - cash back offers
Cash back bonus offers for Canadian discount brokerages (As of Mar. 19, 2018)

Expired Offers

Starting first with the promotions that expired heading into March. Qtrade Investor’s cash back promotion officially expired at the end of February as did Scotia iTRADE’s cash back bonus and the transfer offer which accompanied it. At the time of writing, offers from TD Direct Investing and CIBC Investor’s Edge are set to expire at 11:59pm ET on March 1st.

Extended Offers

BMO SmartFolio extended its offer of one year with no management fees. The new deadline to take advantage of this offer is now April 1st.

New Deals

The newest offer to cross the tape for DIY investors is from Qtrade Investor. The transfer fee “promotion” lowers the deposit level to qualify for a $150 fee rebate from $25,000 to $15,000. It is not the first time this offer has been run by Qtrade Investor however it is interesting to note that there is no deadline associated with this offer suggesting this might now become a standard offering. Also interesting is the timing given the wave of contributions to RRSPs that has just taken place. The deposit amount looks like it will be friendly to younger investors and beginner investors with modest portfolio sizes as well as those who are looking for an inexpensive way to “try out” Qtrade Investor.

Discount Brokerage Deals

  1. Cash Back/Free Trade/Product Offer Promotions
  2. Referral Promotions
  3. Transfer Fee Promotions
  4. Contests & Other Offers
  5. Digital Advice + Roboadvisor Promotions

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
Jitney Trade 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 and fund a new account (TFSA, Margin or RRSP) with at least $1,000 and you may be eligible to receive $88 in commission credits (up to 17 commission-free trades). Use promo code SPARX88 when signing up. Be sure to read terms and conditions carefully. $1,000 $88 commission credit 60 days Access this offer by clicking here: $88 commission-credit offer . For full terms and conditions, click here. none
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, 2018
Open and fund a new account with Virtual Brokers with at least $5,000 and you may be eligible to receive up to two months of trading at $4.99 per trade (maximum of 15 trades per month). Use promo code 499COM2017 when signing up to qualify. See terms and conditions for full details. $5,000 Up to 2 months of trading at $4.99 per trade (max 15 trades per month) Commissions will be reimbursed after June 30, 2018. For more details, click here March 31, 2018
Disnat 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 DisnatTransfer 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 March 31, 2018
Open a new account at National Bank Direct Brokerage with at least a) $10,000 or B) $20,000+, and you may be eligible to receive up to A) 10 or B) 25 commission-free trades. For the 10 free trades offer, enter promo code FREE10 and for the 25 free trades offer enter promo code FREE25. This offer is also available to existing clients. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details. A) $10,000 B) $20,000+ A) 10 commission-free trades B) 25 commission-free trades 12 months Free Trades Campaign April 30, 2018
Open a new account with HSBC InvestDirect by transferring in at least A) $25,000; B) $100,000; C) $250,000; D) $500,000 or E) $1,000,000 or more from another Canadian financial institution and execute at least three commission-generating trades by April 30th, 2018, and you may be eligible to receive a cash bonus of up to A) $88; B) $188; C) $288; D) $688 or E) $988. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details. A) $25,000 B) $100,000 C) $250,000 D) $500,000 E) $1M+ A) $88 B) $188 C) $288 D) $688 E) $988 Transfer-in bonus will be deposited by November 30, 2018. Winter Offer – Transfer-In Bonus March 30, 2018
Open and fund a new qualifying account with at least $25,000 and you may qualify for one month of unlimited commission-free trades and up to one month free of an advanced data package. Use promo code ADVANTAGE14 when opening a new account. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details. $25,000 commission-free trades for 1 month + 1 month of advanced data. 1 month Active Trader Program December 31, 2018
BMO InvestorLine Open a new qualifying account with BMO InvestorLine or fund a qualifying existing account, with at least A) $100,000; B) $200,000 or C) $300,000+ in net new assets and you may be eligible to receive up to A) $200 or 20 commission-free equity trades; B) $400 or 40 commission-free equity trades; or C) $750 cash back or 75 commission-free equity trades. Commission-free trades are good for up to two months. In addition, eligible individuals can receive an extra $50 as part of the refer a friend program. Use promo code SPARXCASH when signing up for the cash back offer or SPARXTRADES when signing up for the commission-free equity trade bonus. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for more details on the offer. A) $100,000 B) $200,000 C) $300,000 A) $200 or 20 commission-free equity trades. B) $400 or 40 commission-free equity trades. C) $750 or 75 commission-free equity trades. Cash back will be deposited the week of Nov. 12, 2018. Commission-free equity trades are good for up to two months. BMO InvestorLine Winter 2018 Campaign April 1, 2018

Expired Offers
Open and fund a qualifying account with TD Direct Investing with at least A) $10,000; B) $50,000; C) $100,000; D) $250,000 or E) $500,000+ and place at least 5 commissionable trades within 90 days of account opening and you may be eligible to receive either A) $100; B) $200; C) $300; D) $500 or E) $1,000 in cash back. Be sure to read full terms and conditions for eligibility for this offer. A) $10,000 B) $50,000 C) $100,000 D) $250,000 E) $500,000+ A) $100 B) $200 C) $300 D) $500 E) $1,000 Cash award will be paid to the client before the last day of the month following the conclusion of the qualification period (90 days). #RetireReady Promotion March 1, 2018
Transfer at least A) $25,000; B) $50,000; or C) $100,000 into a new or existing RRSP, spousal RRSP or TFSA at CIBC Investor’s Edge before March 1, 2018 and you may be eligible for a cash back offer of A) $100; B) $200 or C) $400. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details. A) $25,000 B) $50,000 C) $100,000 A) $100 B) $200 C) $400 Cash back will be deposited the week of May 4, 2018 (for transfers received by Dec. 31, 2017) or July 3, 2018 (for transfers received after Dec. 31, 2017). CIBC Investor’s Edge Cash Back Promo March 1, 2018
Open 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) $1M+ and you may be eligible to receive a cash bonus of A) $75; B) $125; C) $200; D) $500 or E) $1,000. For new clients, use promo code CASH2018RSP when applying. Existing clients can access this promotion from the promotions page available on the account backend. A donation equivalent to 10% of the bonus payout will also be made by Credential Direct to Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details. A) $15,000 B) $50,000 C) $150,000 D) $500,000 E) $1M+ A) $75 B) $125 C) $200 D) $500 E) $1000 Cash will be credited to qualifying investor accounts the week of August 20, 2018 Winter Offer 2018 March 16, 2018
Last Updated: Mar. 19, 2018 15:50 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 B) $10,000 C) $25,000 D) $50,000 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
Scotia iTrade 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
BMO InvestorLine 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 October 31, 2018

Expired Offers
Last Updated: Mar. 1, 2018 19:00 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 Qtrade Investor from another brokerage and Qtrade Investor may cover up to $150 in transfer fees. See terms and conditions for more details. $150 $15,000 Transfer Fee Rebate none
Transfer $15,000 or more to HSBC InvestDirect, and they will pay up to $150 in transfer fees. $150 $15,000 2018 Winter Offer – Transfer-In Bonus March 30, 2018
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 $20,000 or more to a National Bank Direct Brokerage account and they will pay up to $135 plus taxes in transfer fees. $135 $20,000 Transfer Fee Rebate 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
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 April 30, 2018
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
Disnat 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 DisnatTransfer. See details link for more info. $150 $50,000 Disnat 1% Commission Credit Promo March 31, 2018
BMO InvestorLine Open a new qualifying account with BMO InvestorLine or fund a qualifying existing account, by transferring in at least $200,000+ in net new assets and you may be eligible to have transfer fees covered up to $200. Use promo code SPARXCASH when signing up to also be eligible for cash back offer or SPARXTRADES to be eligible for the commission-free trade offer. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for more details on the offer. $200 $200,000 BMO InvestorLine Winter 2018 Campaign April 1, 2018

Expired Offers
Last Updated: Mar. 1, 19:00 PT

Other Promotions

Company Brief Description Minimum Deposit Amount Required Details Link Deadline
Disnat 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
Disnat 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
Scotia iTrade 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

Expired Offers
Last Updated: Mar. 1, 2018 19:00 PT

Digital Advice + Roboadvisor Promotions

Robo-advisor / Digital advisor Offer Type Offer Description Min. Deposit Reward / Promotion Promo Code Expiry Date Link
Discounted Management Open and fund a new Questrade Portfolio IQ account with a deposit of at least $1,000 and the first month of management will be free. For more information on Portfolio IQ, click the product link. $1000 1st month no management fees KDKFNBBC None Questrade Portfolio IQ Promo Offer
Discounted Management Open a new account with BMO SmartFolio and receive one year of management of up to $15,000 free. See offer terms and conditions for more details. $1,000 1 year no management fees STSF April 1, 2018 SmartFolio New Account Promotion
Cash Back – Referral BMO SmartFolio clients will receive $50 cash back for every friend or family member who opens and funds a new SmartFolio account. Friends and family referred to SmartFolio will receive $50 cash back for opening and funding an account, plus automatic enrollment into SmartFolio’s mass offer in market at the time. See offer terms and conditions for more details. $1,000 $50 cash back (referrer) $50 cash back (referee) Unique link generated from SmartFolio required. None SmartFolio Website
Transfer Fee Coverage Transfer at least $25,000 into Virtual Wealth when opening a new account and you may be eligible to have up to $150 in transfer fees covered by Virtual Wealth. $25,000 up to $150 in transfer fees covered None None Contact customer service directly for more information.
Last Updated: Mar. 1, 2018 19:00 PT
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – February 23, 2018

It’s hard to believe but time flies when you’re winning medals. Team Canada has had a great run at these Olympic games and not too long after the games are over so too will some online brokerage deals and promos as well as the chance to contribute to RSPs for the 2017 tax year.

With the RSP contribution deadline looming, this week’s roundup is a blend of news centred around the RSP deadline and what that means for Canadian discount brokerages and DIY investors. First, we take a look at how the clear winner in the rankings race this past year has made some championship moves in promoting their win. Next break down the math on some online brokerage offers to show how savvy investors can get creative with deals and save/receive even more. As usual, we’ll also check in on Twitter to recap the latest chatter from investors and showcase a pair of posts highlighting what folks were talking about in the forums.

Making A Splash

The ripple effect of the online brokerage rankings continued to permeate the news with online investors this week. For those who missed last week’s roundup, Qtrade Investor took top spot in the Globe and Mail online brokerage rankings and in doing so ranked at the top of or near the top of all the major online brokerage rankings for 2017.

This week, Qtrade Investor officially published a news release announcing their win but, in an even more interesting maneuver, also published the full online brokerage rankings article on a cleverly crafted page with the url: join.qtrade.ca. This year’s online brokerage rankings were made available only to subscribers of the Globe and Mail, so on a number of levels, Qtrade Investor publishing the article in its entirety (with permission from the Globe and Mail) means that curious readers can find the full text of the rankings without having to pay for a Globe and Mail subscription. Well played Qtrade.

With just a week to go until the RRSP contribution deadline, there will likely be many last-minute DIY investors who will be looking to get their contributions in for the 2017 tax year. So, it’s game on for Canada’s online brokerages to do their best to land new assets before the RSP buzzer hits.

As we noted last week and yet again, online brokerages like Interactive Brokers and Scotia iTRADE are pushing the advertising button with some unmissable campaigns on BNN.

And, speaking of BNN, this week there was also a segment on choosing an online brokerage in which Glenn LaCoste of Surviscor offered up some perspective on Canadian online brokers as well as provided some tips on choosing an online brokerage.

Tips from Surviscor’s Glenn LaCoste on Choosing an Online Brokerage.

This interview provided an interesting perspective about how online investors could approach shopping for a new online brokerage provider, namely that rather than just stick to one online brokerage, that DIY investors try going to several brokerages to see what might work. Ultimately, LaCoste recommends the ‘try before you buy’ approach with the value proposition for each particular online brokerage really coming down to the convenience and relevance of features that investors use.

Clearly, choosing an online brokerage is on the minds of many investors heading into the RSP deadline. And, as luck would have it, this year there is also a bumper crop of deals and promotions to choose from for either switching online brokerages or for choosing an online brokerage for the first time.  Keep reading for highlights of the offers set to expire at the RSP contribution deadline.

An I-deal Combination

This year’s RSP contribution deadline offers more than just stress to some procrastinators – it also offers the prospect of a deal or promotion for opening up an online investing account. There are lots of great deals and promotions to choose from however time is running out on a few promotions timed to expire at or just ahead of the March 1st deadline. When we reviewed the offers that were set to expire by March 1st, an interesting pattern jumped out – namely that they were all cash back bonuses and that most of these were being offered by big bank-owned brokerages. So, in typical fashion, we thought it might be interesting to compare these offers and to also see how DIY investors can get the best return on their business with some creative shopping.

First, a quick recap of all the open cash-back offers at Canadian discount brokerages shows that there are numerous offers for investors to choose from. To help make shopping a little easier, we’ve colour coded the highest cash back offer in each deposit range with green being the highest and red being the lowest.

Now, as with all things, the details are important to pay attention to when looking at these offers. Specifically, for two online brokerages, HSBC InvestDirect and TD Direct Investing, in order to qualify for the offers, a certain number of trades must be placed. Also, the offer by BMO InvestorLine does not include TFSA accounts while the offer by CIBC Investor’s Edge is only for registered accounts (TFSA and RRSP accounts). Still, for anyone shopping for an RRSP online investing account, there is a lot of choice.

Of the offers mentioned above, the following four offers are set to expire at or just before the contribution deadline of March 1st.

 Online Brokerage Expiry Date Cash Back Range Deposit Range Special Conditions
CIBC Investor’s Edge 3/1/18 $100 – $400 $25,000 – $100K+ TFSA, RRSP only
Qtrade Investor 2/28/18 $50 – $1,000 $50,000 – $1M+ None
TD Direct Investing 3/1/18 $100 – $1000 $10,000 – $500K+ Need to make 5 trades to receive bonus
Scotia iTRADE 3/1/18 $50 – $1200 $25,000 – $1M+ Pre-paid Visa gift card

For some investors, the decision about which online brokerage to choose won’t necessarily be dictated by what promotions are being offered, however savvy and experienced investors do pay attention to, and occasionally are swayed by, the offers being advertised.

Of course, for DIY investors that are looking to maximize the return on the opening of a new account, they may use the deal amount to be the deciding factor when trying to pick between two closely related online brokerages.  For example, an investor with $100K to invest in an RRSP could land $400 from CIBC Investor’s Edge instead of $188 for going with HSBC InvestDirect.

In most instances, DIY investors will only want to open one account and doing so would net the best offer anyway, however in a handful of instances, investors with higher portfolio amounts and a real desire to maximize their returns could also consider opening up multiple accounts.

Consider the following. With a $400K portfolio the best offer at a single institution is $750 (at BMO InvestorLine). If, however, that same $400K is divided up across four offers at the $100K deposit level at four different brokerages, the reward jumps to $1,150 (and it goes to $1200 if taking advantage of stackable refer-a-friend offers).

This is really interesting when one considers that the maximum cash bonus being offered for deposits is $1200 which requires $1M+ at Scotia iTRADE. In fact, it “only” takes $400K to get more cash back than with a deposit of $1M+ at all of the other brokerages (except iTRADE).

Yes, it is more work (some might argue more work than it’s worth) however for higher portfolio amounts, this strategy can yield some intriguing results. The savvy investor with a $1M portfolio can actually land $2050 in cash bonus back rather than $1200 by opening up five online brokerage accounts instead of just one.

Aside from just trying to chase bonuses, there are other advantages to diversifying between brokerage accounts, namely that investors can get access to features that are unique to each (e.g. research).

This year there are a lot of offers and choices for DIY investors to consider and ultimately benefit from when opening an online trading account. For the extreme deal seekers, this also creates some interesting opportunities to sample several brokerages and get paid a little more for the effort of doing so.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

Lots of chatter about registered accounts, new account openings and some garden variety technical difficulties. Mentioned by Canadian DIY investors were BMO InvestorLine, CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE, and TD Direct Investing.

From the Forums

Comparing Questrade and BMO InvestorLine

Fine tuning a passive investing portfolio is always interesting for DIY investors. In this post from reddit’s Personal Finance Canada section, one user is looking to get some commentary on Questrade and BMO InvestorLine for maintaining a couch potato approach.

Better Terms

One of the goals of SparxTrading.com is to provide DIY investors with better information and better value when hunting for and opening online investing accounts. It was an interesting observation on referral offers in this post from reddit’s Personal Finance Canada that calls out some important details about the way in which referral offers work. Good to read for individuals interested in the Questrade referral code offer which is widely published.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap for this week. While our closing won’t be as elaborate as the closing ceremonies for the Winter Olympics we can toss in some appropriately themed music to take DIY investors into the week before the RSP deadline. Stay warm (especially the Vancouverites!) and enjoy the festivities – team Canada has lots to celebrate this year!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – February 16, 2018

The Olympics are here and in full swing. As the world’s attention turns to the winter games, closer to home there is a fierce competition going on between Canadian online brokerages. The big prize: winning the share of wallet of Canadian investors. Interestingly, like the Olympics, there is also a fair bit of judging and controversy this week.

This week’s roundup takes a deep dive on the widely anticipated 2018 Globe and Mail Canadian online brokerage rankings and several of the noteworthy observations about this year’s rankings and the state of the industry. Next, a quick but possibly groundbreaking move by one of Canada’s junior stock exchanges that could bring blockchain into DIY investing (legitimately). As always, we’ll take a look at what DIY investors were talking about on Twitter and in the investor forums.

2018 Globe and Mail Online Brokerage Rankings Released

It’s hard to believe but the 19th edition of the Canadian online brokerage rankings were released this week. The journey here has certainly been one of endurance as technology has evolved considerably since 1999 and pricing, for the most part, has come down dramatically.

Interestingly, the bank-owned online brokerages continue to dominate the landscape however when it comes to performance on the Globe and Mail’s online brokerage rankings, it’s the non-bank-owned online brokerages that continue to shine.

Before diving into the results, it is interesting to note a few observations about the study and presentation of the latest ranking data.

The first thing that stands out is that this year’s ratings showed up much later than they usually do. Instead of a typical publish date of November or December, the ratings showed up this year with just two weeks to go before the RSP deadline. Perhaps this is timed for those last-minute shoppers, however, given the sharp spike in interest in DIY investing that hit in December and January, these rankings would likely have grabbed considerable attention in the wake of the interest and online brokerage outages that took place to kick off the year.

As with previous editions, this year’s rankings use the letter grade system to evaluate the brokerages overall performance, with key measurements of the discount brokerage field consisting of parameters such as:

  1. Who has paperless accounting?
  2. How do stock trading commissions compare?
  3. Is commission-free ETF trading available?
  4. Foreign exchange charges
  5. Are U.S.-dollar registered accounts available?
  6. What can broker smartphone and tablet apps do?
  7. Can clients send secure e-mails to get questions answered?
  8. Is there a wide choice of places to park cash?
  9. Can clients compare their portfolio returns with benchmark stock and bond indexes?
  10. How does the client website experience rank on a scale of 1 to 5?

Another tradition of the online brokerage rankings is that they added some newer features to the way the information was presented. This year’s comparisons are a bit more dynamic than year’s past, with the ability to compare specific brokerages using the factors listed above. Gone is the large table view which provides a bird’s eye look at the field across all features and instead a more focused look is possible. Based on the design, it appears a bit easier to navigate the comparison on a mobile screen than having to scroll left or right on a table, so the mobile user was clearly considered when putting this review feature in place.

This year’s rankings are also behind a pay-wall, which means that only subscribers to the Globe and Mail can review in detail the results of this year’s study. Fortunately, we’ve summarized and reported the results below and this year’s scores will be added to each broker profile so readers can compare the historical performance of a particular online brokerage in a variety of ratings. Because the Globe and Mail has disabled commenting on articles as of December 2017, this year, it was unfortunate we were not able to review the reactions of readers to the results as the responses also offer some insight as to whether the online brokerage rankings resonated with general sentiment.

With the stage set for the results themselves, let’s dive in to see what stood out from the online brokerage field this year.

There were a number of very interesting observations about this year’s rankings however to keep things digestible, we’ve selected three of the most interesting (to us) factors to hone in on.

First, Qtrade Investor taking top spot in this year’s rankings means that they have cleaned up in 2017. Specifically, they have ranked first or almost first in all of the major Canadian online brokerage rankings in 2017. Despite the very different methodologies used to evaluate online brokerages that each of these rankings present, three very different studies found Qtrade Investor stood out from their peers. For that reason, expect to see Qtrade Investor be a part of the DIY investor dialogue in 2018 for recommendations or to be short listed as an online brokerage worth considering.

In an interesting marketing quirk, the fact that Questrade – the only other Canadian online brokerage that starts with Q and has ‘trade’ in its branding, also finished on the podium (in a three-way tie with Interactive Brokers and Scotia iTRADE) means that there is sure to be some confusion as to which brokerage is which. Given how much more advertising Questrade does than Qtrade, however, this may actually tilt in Qtrade Investor’s favour.

The second very interesting observation about this year’s results is that Interactive Brokers finally made it into the list of Canadian discount brokerages considered. For many years they were left off the list, not meeting the criteria of being a typical choice for the everyday investor. With the addition of registered accounts, notably the RSP and TFSA accounts by Interactive Brokers Canada, the full spectrum of very active and less active investors appeared to be able to access this online brokerage for more than just day trading. Even more significant than being included this year is the position that Interactive Brokers Canada ranked in. Finishing in a tie for second place alongside “mainstream” brands such as Questrade and Scotia iTRADE means that Interactive Brokers came out ahead of most of the other Canadian online brokerage service providers.

Regular readers of the weekly roundup will note that we often report the (relatively low) average commission paid by IB clients and the unbroken streak of constant quarterly growth in accounts observed for the better part of a decade. This kind of attention on a brand many Canadian investors might not have considered is likely to pose a challenge to the incumbent online brokerages. Further, it also appears that Interactive Brokers is aggressively stepping up their marketing efforts in Canada.

The image below was snapped on BNN’s homepage, a very bold move by IB Canada to be front and centre with Canadian DIY investors. Look for Interactive Brokers to continue to make their presence felt in Canada with a broader market of DIY investors than the “active trader” segment.

Finally, and somewhat related to the first two observations, was that most of the top rated online brokerages in Canada were not bank-owned online brokerages at all. It appears that despite the scale and convenience factor that bank-owned online brokerages bring, when it comes to appeal to the average DIY investor, Rob Carrick’s view is that the non-bank-owned online brokerages are simply doing a better job – for the most part. A key data point in favour of that is seen in the cost of converting to US funds which showed just how much clients of Interactive Brokers and Questrade could save relative to other online brokerages when purchasing stocks in USD by converting CAD dollars.

There was one curious ranking which seems somewhat controversial – and that is awarding Scotia iTRADE, the only bank-owned online brokerage to finish tied for second place, with a B+.

One of the biggest points of debate is the fact that Scotia iTRADE is the only Canadian online brokerage to charge a standard commission pricing of at least $24.99 for accounts with less than $50,000. By presenting the rate that Scotia iTRADE charges as 9.99 per trade alongside other Canadian brokerages that charge $9.99 or less to all clients regardless of account balance creates a perception of parity in pricing when it doesn’t exist.

To be fair, there was a footnote about the commission pricing being higher for individuals with less than $50,000 however the spirit of the Globe and Mail’s rankings have usually leaned towards features that save consumers – in particular younger or more modest portfolio holders – from paying very high fees. To be in the same rank as either Questrade or Interactive Brokers, both of whom have sharply lower pricing by comparison, doesn’t quite stack up. Pricing aside, there was also a versatility gap when it came to US dollar registered accounts that is highlighted in the table above. Specifically, Scotia iTRADE did not offer any (at the time of publication) whereas brokerages such as Virtual Brokers offered a higher number.

The justification that was provided (which acknowledged looking past both the pricing and lack of USD registered accounts) was that the user experience, in particular the website, was more than helpful enough to make up for the value difference. To be fair, for clients with more than $50,000 at Scotia iTRADE, the value equation certainly appears compelling, however that is a rather sizeable hurdle to overcome for many beginner DIY investors.

One of the important takeaways about the Globe and Mail rankings is that there is a high degree of subjectivity that goes into awarding the final grade. The ranking breakdowns were not provided at the time of publishing so it is difficult to see the weights that each factor played in determining the grades, however the apparent importance of website experience coupled with the subjective nature of that rating means that DIY investors relying on the rankings should understand that their experience may vary from the assessments put forward by Rob Carrick.

Nevertheless, this year’s online brokerage rankings do contain interesting nuggets worth reading and considering when choosing a possible online brokerage. The new dynamic features add an interesting user experience to the comparison process and with additional coverage of Interactive Brokers, this year’s results seem to reaffirm Carrick’s view that bank-owned online brokerages aren’t necessarily the gold standard, rather, the independent and non-bank-owned options are stronger competitors than they’ve ever been.

Blockchain on the Horizon

The Canadian Securities Exchange announced this week that they are seeking regulatory clearance to launch a clearing and settlement platform powered by blockchain that will enable trades to settle instantly. Moreover, this platform will also enable the CSE to allow companies to issue Security Token Offerings (STOs) that will utilize smart contracts as a mechanism to bring regulated securities to public markets.

On the settlement front, this is a potential game changer for investors who would no longer have to wait days for trades to settle and as such wait to access funds from the sale of a stock position. More than the time factor, this could be the next catalyst for trading commission prices to go lower as the cost for clearing and settling trades would likely also be lower with fewer intermediary steps and a lower cost for the online brokerages to plug into this clearing system.

Right now, there’s still a regulatory process that will dictate the launch of this platform however the announcement in and of itself should be enough to spur the current (and only) clearing house in Canada to explore means to innovate.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

Another week of technical difficulties and interesting client service issues aired in the public view. Mentioned by Canadian DIY investors were BMO InvestorLine, CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE, TD Direct Investing, and Virtual Brokers.

From the Forums

Win, Lose or Withdraw

TFSAs can be powerful vehicles for DIY investors to build wealth, but there are finer points to understanding how they work. This post, from the Canadian Money Forum, provides a valuable look at how the ins and outs of the TFSA work for DIY investors.

Digging for Info

The first time in the markets can be an intimidating moment. This post from reddit’s Canadian Investor forum thread highlights one user’s experience and also contains a very interesting (albeit brief) comparison of Interactive Brokers and Questrade – two names that made news this week.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap on another volatile week in the markets. Thankfully it’s a long weekend for Canadian investors which also happens to coincide with the lunar New Year. Have a safe, happy and relaxing long weekend and best wishes for a prosperous year of the dog!