If there’s one thing that can take a Canadian discount brokerage from obscurity to contender, it’s dramatically lowering its standard commission pricing. Despite a relatively quiet summer, the lead up to the fall of 2015 has now officially been marked with a price drop from an unlikely source: HSBC InvestDirect. As of early September, HSBC […]

The big story for Canadian online brokerages in 2014 was undoubtedly lower commission pricing. For 2015, however, it appears that Desjardins Online Brokerage has clearly cast user experience and design into the spotlight as they prepare for the launch of their newly redesigned website. SparxTrading.com was fortunate enough to get an exclusive first look at […]

For Canadian discount brokerages, the idea of providing great client service is a moving target. Not too long ago service used to refer to the ‘offline’ world and meant having a face-to-face interaction at a branch. That gave way to the telephone, and the telephone to email, and email to web chat and web chat […]

Edited Dec. 22/14 What an exciting year to be a DIY investor. As an active observer and commentator on the landscape of Canada’s online brokerages, we’ve seen some dramatic changes this past year. Whether it was reduction in commission pricing, changes in account types or enhancements to platforms, user experience or investor education, 2014 presented […]

For many who wade into the waters of DIY investing, those first few steps begin in shallow waters. With no lifeguard on duty and countless warnings of sharks and other dangers, those first steps can be nerve wracking. And yet, despite the nerves, and the warnings, the promise of fortunes and financial freedom continue to […]

This year’s J.D. Power & Associates’ Canadian discount brokerage rankings were recently announced. As with years past, the rankings and the underlying survey they’re based on, provided a unique window into the collective voice of Canadian self-directed investors and their perceptions of Canada’s online discount brokerages. In the first of our multi-part special series on […]

The online brokerage battle is boldly going where many thought it might – into a full-on price war.  Sparxtrading.com has learned from sources within CIBC Investor’s Edge that they’re planning to slash their trading commission rate to $6.95 for all clients. The pricing change could be officially announced as early as Monday. What we’ve learned […]

Earlier last week the Canadian discount brokerage landscape saw a massive deal unfold. Scotia iTrade, one of Canada’s bank-owned online brokerages, launched their latest offer: 500 commission-free trades or $500 cash back for deposits of $500,000 (or more). Yes, that’s correct, 500 commission-free trades or $500 cash back. Aside from the headline grabbing numbers, what […]

Here’s a question few people get asked in their day: what would it take to join a club that let’s DIY investors pay $9.99 in commission per trade? Well, if that ‘club’ is online broker Scotia iTrade, the answer is $50,000. At first blush the number may seem steep, however because of how that $50,000 […]

In a landscape littered with commission price drops, lowering price can only go so far in winning the attention and loyalty of potential and existing DIY investor clients. So, what is the secret ingredient Canadian online brokerages need in order to win the attention of self-directed investors? It’s no secret actually – build something really […]

The latest offer put forth from Questrade is a sign that Canadian discount brokerages are gearing up to compete even more creatively for new clients. In this post we take a detailed look at Questrade’s commission-free-trade-per-month offer to see what consumers are being offered and what potential strategies might be at play from Questrade’s end. […]

The price war between Canadian online brokerages just got a little hotter as Credential Direct announced a major shift in its pricing structure and a substantial commission price drop. Effective July 9th the standard commission per online equity trade at Credential Direct is $8.88. That is a significant drop from their previous standard commission price […]

In a world filled with TLDRs and endless opportunities to like, tweet, pin and share, finding the time or inclination to take on investing can be as much of a challenge as finding the money to do it with.   And yet, as part of growing trend among Canadian online brokerages, would be and actual younger […]

Just in time for Easter, SparxTrading.com is pleased to announce the roll-out of some very egg-citing features we’ve been working on. While we have been hinting about some improvements for some time, we’re glad to announce that they’re just about ready to be unveiled. This year will have several big features launched, but one of […]

In part one of this series, we looked at the recent moves by Canadian bank-owned online brokerages to reduce their standard commission fees.  Since standard commission fees are just part of the fee picture, part two focuses on how to evaluate the other fees that clients may still be on the hook for. Small Stack […]

For Canadian discount brokerages, 2014 has already been an eventful year. It has now been just over a month since RBC Direct Investing announced the lowering of their standard trading commissions and in that time, the predicted response from several other bank-owned online brokerages has materialized. Since the RBC announcement, BMO InvestorLine, TD Direct Investing […]

For many years, observers of the Canadian discount brokerage marketplace as well as the discount brokers themselves have all understood that the online brokerage business is a highly competitive space. Despite the many trends in products, services and pricing that have occurred over the last decade the standard commission rates at bank-owned brokerages have remained […]

For individual investors, shopping for an online trading account often requires doing a fair amount of research and comparison between brokerages.  While commissions & fees are the most important factor investors consider when choosing an account, what it’s like to be a client of a particular brokerage is also something many investors are often curious […]

If you’ve ever watched a hockey game, you’ve probably seen team owners and managers high up in the stands stoically gazing down at the action.  Even though they’re watching the same game as many of the cheering fans, the team managers and owners’ view of the action is far different than that of the crowds […]

In the spirit of sharing, we’ve put together a special series of tips for investors collected from throughout SparxTrading.com’s collection of great articles, interviews and reports.  Be sure to check back here daily through December 25th for the latest tip or follow us on Twitter to get updates on when they’re released. Investor Tip #12: […]