Guides and explainers
Brokers for beginners
The company behind the broker: how to check the firm behind the price
The firm behind a broker decides how safe and how workable an account is, so compare founding year, legal entity, home country, licence and support routes before you compare costs.
Brokers for beginners
Broker fees and costs: how to compare what you pay
Broker charges spread much wider than the headline trade fee suggests, so compare account fees, currency conversion, inactivity charges, options fees, margin rates and minimum deposits alongside the per-trade figure.
Brokers for beginners
Brokers: markets and platforms compared
Comparing brokers starts with three things: the markets they cover, the account type you need and the platform you will use every day.
Brokers for beginners
Regulation and Registers: How to Check a Broker Before You Deposit
Every broker licence names a regulator and a public register, and reading those entries tells you who polices the firm, which entity holds your account and what stands behind your money.
Brokers for beginners
Brokers: safety and regulation
How to compare broker regulators, licence numbers and compensation schemes before you deposit, and what to check on a public register.
Brokers for beginners
How to choose a broker for beginners
Beginners can compare brokers by starting with account and trading fees, then checking regulation, protection and whether the account suits how they want to trade.
CFD brokers
How to Choose a CFD Broker
Compare CFD brokers on account fees, trading costs, deposit thresholds, client money protection and the risk warnings that tell you how the account behaves.
Copy trading platforms
How to choose a copy trading platform
Compare copy trading platforms by account and trade fees, the money needed to start, who holds the cash and what protection sits behind it, then by the account itself.
Forex brokers
How to choose Forex brokers
Comparing costs, money protection and how the account works, using CFI, eToro and Vantage as worked examples.
Futures trading platforms
Futures trading platforms: how to compare fees, protection and account rules
Futures platforms differ most in account charges, minimum deposits, regulator and the protection scheme behind your money, so a fair comparison has to read those lines before the market list.
Investment platforms and apps
How to Choose Investment Platforms and Apps
Investment platforms differ most in how they charge, how little they accept and what stands behind your money, so a shortlist works best when the same few points are checked on every option.
Low-fee brokers
How to choose low-fee brokers: fees, protection and account types
Firstrade and Robinhood both charge nothing to trade stocks, so the choice comes down to account fees, transfer costs, protection levels and what you plan to trade.
Margin trading brokers
How to Choose a Margin Trading Broker
Margin brokers charge for two separate things, the trade and the borrowing behind it, so the right pick depends on your margin rate, the fees attached to your account type, the regulator and protection scheme behind your money, and how …
Options trading platforms
How to Choose an Options Trading Platform
Compare per-contract fees, minimums, account structures and protection schemes across options platforms, then pick the account that matches how you trade.
P2P lending platforms
How to choose a P2P lending platform
P2P platforms differ most in account fees, withdrawal costs and protection for your money, so compare those three things line by line before you commit funds.
Prop trading firms
How to Choose a Prop Trading Firm
Four prop trading firms compared on what you pay, how much you are allowed to lose, how much of your profit you keep, and who sits on the other side of the contract.
Robo-advisors
How to choose a robo-advisor: fees, protection and account types
Weighing fees, minimum investments, investor protection and account type side by side turns a robo-advisor shortlist into a decision you can defend.
Stock and ETF brokers
How to choose a stock and ETF broker
Compare stock and ETF brokers on the trade fee, the account type behind it, deposit and withdrawal charges, the regulator and protection scheme, and the retail loss warning before you fund an account.
Robo-advisors
Robo-advisors: the company behind the account
The legal entity that stands behind a robo-advisor account decides who handles your money when something goes wrong, so it is worth checking before you invest.