What Your Stockbroker Doesn’t Want You to Know

[@SmartMoneywithKai]

Have you done this calculation for your own broker? Would love to hear from you and what kind of spreads and mark-up percentage you got, would be helpful for anyone watching. Cheers

[@manon999stir]

Very interesting video, thank you

[@SmartMoneywithKai]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it 🙌

[@Cian_CC]

Hi Kai, I compared numerous stocks / ETFS on trading 212 and trade republic. Every single one was cheaper on trade republic. This seems too good to be true, is there something I am missing out on?

[@RawanAlabd-pj2wr]

what other brokers beside IBKR do you recommend that have low costs?

[@ulviabdullayev9625]

This is going to change effective 2026, because EU will ban PFOF (payment for order flow). And the Neobrokers won't be able to earn on spreads, rather they will increase the transaction fees, pretty much what IBKR does.

[@SmartMoneywithKai]

Hi, thanks for sharing and great insight 👌 The EU will indeed enforce a ban on Payment for Order Flow (PFOF) by June 30, 2026, requiring brokers to change their revenue models. Many neobrokers, which rely on PFOF, are expected to introduce or increase transaction fees, similar to Interactive Brokers’ structure. However, this ban does not regulate price markups directly. Brokers will still have discretion in setting spreads or fees, as long as they comply with EU transparency and investor protection regulations. Cheers

[@doh35]

What about Bitcoin? Is there a market price for it? And does the spread differ between brokers? After all there is zero comission Crypto brokers too, but are they any cheaper that the ones who charge comission?

[@SmartMoneywithKai]

Hi and you made a great point there. Would be a good idea for a future video to do the same but for Bitcoin and compare different exchanges because yes, it's pretty much the same principle. They charge what's called a maker and/or take fee, some show it, some don't. As for price-mark-up this also fluctuates a lot, some big exchanges like Binance, Bybit, OKX have high liquidity and give you usually the current market price, but some more beginner friendly apps/exchanges often disguise this and charge you a hefty markup. For example Crypto. com app super easy to buy buy crazy expensive, if you use Crypto com exchange, it's a bit more complicated but much better prices. Same for Nexo regular app vs Nexo Pro so yes, they make a big difference long-term 👌 Cheers

[@ademottoman962]

Could you make a video about Degiro? Their fees, margins, etc...? I'd really like to know your thoughts on it. Please make a video.

[@SmartMoneywithKai]

Hi, great suggestion, unfortunately it seems they are not available for UAE residents at this stage. Found a fee schedule here www.degiro.com/data/pdf/uk/UK_Feeschedule.pdf FX fee for me seems t0o high, I think for that T212 is better. Cheers

[@vitala3535]

@@SmartMoneywithKaiDEGIRO fees become very high

[@rein2523]

Not showing any broker examples (except the one that banned you) just to protect your affiliate earnings is disappointing, Kai. You’ve lost some trust from me with that approach

[@JeffyB-d6x]

Who and why banned him? Was it a video?

[@rein2523]

@@JeffyB-d6x Trade Republic, since it's under the European Bank umbrella and is therefore only available for EEA residents. (which Dubai isn't obviously)

[@Kway32]

He clearly showed examples with Interactive Brokers

[@SmartMoneywithKai]

Appreciate the comment, but let’s clear a few things up for the sake of accuracy (and fairness). First, I did show examples-Interactive Brokers and Trade Republic, as well as mentioning my highest brokers spread of 0.3%, which was eToro when I checked last time. The video was meant to be conceptual, highlighting why you need to do your own research on spreads and markups, which vary depending on the stock, market, currency, and broker. Generalizing isn’t useful or accurate, and those numbers aren’t readily listed on brokers’ websites. So, you’re welcome to run your own numbers, which I also invited viewers to share at the end of the video as this would be helpful for everyone watching. Second, Trade Republic didn’t ‘ban’ me-let’s not twist words here. They closed my account, which is very different. And yes, from my experience, their spreads/markups were the highest, which I shared openly. Lastly, let’s talk about affiliate income, since it seems to bother you. This isn’t a charity channel-it’s a finance KZbin channel, so yes, I monetize without adding extra costs to you. That’s how affiliate marketing works-it’s a win-win. If I wanted to maximize my income without standards, I’d accept the flood of random sponsorship offers from questionable brokers & crypto exchange I get. But I only recommend platforms I use myself, with my own money, because I hold them to my own standards. So, while I appreciate the feedback, I think your comment misses the mark. Let’s aim for positivity and a little less suspicion next time. Cheers.

[@SmartMoneywithKai]

I know right, was also puzzled to see this comment 😂

[@fitnessking2]

That's why I closed my etoro year a ago because stock price was something else. Now very happy with trading212 and lightyear. Our banks asking 10eur for buying and selling. Example buying one 5eur stock (fee 10eur) and want sell 5eur stock again fee 10eur. Sick

[@SmartMoneywithKai]

Thanks for sharing and yes, especially with CFD's eToro seems very expensive and stocks I don't buy but can imagine it is. For ETF's it's for me on average 0.3% which honestly I am fine with, on a €500 comes to the same total cost as it would via IBKR. Yeah, banks are a no-go for sure for that 😉

[@musicbeat8120]

amazing video 🦾💯 i learn a lot of value in this video

[@SmartMoneywithKai]

Thanks a lot, very happy to hear that 🙌