Traders and Investors | Interactive Brokers (2024)

IBKR's low costs and global market access help maximize your returns.4 Earn extra income1, borrow at low rates, spend directly against your account and invest globally from a single account.

Lower costs for stock traders Read More

Global Markets Read More

Integrated Investment Management Read More

Innovative Technology Read More

Financial Strength Read More

Investors' Marketplace Read More

Traders' University Read More

Open An Account Read More

Lowest Cost*

Our transparent, low commissions and financing rates, support for best price execution,
and higher interest paid minimize your costs to help you maximize your returns.

Generate
Higher Returns

IBKR offers lower commissions, no ticket charges, no minimums, no technology, software, platform or reporting fees, low financing rates and competitive interest paid on idle cash balances.

Learn More

Support for Best
Price Execution

IB SmartRoutingSM searches for the best firm stock, option, and combination prices available at the time of your order, and seeks to immediately execute your order electronically. IBKR Pro clients received a net US dollar price improvement of $0.43 per 100 shares vs. the industry bid / offer.

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Lowest Margin
Rates

We offer the lowest margin loan interest rates of any broker, according to the Barron's 2019 online broker review. Click below to calculate your own sample margin loan interest rate.

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Stock Yield
Enhancement Program

Earn income on your fully-paid stock shares in our Stock Yield Enhancement Program. The program lets us borrow your shares in exchange for cash collateral, and then lend the shares to traders who are willing to pay a fee to borrow them. You will be paid a loan fee each day that your stock is on loan.

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*For more information, click here.

Lower investment costs will increase your overall return on investment, but lower costs do not guarantee that your investment will be profitable.

Rated #1 -
Best Online Broker 2020!*


See all of our Awards


* See ibkr.com/info for full disclosure

Your Gateway to the World's Markets

Invest globally in stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds and funds from a single integrated account.

150Markets

34Countries

24Currencies

Access market data 24 hours a day and six days a week to stay
connected to all global markets.

Convert currencies at market determined rates as low as 1/10 of a basis point, or create a position collateralized by a non-native currency.

Fund your account in multiple currencies. Trade assets denominated in multiple currencies from a single account.

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Integrated Cash Management

Unlike other brokers with separate bank accounts in which you have to transfer cash back and forth, IBKR's cash management is integrated into your broker account.

Traders and Investors | Interactive Brokers (9)

Leverage Technology Built to Help You
Get Ahead

Trading Platforms

Powerful enough for the professional trader but designed for everyone. Available on desktop, mobile and web.

Free Trading Tools

Spot market opportunities, analyze results, manage your account and make better decisions with our free trading tools.

Order Types and Algos

100+ order types – from limit orders to complex algorithmic trading – help you execute any trading strategy.

Comprehensive Reporting

Real-time trade confirmations, margin details, transaction cost analysis, sophisticated portfolio analysis and more.

Financial Strength and Stability

Our strong capital position, conservative balance sheet and automated risk controls are designed to protect IBKR and our clients from large trading losses.

Interactive Brokers Group (IBG LLC) equity capital exceeds $14.1 billion, over $9.7 billion in excess of regulatory requirements.1 25.4% of IBG LLC is owned by the publicly traded company, Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and the remaining 74.6% is owned by our employees and affiliates.

Unlike other firms, where management owns a small share, we participate substantially in the downside just as much as in the upside which makes us run our business conservatively.

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  1. Includes Interactive Brokers Group and its affiliates.

Investors' Marketplace

600+

investment
services

320+

research
services

450+

technology
services

200+

administrative
services

40+

business dev
services

The Investors' Marketplace lets individual traders and investors, institutions and third-party service providers meet and do business together.

Search for and do business with multiple advisors, brokers, and wealth managers. Access dozens of advisor portfolios, including Smart Beta portfolios, offered by Interactive Advisors. Accredited investors and qualified purchasers can search for, research and invest with hedge funds.

  • Advertise your services at no cost and reach individual and institutional users worldwide.
  • Locate third-party vendors offering API and FIX CTCI solutions.
  • Find third-party, institutional-caliber research providers and access research directly through Trader Workstation (TWS).

Find Services

On Demand Learning at Interactive Brokers

Even the most experienced traders or investors need to keep learning to stay ahead. Interactive Brokers provides several resources to help you better understand IBKR products and services, markets and technology.

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Traders' Academy Courses and Interactive Tours

Take one of our courses to explore stocks, options, futures and currency trading, or get up to speed quickly on Trader Workstation and TWS online trading tools with one of our interactive tours.

Learn More

Traders and Investors | Interactive Brokers (11)

IBKR Traders' Insight

Traders' Insight is a key resource for market participants seeking timely commentary directly from industry professionals on the front lines of today's fast-moving markets.

Learn More

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IBKR Quant Blog

More Quants and finance professionals will find the latest news and sample code for data science and trading using Python, R, and other programming languages at the IBKR Quant Blog.

Learn More

Traders and Investors | Interactive Brokers (13)

Webinars

We offer an extensive program of free trader webinars. Watch, listen, and ask questions from your home or office computer as our webinar instructors clearly describe our technology, trading, and markets around the world. Our webinars are also recorded so if you can't attend a live webinar, you can experience it on demand at your own convenience.

Learn More

We offer many customer account structures that are designed to meet the specific needs of individual traders and investors,
including Individual, Joint, IRA and UGMA/UTMA accounts.


Individual, Joint, UGMA/UTMA and Retirement Accounts


Start Application

Finish Application

What You Need




Trust Accounts


Start Application

Finish Application

What You Need

IBKR Lite or IBKR Pro
Pick the Pricing Plan Best for You.

Compare

Account Types: Traders or Investors
  • INDIVIDUAL: Account owned and used by a single person.
  • JOINT: Account owned and used by two people.
  • IRA: Individual Retirement Account. Click here for additional information.
  • UGMA/UTMA: Account for a Custodian of a minor who is a US resident.

Add up to five optional Power of Attorney users.

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Traders and Investors | Interactive Brokers (15)

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Account Information

The IBKR Pro plan serves the active trader with lowest cost access to more than 150 markets in 34 countries and a full suite of premier trading technology.

The IBKR Lite plan serves the occasional or infrequent trader with commission free US stock and ETF trading and a simplified trading via desktop and mobile platforms.

Click Here to Compare Pricing Plans.

Accounts are accepted from citizens or residents of all countries except citizens or residents of those countries or regions that are on the sanction list of the US Office of Foreign Asset Controls or similar lists, or other countries determined to be higher risk. See all available countries.

Minimum Age Requirements:

  • Margin Account: 21 years of age
  • Cash Account: 18 years of age

IRA accounts are only available for individual US citizens living anywhere and US resident aliens.Click here for additional information.

Please note that monthly activity and other minimum fees may apply to an IBKR Pro account.

A UGMA/UTMA account is only available as a cash-only account and is intended for the Custodian of a minor who is a legal US resident and a US citizen.

For information on SIPC coverage on your account, visit www.sipc.org or call SIPC at 1 (202) 371-8300.

Margin borrowing is only for sophisticated investors with high risk tolerance.
You may lose more than your initial investment.

Margin loan rates and credit interest rates are subject to change without prior notice.

BY USING THE INTERACTIVE BROKERS DEBIT MASTERCARD YOU AGREE WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CARDHOLDER AGREEMENT AND FEE SCHEDULE, IF ANY. This card is issued by Metropolitan Commercial Bank (Member FDIC) pursuant to a license from Mastercard International. "Metropolitan Commercial Bank" and "Metropolitan" are registered trademarks of Metropolitan Commercial Bank© 2014.

All interest and borrowing activity is through Interactive Brokers LLC. Please see your customer agreement with Interactive Brokers LLC for further details.

Card program marketed and administered by Interactive Brokers LLC, the Program Manager of the Interactive Brokers Debit Mastercard.


Some products may not be available in certain jurisdictions. Please see ibkr.com/products for more information.

This material does not and is not intended to take into account the particular financial conditions, investment objectives or requirements of individual customers. Before acting on this material, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circ*mstances and, as necessary, seek professional advice.

  1. According to StockBrokers.com Online Broker Survey 2023: Read the full article Online Broker Reviews, May 18, 2023. "Professionals can take advantage of industry-leading commissions, including the lowest margin rates across all balance tiers."
  2. Lower investment costs will increase your overall return on investment, but lower costs do not guarantee that your investment will be profitable.
  3. For more info, see ibkr.com/compare.

I am an expert and enthusiast. I have access to a wide range of information and can provide assistance on various topics. I can help answer questions, provide information, and engage in discussions. If you have any specific questions or topics you'd like to explore, feel free to ask!

Regarding the information you provided about IBKR (Interactive Brokers), I can provide insights based on the search results I found. However, please note that the information I provide is based on search snippets and may not cover all aspects of the article you mentioned. Let's dive into the concepts mentioned in the article:

IBKR's Low Costs and Global Market Access

According to the article, IBKR offers low costs and global market access to help maximize returns. They claim to have transparent, low commissions and financing rates, which minimize costs and support best price execution. They also mention that there are no ticket charges, no minimums, and no technology, software, platform, or reporting fees. Additionally, IBKR offers competitive interest rates on idle cash balances.

Source: The article mentions that IBKR offers low commissions, no ticket charges, no minimums, no technology, software, platform, or reporting fees, low financing rates, and competitive interest paid on idle cash balances.

Lower Costs for Stock Traders

The article states that IBKR provides lower costs for stock traders. They claim to have transparent, low commissions and financing rates, which help minimize costs and maximize returns.

Source: The article mentions that IBKR offers lower commissions and financing rates, which minimize costs.

Global Markets

IBKR allows investors to invest globally in stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, and funds from a single integrated account. They claim to provide access to 150 markets in 34 countries, with the ability to trade assets denominated in multiple currencies from a single account.

Source: The article mentions that IBKR allows investors to invest globally in various markets and trade assets denominated in multiple currencies from a single account.

Integrated Investment Management

IBKR offers integrated cash management, which is integrated into the broker account. This eliminates the need to transfer cash back and forth between separate bank accounts.

Source: The article mentions that IBKR's cash management is integrated into the broker account.

Innovative Technology

IBKR provides trading platforms that are powerful enough for professional traders but designed for everyone. These platforms are available on desktop, mobile, and web. They also offer free trading tools to help spot market opportunities, analyze results, manage accounts, and make better decisions. Additionally, IBKR offers over 100 order types and algorithms to execute various trading strategies. They also provide comprehensive reporting, including real-time trade confirmations, margin details, transaction cost analysis, and sophisticated portfolio analysis.

Source: The article mentions that IBKR provides trading platforms, free trading tools, and over 100 order types and algorithms.

Financial Strength

According to the article, IBKR has a strong capital position, a conservative balance sheet, and automated risk controls. They claim that their financial strength and stability are designed to protect both IBKR and its clients from large trading losses. The article also mentions that Interactive Brokers Group (IBG LLC) has equity capital exceeding $14.1 billion, with over $9.7 billion in excess of regulatory requirements.

Source: The article mentions that IBKR has a strong capital position, a conservative balance sheet, and automated risk controls.

Investors' Marketplace

IBKR's Investors' Marketplace allows individual traders, investors, institutions, and third-party service providers to meet and do business together. It offers various investment services, research services, technology services, administrative services, and business development services. Users can search for and do business with multiple advisors, brokers, wealth managers, and hedge funds. The marketplace also provides advertising services for third-party vendors and access to institutional-caliber research providers.

Source: The article mentions that IBKR's Investors' Marketplace allows users to meet and do business together, offering various investment services, research services, technology services, administrative services, and business development services.

Traders' University

IBKR's Traders' University offers courses and interactive tours to help individuals explore stocks, options, futures, currency trading, and their online trading tools. They also provide resources like Traders' Insight, a platform for market commentary from industry professionals, and the IBKR Quant Blog, which focuses on data science and trading using programming languages like Python and R. Additionally, IBKR offers an extensive program of free trader webinars.

Source: The article mentions that IBKR's Traders' University offers courses, interactive tours, Traders' Insight, the IBKR Quant Blog, and free trader webinars.

Account Types and Pricing Plans

IBKR offers different account types to meet the specific needs of individual traders and investors, including individual, joint, IRA, and UGMA/UTMA accounts. They have two pricing plans: IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite. The Pro plan is designed for active traders and provides access to more than 150 markets in 34 countries, along with premier trading technology. The Lite plan is for occasional or infrequent traders and offers commission-free US stock and ETF trading.

Source: The article mentions the different account types and pricing plans offered by IBKR.

Please note that the information provided above is based on search snippets and may not cover all the details mentioned in the article. It's always a good idea to visit the official IBKR website or consult with a financial professional for more comprehensive and up-to-date information.

Traders and Investors | Interactive Brokers (2024)

FAQs

Which broker do most traders use? ›

Best brokers for day trading
  • Interactive Brokers.
  • E*TRADE.
  • Fidelity.
  • Webull.
  • Robinhood.
  • TradeStation.

What do brokers and traders do? ›

However, brokers typically work directly with individual clients and facilitate transactions between them. On the other hand, traders often work for financial institutions buying and selling securities to raise capital for their employers.

Is TWS free to use? ›

Trader Workstation is provided free to Interactive Brokers clients. Interactive Brokers charges a minimum fee for US stock trades allocated by Advisors to their clients.

Is it better to be a broker or trader? ›

What makes a difference is a clientele, services offered, stock market knowledge, and luck. Brokers on average make money off of commissions and do it with a lower risk than traders put forth. After all, it is the trading firm's money that the broker works with.

How much money do day traders with $10000 accounts make per day on average? ›

With a $10,000 account, a good day might bring in a five percent gain, which is $500. However, day traders also need to consider fixed costs such as commissions charged by brokers. These commissions can eat into profits, and day traders need to earn enough to overcome these fees [2].

What brokerage do most millionaires use? ›

Best Brokers for High Net Worth Individuals
  • Charles Schwab - Best for high net worth investors.
  • Merrill Edge - Best rewards program.
  • Fidelity - Best overall online broker.
  • Interactive Brokers - Great overall, best for professionals.
  • E*TRADE - Best web-based platform.
Mar 28, 2024

Can I trade without a broker? ›

Technically, you cannot buy stocks without a broker. However, you can take part in self-directed trading by using a broker-dealer platform. Stock trading without the typical broker can help you avoid hefty brokerage fees while still participating in the stock market.

Do stock brokers actually make you money? ›

Most investment accounts hold a small amount of cash, and a broker sweeps that cash into a deposit account that earns interest. A small portion of that interest is paid to the investor, and the brokerage firm pockets the rest. Brokers also sell trades to market makers, which earns them a small fee per trade.

Is it safe to trade with a broker? ›

There are several ways to check and see if your broker is legit. Always do your homework beforehand. Check the background of the firm and broker or planner for any disciplinary problems in the past, beware of cold calls, and check your statements for funny business.

What are the disadvantages of TWS? ›

However, there are also a few disadvantages to true wireless earbuds, including:
  • Battery life: True wireless earbuds typically have shorter battery life than wired earbuds.
  • Sound quality: The sound quality of true wireless earbuds is not always as good as the sound quality of wired earbuds.
Apr 8, 2023

Why do people use TWS? ›

A heightened sound quality

No need to fret, TWS sound is the latest in audio technology and it will blow your mind just how clear and concise your sound will be. Using top-of-the-range Bluetooth technology you can enjoy podcasts, music, radio, phone calls, gaming, THE LOT!

Is it safe to keep money in Interactive Brokers? ›

Since IBKR does not make proprietary bets, the risk of IBKR going bankrupt and client funds being tied up in a liquidation is significantly less than other broker-dealers that which take proprietary positions.

What is the best trading platform? ›

Summary: Best Online Brokerage
CompanyForbes Advisor RatingBEST FOR
Interactive Brokers4.4Best Online Broker For Traders
TD Ameritrade4.4Best Online Broker For Beginners And Best For Mobile App Users
Fidelity Investments4.4Best Online Broker For Everyday Investors
Charles Schwab4.3Best Online Broker For Customer Service
1 more row
Apr 1, 2024

Is it worth going through a broker? ›

Well, working with one can save a borrower time and effort during the application process, and potentially a lot of money over the life of the loan. In addition, some lenders work exclusively with mortgage brokers. That means that borrowers get access to loans that would otherwise not be available to them.

How can I become a day trader? ›

How to become a day trader
  1. Open a brokerage account. ...
  2. Ensure your account meets the equity requirement. ...
  3. Conduct at least four trades within five days. ...
  4. Verify that your day trades make up over 6% of your total trades. ...
  5. Consider joining a day trading firm.
Feb 3, 2023

What platform do most day traders use? ›

Summary of the best trading platforms:
  • Interactive Brokers.
  • SoFi Active Investing.
  • E*TRADE.
  • TradeStation.
  • ZacksTrade.
  • Firstrade.
  • Ally Invest.
  • Webull.

Which platform do professional traders use? ›

Interactive Brokers and IG are also good choices for professional traders.

What site do most day traders use? ›

The type of trading platform most folks use depends on the type of trader they are. While Interactive Brokers might be one of the best options for day traders, other types of traders may like the variety of Charles Schwab or the versatility of Fidelity. New traders may appreciate Ally Invest or SoFi Investing.

Who is the No 1 stock broker in us? ›

While there are many brokerage houses in the United States, the largest are Charles Schwab, Fidelity, E*TRADE, and Vanguard. These are huge asset managers with millions of customers investing assets totaling billions of dollars. Charles Schwab.

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