Compare Investment Platforms Australia are easy to use and offer a variety of features that support your investing journey. These might include research tools, watchlists, news and market data. Some platforms also offer education resources and trading tutorials to help you build an investing strategy. Others can be integrated with your bank account and have built-in transaction and savings accounts, as well as linked debit cards.
Choosing the right investing platform for your needs starts with considering what you want to do and how much money you plan to invest. If you’re just starting out, look for a platform with low or zero brokerage fees on Australian shares (e.g. SelfWealth). Alternatively, a robo-advisor like Stockspot or Six Park might suit your requirements if you’re looking to automate your investments and follow a pre-built investing strategy.
In-Depth Comparison of Australian Investment Platforms
Another key consideration is whether the platform offers international markets and if so, how much those cost. For example, a portfolio diversified across the ASX and global markets could return between 8-12% p.a. SelfWealth, Stake and IG Markets all have access to global markets for zero or lower trade commissions. Other brokers with broader access to international markets are CommSec, CMC Markets, and Saxo.
You should also consider whether the platform supports a mobile app or website and what its customer service and technical support is like. Finally, it’s worth comparing whether the platform provides live market data or delayed data (e.g. by 10 or 20 minutes). Those that provide live data are often considered to be more user-friendly, but they can also add to the overall trading costs as they pay for the access rights to the ASX and other international exchanges.