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The comparison reads the same evidence fields used by broker profiles, so users can scan scores, regulation, costs, platforms, withdrawals, and caveats side by side.
Broker 1
Broker 2
| VS field |  |  |
|---|---|---|
Decision summary | ||
| Overall score | 86 | 91 |
| Trust score | 93 | 100 |
| Cost score | 86 | 92 |
| Platform score | 82 | 92 |
| Withdrawal score | 80 | 89 |
| Best for | U.S. self-directed investors · Bank of America banking customers · Stock, ETF, mutual fund, bond and options investors | European self-directed investors seeking low-cost access to stocks and ETFs · Investors who prefer web/mobile platforms and exchange-traded products |
| Watch out | Needs verification | Needs verification |
Trust & regulation | ||
| Regulators | Registered with the SEC as broker-dealer and investment adviser; member FINRA and SIPC. Source | Primarily supervised by BaFin and Bundesbank in Germany; Dutch branch registered with DNB and supervised by AFM and DNB. Source |
| License numbers | Official Merrill/BofA sources reviewed did not disclose SEC/FINRA registration or CRD numbers in the captured evidence. Source | Financial licence number not disclosed in reviewed official sources. Commercial registrations found: flatexDEGIRO Bank SE HRB 141330 on flatexDEGIRO Bank SE imprint; DEGIRO UK footer states HRB 105687; Dutch Branch KvK 82510245. Source |
| Regulated entities | Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S) and Managed Account Advisors LLC (MAA). Source | DEGIRO is operated by flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch, a branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE; flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is a licensed German bank headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. Source |
| Negative balance protection | No retail negative-balance protection disclosed; margin agreement warns clients can lose more funds than deposited and remain responsible for shortfall. Source | No negative balance protection found. Official account-profile page warns losses can exceed deposit and result in a negative Balance for derivatives, margin and short-selling services; margin profiles are legacy-only. Source |
| Investor compensation | Member SIPC; investment products are not FDIC insured or bank guaranteed and may lose value. Source | Cash in flatexDEGIRO Bank SE Cash Account protected up to €100,000 per customer under German Deposit Guarantee Scheme; investor compensation covers up to 90% of non-returned assets, max €20,000 per customer; UK FSCS does not apply. Source |
| Restricted countries | Agreement effective only when accepted in the United States; no country restriction list disclosed. Source | Available via listed country selector in Europe/UK; US persons are not accepted; UK onboarding for new clients was temporarily unavailable on the reviewed UK page. Source |
Costs & account conditions | ||
| Minimum deposit | Self-Directed: no balance minimum; Guided Investing: $1,000 minimum; CMA: $20,000 minimum funding, not applicable to MESD/MGI/MGI with Advisor/MEAA. Source | No fixed minimum deposit identified; DEGIRO homepage says users can add any amount of money to the account for free. Bank-account verification search result states minimum EUR 0.01 for linking a new bank account. Source |
| Spread from | Not applicable to this stock/ETF investment broker profile; no CFD/FX spread schedule identified as a core product in reviewed sources. Source | Not a quoted-spread CFD/FX broker field. DEGIRO discloses that bid-ask spreads are implicit market costs and not direct broker costs. Source |
| Commission | Self-Directed online stock/ETF/options commission $0; options $0.65/contract; broker-assisted fee lower of $29.95 or 5.00% of principal. Source | Examples from UK fee page: US stocks €1 + €1 handling; LSE £1.75 + £1 handling; selected ETFs €0 + €1 handling; global ETFs €2 + €1 handling; options €0.75 commission. Currency, connectivity, external product and spread costs may apply. Source |
| Maximum leverage | No fixed maximum leverage ratio was disclosed; margin requirements vary by security/transaction and are subject to change. Source | DEGIRO currently does not allow new changes to margin-trading profiles; legacy Active/Trader/Day Trader accounts may have Debit Money / derivatives risk but maximum leverage was not disclosed in reviewed sources. Source |
| Deposit fee | Returned deposit/ACH-related fees listed at $0 in Merrill Edge Self-Directed fee schedule; standard deposit fees not separately disclosed. Source | No deposit fee disclosed on UK fee page and homepage; deposits listed as FEE €0 / no deposit-withdrawal fees. Source |
| Withdrawal fee | Wire $24.95; ATM transaction $0; full ACAT/account transfer $49.95; closeout $49.95 for BASIC/IRA/IRRA/ROTH/SEP/SIMPLE. Source | No withdrawal fee disclosed on UK fee page and homepage; withdrawals listed as FEE €0 / no deposit-withdrawal fees. Source |
| Inactivity fee | No inactivity fee was listed in the official Merrill Edge Self-Directed miscellaneous account/service fee schedule extracted, but the official source did not explicitly say 'no inactivity fee'. Source | No inactivity fee; UK fee page lists inactivity fee as €0. Source |
Markets, platforms & payments | ||
| Tradable assets | Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, fixed income/bonds, options, brokered CDs, and cash sweep/cash management products. Source | Shares, ETFs, bonds and derivatives such as options and futures; DEGIRO product pages also describe investment funds availability. Source |
| Trading platforms | Merrill Edge online/web, Merrill Edge MarketPro, and Merrill mobile apps. Source | DEGIRO provides a web/desktop trading platform (Webtrader) and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Source |
| Account types | Self-directed, guided/advisory, general investing, retirement, education and small business account options, including CMA/BIA/IRA/ROTH/SEP/SIMPLE/529 account types. Source | DEGIRO account/profile types include Basic, Active, Trader, Day Trader and Custody. Active, Trader and Day Trader are legacy-only and new margin profiles are no longer available. Source |
| Deposit methods | Bank of America transfers, external financial institution transfers, mobile check deposit, direct deposit/EFT, and account/securities transfers. Source | Manual bank transfer from a verified linked/reference bank account; deposits must use the account base currency. Source |
| Withdrawal methods | EFT, checks/check-writing, debit card, wire transfer and linked Bank of America/Merrill transfers. Source | Withdrawals go back to the primary registered/linked bank account; only uninvested cash in the Cash Account can be withdrawn. Source |
| Withdrawal processing time | Public official sources reviewed did not disclose a standard withdrawal processing time for Merrill Edge Self-Directed withdrawals. Source | Withdrawals may take up to 2-4 working days; transfers can take up to 2-3 working days to complete. Source |
BrokerVS provides broker comparison research only. Scores and evidence can vary by country, account type, and legal entity; users should verify source links before opening an account.