Margin Comparison
Cost Conscience and Straightforward Margin Rates
At Investrade, you don’t have to bother with an arbitrary “base rate” when calculating your margin interest. Investrade uses the published Broker’s Call Rate as the base rate when calculating margin interest rates. Broker’s Call Rate is published daily in The Wall Street Journal and Investors Business Daily. The current Broker’s Call Rate is 2.00% and was last changed on 12/19/2008. Learn more about Investrade's margin rates.
| Margin Balance | Investrade | Fidelity | E*TRADE | TDAmeritrade | Schwab | Scottrade | Trade King | OptionsXpress | OptionsHouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 - $9,999 | 3.50% | 8.575% | 8.14% | 9.00% | 8.50% | 7.75% | 6.50% | 6.25% | 4.45% |
| $10k - $24,999 | 3.50% | 8.075% | 8.14% | 8.75% | 8.00% | 7.50% | 6.50% | 6.25% | 4.45% |
| $25K - $49,999 | 3.50% | 7.575% | 7.64% | 7.75% | 8.00% | 7.25% | 6.50% | 6.25% | 4.45% |
| $50k - $99,999 | 2.75% | 7.075% | 7.14% | 7.25% | 7.00% | 6.75% | 5.50% | 5.25% | 3.45% |
| $100k - $249,000 | 2.00% | 6.575% | 6.14% | 7.25% | 6.875% | 6.50% | 5.50% | 5.00% | 3.45% |
| $250k - $499,999 | 1.50% | 6.575% | 5.14% | 7.00% | 6.75% | 6.25% | 4.50% | 4.75% | 3.45% |
| $500k - $999,999 | 1.00% | 3.75% | 4.14% | 7.00% | 6.75% | 5.75% | 4.00% | 4.50% | 2.45% |
| $999,999 - $2,499,999 | 1.00% | 3.75% | 3.89% | 6.25% | 6.25% | 5.25% | 4.00% | 4.00% | 2.45% |
| Over $2,499,999 | 1.00% | 3.75% | 3.89% | 6.25% | 6.00% | 5.25% | 4.00% | 4.00% | 2.45% |
The competitor interest rates from published web sites are believed to be accurate but they are not guaranteed. Certain firms may offer more competitive rates if additional criteria such as account value, trading volume or certain other conditions are met. Data contained in this section was verified as of 08/23/2010. Please contact each broker individually to confirm their margin fees.
Many investors are impacted by high margin rates, regardless of the size of their debit balance. Compare your annual savings with the hypothetical examples below. The difference is not marginal, it’s significant.
| Margin Rates and Costs based on a $50,000 Debit Balance | Margin Rates and Costs based on a $100,000 Debit Balance |
|---|---|
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| Margin Rates and Costs based on a $250,000 Debit Balance | Margin Rates and Costs based on a $500,000 Debit Balance |
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