Brokerage Fees and Investment Commissions Explained - NerdWallet (2024)

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As you start learning about where and how to invest and begin researching brokerage accounts, it's easy to overlook one thing: brokerage and investment fees.

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What are brokerage fees?

Brokerage fees are what a broker charges for various services, like subscriptions for premium research and investing data or additional trading platforms. Some even charge maintenance and inactivity fees, but generally, you can avoid paying these brokerage fees with the right broker.

Finding the right broker can make a huge difference in the long-term; fees can seriously eat into your investment returns. Whether they’re baked into the funds you’ve selected as an expense ratio, charged as a brokerage fee on your investment account, added on as a stock trading commission when you buy or sell or levied by an advisor who is helping you sort through it all, it’s important that you know what you’re paying.

» Get a bonus: View the best brokerage promotions right now

Common investment and brokerage fees

In addition to the brokerage fees outlined above, there are various other charges you may encounter:

  • Trade commission: Also called a stock trading fee, this is a brokerage fee that is charged when you buy or sell stocks. You may also pay commissions or fees for buying and selling other investments, such as options or exchange-traded funds.

  • Mutual fund transaction fee: Another brokerage fee, this time charged when you buy and/or sell some mutual funds.

  • Expense ratio: An annual fee charged by mutual funds, index funds and exchange-traded funds, as a percentage of your investment in the fund.

  • Sales load: A sales charge or commission on some mutual funds, paid to the broker or salesperson who sold the fund.

  • Management or advisory fee: Typically a percentage of assets under management, paid by an investor to a financial advisor or robo-advisor.

  • 401(k) fee: An administrative fee to maintain the plan, often passed on to the plan participants by the employer.

How investment and brokerage fees affect returns

Even a small brokerage fee will add up over time; a few investment fees together can significantly reduce your portfolio’s return. If your portfolio was up 6% for the year but you paid 1.5% in fees and expenses, your return is actually only 4.5%. Over time, that difference really adds up.

Take this example, in which an investor puts $500 a month into a brokerage account each year for 30 years, depositing a total of $180,000 over that time and earning an average annual 7% return.

Total annual investment fees

Account value after 30 years

Amount lost to fees

0%

$588,032.77

$0

0.25%

$561,515.53

$26,517.24

0.5%

$536,320.22

$51,712.44

1.0%

$489,628.12

$98,404.65

1.5%

$447,454.73

$140,578.04

2.0%

$409,348.84

$178,683.93

The last column in the chart shows how much would be lost to fees over the course of 30 years. An investor who paid 2% in fees each year would give up more than $178,000 over 30 years, almost as much money as the $180,000 deposited in the account during that time.

Are brokerage fees tax-deductible?

Brokerage fees are not tax deductible. It used to be possible to write them off as miscellaneous itemized deductions, but miscellaneous itemized deductions have been suspended since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act came into effect in 2018.

Investment fee calculator

Use the investment fee calculator below to see how investment and brokerage fees could eat into your returns over time.

» Looking to pay less in broker fees? See NerdWallet's picks for the best brokers

More about these investment expenses

If you want to be aware of your investing fees — and trust us when we say you do — you need to know where to look. Here are the most common expenses, what you can expect to pay for each and where to find the information:

Brokerage fee

A brokerage fee is charged by the stock broker that houses your account. Brokerage fees might include:

Brokerage fee

Typical cost

How to avoid

Annual fees

$50 to $75 per year

Choose a broker that doesn’t charge annual fees. Note broker fees may vary depending on account type.

Inactivity fees

May be assessed on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis, totaling $50 to $200 a year or more

Choose a broker that doesn’t charge for inactivity.

Research and data subscriptions

$1 to $30 per month

Subscriptions are optional. Look for a broker that offers premium research and data for free. Fidelity and Merrill Edge both score high on this in NerdWallet’s ratings.

Trading platform fees

$50 to more than $200 per month

Most brokers offer a high-quality trading platform for free.

Paper statement fees

$1 to $2 per statement

Opt for emailed statements and notifications.

Account closing or transfer fees

$50 to $75

Most brokerages charge a fee to transfer or close your account. Some brokerages will offer to reimburse transfer fees incurred by new customers.

In general, you can avoid or minimize brokerage account fees by choosing an online broker that is a good match for your trading and investing style. (Is stock trading right for you? Learn how to start trading.)

Where to find details: On the broker’s website. Though it may not be in plain sight, there will be a page detailing each brokerage fee. If you have questions, call customer service and ask before opening an account.

» Learn more: How and where to open a brokerage account

Stock trading fee

Some brokerages charge commissions on stock and ETF trades, but these costs are currently on the decline. To avoid them, look for:

  • Brokers that offer commission-free trading, including Fidelity, Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Interactive Brokers and Robinhood.

  • Commission-free ETFs. Even among brokers that charge trading fees, many have a list of ETFs that trade with no commission.

Otherwise, you could pay between $3 and $7 as a trading fee, depending on the online broker. Some brokers offer discounts for high-volume traders.

» New to trading? Here's how to buy stocks

You should weigh commissions on your preferred investments carefully when selecting a broker.

Where to find details: On the broker’s website — often the home page, especially if the commission is competitive.

Mutual fund transaction fee

With the exception of ETFs, mutual fund trades aren’t charged brokerage commissions. But they do sometimes carry transaction fees, which are charged by the brokerage when buying or selling the funds. Most brokers charge for both; some charge only to buy.

These fees vary by broker but can range from $10 to as much as $75. (Consult our picks for best mutual fund providers for cost-conscious investors.) Fortunately, transaction fees are easily avoided by selecting a broker that offers a list of no-transaction-fee mutual funds —most do.

» What's the cost? Mutual fund fees investors need to know

Many funds on this list will be from the broker itself, but other mutual fund companies often pay brokers to offer their funds to customers without a transaction cost. That cost may or may not be passed on to you, in the form of a higher expense ratio (more on this next).

Where to find details: On the broker’s website, typically on the same page where commissions are listed.

Expense ratios

Expense ratios are charged by mutual funds, index funds and ETFs. They’re shown as a percentage of your investment and charged as an annual fee: A fund that has an expense ratio of 0.10%, for example, means that you pay $1 per year for every $1,000 invested.

The expense ratio is designed to cover operating costs, including management and administrative costs. Funds that are actively managed — employing a professional to buy and sell its investments — typically carry higher expenses than index funds and ETFs, which are passively managed and track a stock market index, like the S&P 500. The goal of a manager is to try to beat the market; in reality, they rarely do.

» Learn more: Investing in ETFs and index funds

The expense ratio on an actively managed mutual fund might be 1% or more; on an index fund, it could be less than 0.25%. That’s a big difference, so you should pay careful attention to expense ratios when selecting your funds, and opt for low-cost index funds and ETFs when available.

The expense ratio also includes the 12B-1 fee, an annual marketing and distribution fee, if applicable. Remember the mention above, about how mutual fund companies can pay a broker to offer their funds with no transaction fee? If that cost is passed on to the investor, it will be as part of the 12B-1 fee. 12B-1 fees are part of the total expense ratio, not in addition to it, but it’s still important to know what you’re paying.

Where to find details: On the fund’s page on your broker’s website, in the expenses or fee table in the fund’s prospectus, or on an independent research website like Morningstar.com. Here’s an example of a prospectus fee table, from the Fidelity Freedom 2055 target-date fund:

Brokerage Fees and Investment Commissions Explained - NerdWallet (4)

Sales load

Unlike expense ratios, mutual fund loads are totally avoidable. They’re essentially a sales charge, paid by the investor to compensate the broker or salesperson who sold the fund. Sales loads are expressed as a percentage and typically cost between 3% and 8.5%. (FINRA rules prevent mutual fund loads from exceeding 8.5%.)

Loads are charged in several ways:

  • Front-end loads: These are initial sales charges, or upfront fees. The fee will be subtracted from your investment in the fund, so if you invest $5,000 and the fund has a front-end load of 3%, your actual investment is $4,850.

  • Back-end loads: Here’s where things can get confusing. Funds with a back-end load don’t charge an upfront fee; instead, they charge a fee when shares in the fund are sold. It’s hard for investors to get a handle on how much they will pay. In general, the fee charged is higher if you sell within the first year, and it declines for each year you hold on to the fund until it goes away completely after five to six years (this is why back-end loads are sometimes called “contingent deferred sales charges”). However, other fees charged by back-end load funds — like those 12B-1 fees — may be higher.

  • Level loads: These funds have no upfront sales charge, but typically assess a 1% fee if shares are sold within the first year. Here, too, 12B-1 fees can be higher than funds with front-end loads, which means the fund may be more expensive to own in general, even without a sales charge.

» Learn more: Understand the different types of mutual funds

Again, the best policy here is to simply avoid these load charges. To do that, choose no-load funds. There are many, and the best part is they tend to outperform load funds over time, which means there’s no extra value in choosing a more expensive fund.

Where to find details: On the fund’s page on your broker’s website (often near the expense ratio), in the expenses or fees table in the fund’s prospectus, or on an independent research website like Morningstar.com.

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Brokerage Fees and Investment Commissions Explained - NerdWallet (5)

Management or advisory fees

If someone is managing your money — whether a human or robo-advisor — you’re likely paying for it.

Many financial advisors are fee-only, which typically means they charge a percentage of assets under management, a flat or hourly fee, or a retainer. Others charge a percentage of assets under management and earn a commission from the sale of specific investments.

In most cases, you’ll pay around 1% for financial management by an advisor.

Robo-advisors are companies that manage your investments via computer algorithm, and they often charge substantially less, because they’re taking the human element out of the equation. A typical fee is 0.25% of assets; some advisors, like Empower, combine computer monitoring with dedicated financial advisors and charge more.

» Need advice? View NerdWallet’s picks for the best robo-advisors

Note that management fees are in addition to the expenses of the investments themselves.

Where to find details: A financial advisor should carefully go over fees with you before you sign up for his or her services. Robo-advisors clearly state management fees on their websites. On an ongoing basis, you should be able to see how much you’re paying in management fees on your account statements.

401(k) fees

You may have heard that 401(k)s are expensive. That’s generally for two reasons: They offer a small selection of investments, so it’s harder to shop around for low expense ratios. And administrative costs of running the plan tend to be high.

Many employers pass those on to the plan investors, everything from record-keeping and accounting to legal and trustee charges. These may be charged as a percentage of your account value or as a flat fee to each individual investor.

Some generous employers pay the fees on behalf of plan participants, which means you’re only responsible for the investment expenses. But if your plan is expensive and the investment selection is slim, you can minimize fees by contributing just enough to earn your employer’s matching dollars. Then continue saving for retirement in an IRA. If you’re able to max that out for the year, you can go back to the 401(k) to continue contributions.

» Looking for an IRA? View our list of the best IRA providers

Where to find it: Your 401(k)’s summary plan description should outline the investments offered by the plan, along with fees and expenses. If you have questions, you should contact your HR department or the plan administrator.

Brokerage Fees and Investment Commissions Explained - NerdWallet (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a brokerage fee and a commission? ›

Brokerage fees are typically calculated as a flat rate per trade. A mutual fund commission, for example, is typically the same whether you're investing $5,000 or $500,000. However, some commissions are percentage-based, such as robo-advisor management fees.

How do investment broker fees work? ›

A broker or agent charges a brokerage fee to execute transactions or provide specialized services. Brokerage fees are based on a percentage of the transaction, as a flat fee, or as a hybrid of the two, and vary according to the industry and type of broker.

What are commission rates in brokerage? ›

Usually, in India, the brokerage fee ranges between 0.01% to 0.5% of the total value of the transaction.

How does a brokerage fee impact my investment returns? ›

Even a small brokerage fee will add up over time; a few fees can significantly reduce your portfolio's return. Types of investment fees include trade commissions, mutual fund transaction fees, expense ratios, sales loads, management fees and 401(k) fees. Brokerage fees are not tax deductible.

How to avoid brokerage fees? ›

Here are three ways to do so:
  1. Invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) rather than mutual funds. The expense ratios are almost always lower for an ETF versus a comparable mutual fund. ...
  2. Avoid products with front-end loads, back-end loads, or 12b-1 fees. ...
  3. Seek out ETFs with no trading fees.

Is commission the same as fees? ›

Commission-based advisors make money from buying and selling products on behalf of their clients. In the financial-services sector, commissions and fees are different, where fees are a flat rate for managing a client's money.

What is the average brokerage fee for investments? ›

For a traditional financial advisor, the industry standard is to charge a fee that is about 1% of the assets under management.

Why am I being charged a brokerage fee? ›

Brokerage fees are any commissions or fees that your broker charges you. Also called broker fees, they are generally charged if you buy or sell shares and other investments, or complete any negotiations or delivery orders. Some brokerages also charge fees for consultations.

How is a brokerage fee calculated? ›

If you are wondering how to calculate brokerage in share market, this example will make it easier to understand. Brokerage charge is 0.05% of the total turnover. Suppose the stock you buy costs Rs 100. Then the brokerage charge is 0.05% of Rs 100, which is Rs 0.05.

What is the standard brokerage charge? ›

Transaction Charges
ChargesEquity DeliveryMargin
Brokerage0.55% irrespective of turnoverTransactions up to Rs 50,000- Rs 25 or 2.5% whichever is lower Exceeding Rs 50,000- 0.05%
Other leg of Intraday square offNilNA
Call and TradeFirst 20 calls per month - Free
GST18% on total value of brokerage
3 more rows

What is a reasonable commission rate? ›

What Is a Reasonable Commission Rate? A reasonable commission rate depends on the base salary offered, the value of the sale, and the time required to close a deal. A range of 20%-30% is most often cited as a reasonable commission rate. The average salary-to-commission ratio in the U.S. sits at 60:40.

How is a brokerage commission typically calculated? ›

For example, if a homeowner sells their home for $200,000, and the commission rate is 5%, the agent's commission would be (5/100) x 200,000 = $10,000. It's important to remember that commission is included in the cost of sale—it's not an extra fee.

What is the difference between commission and brokerage? ›

The main difference between commission and brokerage is that commission is a broader term referring to a fee paid for services or a transaction, often in various sectors. Brokerage specifically denotes the fee charged by a broker for executing financial transactions, like stock trading.

What is a typical investment fee? ›

‍Advisor (Management) Fees

The industry typically refers to this as an investment management fee and averages between 1-2% of assets (i.e. A $100,000 investment could cost you between $1,000 - $2,000 annually).

Can you claim brokerage fees on tax return? ›

Brokerage fees and other transaction costs cannot be claimed as deductions, but they can be included in the calculation of capital gains tax when you sell the shares.

What is commission or brokerage? ›

Fundamentally, commission or brokerage can be described as the payment received by an individual/agent who acts on behalf of another entity. In other words, it is a payment that is meted out for rendering non-professional services or during the sale or purchase of any goods.

What is a brokerage fee? ›

Brokerage fees are any commissions or fees that your broker charges you. Also called broker fees, they are generally charged if you buy or sell shares and other investments, or complete any negotiations or delivery orders. Some brokerages also charge fees for consultations.

How much should my brokerage fee be? ›

The average brokerage fee is around $5-15 per trade, when taking into account all brokers. Some brokers do not charge any fees for trading. When we exclude them, the average brokerage fee comes to around $10. You can use a brokerage fee calculator to easily compare brokerage fees.

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