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Comment by chillydawg | Hacker News Reader

Interactive brokers are a cheap European shop. Not free to trade but very cheap and they give you access to a lot of big markets.

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IB is not European but based in the US. I would also recommend it but tax could be somewhat more complicated (W-8BEN form, etc.).

IB has US and UK accounts (and likely more). For Switzerland (and Europe) you'll get a UK account and you will not have W-8BEN problems.

They also have local resellers in many countries, but avoid them because the rates are higher.

Interactive brokers is probably the best brokerage out there.

Used 3-4 others, but IB is the simplest and also most featureful one for sure.

I strongly disagree. Their reporting is convoluted, their interface terrible, their support is horrible.

I've tried half a dozen brokerages over time, and IB is by far the worst.

What's your favorite?

I actually found their app pretty simple, but hat might be because i'm an engineer & tend to understand what i am seeing in IBKR app and web site.

Reporting wise, they are the most capable - i needed to apply for a loan, and wanted to hide the list of all securities, i was able to create just that. Pretty flexible, and powerful.

Try getting a list of transactions, or working out what you are paying with a margin account. Their reporting is inscrutable. On top of this, their recommended way of buying USD securities with a foreign base currency account is to short the forex in order to tie your margin to the exchange rate at purchase.

I'm also an engineer, but I know a bad UI when I see one.

Pretty much any other brokerage lets you see a clear historical list of transactions, balances and fees, without having to configure a complex report or jump through any hoops.

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