Typical Commission Payouts

Original post by Eric Feigenbaum of Demand Media

Until the 1990s, stockbrokerage commissions were virtually always percentages. Although high-volume traders could get better rates, the general rule was the more you traded, the more you paid. Today's marketplace is very different. Financial deregulation and shifts in consumer demands have brought down the prices of securities transactions and resulted in flat rate commissions. Of course, there are some variations, and percentage commissions still exist in certain brokerages and account types.

1 Discount Brokerages
2 Discount Flat Rates
3 Wrap Fees
4 Deals
- 4.1 References
- 4.2 About the Author

Discount Brokerages

In the 1990s, discount brokerages developed, offering trades at low, flat rates. They offered investors the ability to pay per transaction -- including any number of shares per trade. As the Internet and associated technologies developed, brokerages created online account management and trading interfaces. Today, many firms offer lower trade fees for online transactions than they do for broker-assisted or telephone ones.

Discount Flat Rates

When flat rates began, $20 per transaction was normal. Over time, brokerages dropped to $15, $10 and now around $8.99 per transaction. Of course, these rates apply to self-service trades. Those who want the advise and assistance of a broker often pay more -- frequently $20 to $25 per trade -- these additional fees go to pay the broker.

Wrap Fees

Because of low trade volumes and the reduction in active investors following the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009, many brokerages developed accounts with wrap or flat fees. Rather than charge per transaction commissions, account holders can order trades for free and instead pay an annual account fee of 2 to 3 percent of their holdings. Accordingly, an account holder with $100,000 worth of investments and a 3 percent annual wrap fee pays $3,000 a year. Brokerages like this because it creates guaranteed revenues while investors feel they are getting a deal on per-transaction commissions.

Deals

Investors can occasionally avoid commissions altogether when buying bonds and mutual funds directly from the issuer. This approach to investing requires more work on the part of an investor, who has to identify companies that sell directly, evaluate their safety and performance and make contact to make their own purchases. However, for the investor dedicated to cutting out commission expenses, such investments can be good deals.

References

About the Author

Eric Feigenbaum started his career in print journalism, becoming editor-in-chief of "The Daily" of the University of Washington during college and afterward working at two major newspapers. He later did many print and Web projects including re-brandings for major companies and catalog production.