Editor's pickCosts
The most expensive hidden cost: FX conversion at your broker
FX markup is usually the biggest single cost for euro and franc investors buying US assets. What brokers charge, how they hide it, and how to cut it.
8 min
Knowledge
Guides
From the basics to tax optimisation — practical, with nothing to sell you.
36Guides
7Topics
5 h 24 minReading time
All guides
Every piece is written by the same desk that maintains the broker records — and carries a visible update date.
35 guides
- Taxes
Investing from Norway: ASK and the shielding deduction
How Norway taxes shares, funds and the aksjesparekonto in 2026: an effective 37.84%, the shielding deduction and tax-free withdrawals up to cost.
9 min - Taxes
Investing from Denmark: aktiesparekonto and lager taxation
How Denmark taxes shares, funds and the aktiesparekonto in 2026: 27% and 42%, 17% up to DKK 174,200, the lager principle and reporting for foreign depots.
9 min - Taxes
Investing from Hungary: TBSZ, NYESZ, income tax and szocho
How Hungary taxes investment income: 15% income tax, 13% szocho with a cap, the TBSZ account, NYESZ, US dividends without a treaty and the transaction levy.
8 min - Taxes
Investing from the Netherlands: box 3, lijfrente, dividends
How the Netherlands taxes investments in 2026: deemed return in box 3, allowance, counter-evidence, reform, lijfrente, dividend tax, investor protection.
9 min - Taxes
Belgium: capital gains tax 2026, TOB, withholding and CAP
Belgium's capital gains tax since 2026: the law, exemption, who withholds, opt-out, plus the TOB stock exchange tax, dividends, Reynders tax, CAP reporting.
9 min - Costs
ETF savings plans: costs compared
What one ETF savings plan execution costs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – according to the providers' own price lists, dated – and what such a comparison does not show.
9 min - Taxes
Investing from Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan
Stamp duty in Hong Kong, SRS and CPFIS in Singapore, 複委託 and the transaction tax in Taiwan: taxes, investor protection and accounts in three markets.
9 min - Taxes
Investing from Spain: savings tax, modelo 720, the new CAI
Savings tax of 19 to 30%, withholding, modelo 720 and 721, the transaction tax, the new Cuenta de Ahorro e Inversión, and Mexico. With dated sources.
9 min - Regulation
Investing from the Gulf and the Arab world: regulation, tax
Regulators, licensed companies, who accepts residents of which country, US withholding tax without a treaty, taxes, investor protection, exchanges and market size for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco – sourced and dated.
9 min - Taxes
Investing from Portugal: the 28% rate, englobamento and PPR
28% on capital gains, englobamento, holding-period relief, the PPR, withholding and stamp duty, plus Brazil. With dated sources.
9 min - Taxes
Investing from France: PEA, compte-titres and IFU
PEA, PEA-PME and compte-titres: flat tax, social contributions, IFU, foreign-account reporting, TTF and FGDR, plus Luxembourg. With dated sources.
9 min - Taxes
Investing from Italy: regime amministrato, IVAFE and PIR
26% on gains, regime amministrato or dichiarativo, IVAFE and quadro RW with a broker abroad, the 2026 transaction tax and the PIR. With dated sources.
8 min - Taxes
Investing from Czechia and Slovakia: time test, DIP and DIS
Gains tax-free after 3 years (CZ) or 1 year (SK), small-amount exemptions, dividends, the long-term DIP and DIS, and investor protection in both countries.
9 min - Taxes
Investing from Poland: Belka tax, PIT-38, IKE, IKZE and OKI
How Poland taxes investment income: 19%, PIT-8C and PIT-38, foreign dividends, IKE, IKZE and OIPE with the 2026 limits, and the new OKI from 2027.
9 min - Taxes
Investing from Sweden: ISK, KF and depot in 2026
How Sweden taxes the ISK, the kapitalförsäkring and an ordinary depot in 2026: the deemed-income tax, the SEK 300,000 allowance, losses, K4 and protection.
9 min - Basics
Islamic investing with a broker: interest, margin, screening
What brokers, index providers and fund issuers say about interest on cash, margin, securities lending, Sharia screening, Islamic ETFs, purification and swap-free accounts – attributed, sourced and dated, without religious rulings.
9 min - Taxes
Investing from Finland: osakesäästötili and AOT
Finland's equity savings account (OST), the AOT book-entry account and foreign brokers: tax rates, the EUR 100,000 cap, losses, reporting and protection.
9 min - Costs
Recurring investments in the US: costs compared
Recurring purchases at US brokers: which investments are eligible, from what amount, at what interval and at what cost – according to the providers' own pages, dated, with the gaps in the data.
6 min - Costs
Regular investing in the UK: costs compared
Monthly regular investing with UK providers: dealing charge, minimum amount, execution day and the account and plan fees a comparison of execution costs does not show – with sources and dates.
8 min - Costs
Interest on cash at your broker
How brokers pay interest on uninvested cash: tiers, account types, promotional rates, money market funds and providers that pay none – with figures from the providers' own sources, dates and the limits of the data.
11 min - Taxes
Swiss stamp duty on securities trades
Swiss transfer stamp duty explained: when it applies, who owes it, why 0.075% or 0.15% per side, which trades are exempt, and what a foreign broker changes.
8 min - Taxes
Reclaiming US withholding tax: W-8BEN and DA-1
How much US withholding tax Swiss residents pay on dividends, and how Form W-8BEN, the additional US retention and form DA-1 fit together, with worked examples.
9 min - Costs
Understanding broker fees: every cost type, broken down
Commission, spread, FX markup, custody and pass-through levies: the five layers of broker cost, explained by mechanism and worked through with real numbers.
9 min - Strategy
CFD trading: where the costs really come from and why most people lose
CFDs cost you in four places: spread, overnight financing, FX conversion and slippage. Worked examples, ESMA leverage caps and what the loss figure means.
10 min - Strategy
Starting an ETF savings plan properly: selection, costs and common mistakes
How to start an ETF savings plan: picking the index, the fund and the broker, with worked examples on order costs, spreads, TER and tax.
10 min - Strategy
Trading options: the basics, the costs and what a good options broker must do
Options explained: contract size, premium, margin and assignment, with per-contract costs and what separates a good options broker from a bad one.
11 min - Regulation
Regulation and investor protection: how safe is your money?
Custody, deposit guarantees and investor compensation are three different things. What the FSCS, EdW, esisuisse and SIPC actually pay, with worked examples.
9 min - Basics
Comparing brokers: the 10 criteria that actually matter
Fees, FX markups, regulation, execution: the ten points that decide what a broker really costs you, with worked examples and a decision checklist.
9 min - Basics
Switching brokers: process, costs, pitfalls and tax consequences
Moving a portfolio to a new broker: how transfers actually work, what they cost, the tax traps in Germany and Austria, and how to tell whether it pays.
10 min - Basics
Buying your first share: a step-by-step walkthrough
From opening an account to reading the contract note: ISIN, venue, limit orders, order size, settlement and tax — explained with concrete numbers.
9 min - Strategy
Forex spreads and execution: standard, ECN and raw accounts compared
Standard, ECN or raw? We convert spread and commission into one number, explain execution models and swaps, and show when the raw account is not worth it.
9 min - Taxes
Taxing investment income in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
How Germany, Austria and Switzerland tax dividends, gains and funds: rates, allowances, the Vorabpauschale, withholding tax and offshore-broker paperwork.
10 min - Crypto
Crypto exchange or broker? Custody, costs and regulation compared
Custody, cost and tax decide this, not the app. What MiCA does and does not protect, what a round trip really costs, and why ETPs are taxed differently.
9 min - Platforms
Payment for order flow: how commission-free brokers actually make money
How commission-free brokers earn: order flow rebates, spreads, cash interest and FX. What the EU ban changed, and what PFOF measurably cost investors.
9 min - Regulation
Spotting a dubious broker: 12 red flags and how to verify a licence
A register lookup takes five minutes and screens out most of the field. Plus 12 red flags, the arithmetic behind bonus conditions, and the withdrawal test.
9 min
Content on Brokaro is for information purposes only and is not investment, legal or tax advice. All information is provided without guarantee; only the provider's own statements are authoritative.
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