Qtrade Investor takes first place in annual ranking of online brokerages

VANCOUVER, Feb. 20, 2018 /CNW/ - Qtrade Investor is ranked first, with an overall 'A' rating, in the latest annual survey of online brokers by The Globe and Mail.

Of the 13 Canadian online brokers surveyed, Qtrade was the only one to receive an overall 'A' rating. This is the ninth time in the past 12 years that Qtrade Investor has been awarded first place in the Globe's review.

"Dominance" is how financial columnist Rob Carrick characterizes Qtrade Investor's competitive position. He lauded Qtrade's landing page, which includes a line graph showing how your portfolio has performed, an asset allocation pie chart and a tally of your RRSP and TFSA contributions. "Overall," Carrick says, "there's an attention to client-friendly detail at Qtrade that other brokers don't match." Qtrade meets or exceeds industry standards across a range of criteria, including paperless account opening, competitive commissions, commission-free ETFs, availability of US-dollar registered accounts, and client-website experience.

"We're proud to be regarded as the number one choice for self-directed investors, among the best in a highly competitive industry," said Qtrade Financial Group CEO Bill Packham. "Our team works hard to provide self-managed investors with exceptional value and an outstanding trading environment, and it's gratifying to see that work recognized."

"The results of the Globe's survey reflect our commitment to continuously improving the service," said Catherine Wood, Qtrade Financial Group's Senior VP and Head of Online Brokerage. "Over the past year we made significant enhancements to our platform and service?many inspired by client feedback and supported by usage analytics, and we've been encouraged by the positive reaction from our clients."

Recent enhancements include paperless online account opening and funding capabilities, portfolio income tracking features, a new Registered Accounts Centre, quantitative analysis tools, and improved mobile apps, in addition to more ways for clients to minimize the costs of investing.

The win in the latest Globe survey follows recognition in the past year for Qtrade Investor from MoneySense (Best overall?Top online brokerage); Surviscor (Best overall online brokerage; Winner, Service-Level Assessment Review); and J.D. Power (Second Place, Self-Directed Investor Satisfaction Survey).

About Qtrade Investor

Known for its easy-to-use online and mobile investing platforms and outstanding client service, Qtrade Investor has consistently been ranked among Canada's top online brokerages for the past 12 years. Qtrade gives clients access to a wide range of investments and account types, all at competitive prices, along with extensive research and trading tools?making it a trusted choice for beginners and seasoned investors alike. Part of Qtrade Financial Group, Qtrade Investor is a division of Qtrade Securities Inc., Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. For more information, visit www.qtrade.ca/investor.

About Qtrade Financial Group

Qtrade Financial Group is a national, award-winning, integrated financial services company, with over $15 billion in assets. Qtrade Financial Group provides online brokerage services to individual investors along with full-service brokerage, wealth and investment management platforms and services, custodial services, introducing broker services, and insurance solutions to meet the diverse needs of over 150 financial institutions, as well as their members and clients, across Canada. Qtrade Financial Group's partners include credit unions, banks, trust companies, insurance companies, investment dealers, portfolio managers and financial planning firms. Qtrade Financial Group is backed by Desjardins Group, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and the sixth largest cooperative financial group in the world. More information is available at www.qtrade.ca.

On December 12, 2017 Qtrade Financial Group announced its intention to merge with Credential Financial Inc. and NEI Investments to form Aviso Wealth, one of Canada's largest independent wealth management firms. Aviso Wealth will be a Canadian financial services leader, with more than 500,000 clients across the country, over $55 billion in combined client assets under administration and management, and notable strengths in wealth management, asset management, online brokerage and digital advice, mutual funds and correspondent services.

Caution concerning forward-looking statements

Certain statements made in this press release may be forward-looking. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve assumptions, uncertainties and inherent risks, both general and specific. It is therefore possible that, due to a number of factors, the predictions, projections or other forward-looking statements as well as objectives and priorities of the parties may not materialize or may prove to be inaccurate and that actual results differ materially. Various factors beyond the control of the parties could influence the accuracy of the forward-looking statements in this press release. Although the parties believe that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance or guarantee that these expectations will prove to be correct. The parties caution readers against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements when making decisions. None of the parties undertakes to update any written or verbal forward-looking statements that could be made from time to time by or on behalf of the parties, except as required under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Qtrade Financial Group