CIBC Investor's Edge is the cheapest Big-Six discount brokerage in Canada by 30%. While RBC, TD, Scotia, and BMO charge $9.95-9.99, CIBC charges $6.95 — $5.95 if you're under 25 — $4.95 if you're active. Same research stack. Same account types. Less money.
If you're between 18-25, every trade is $5.95 — already cheaper than Questrade and approaching Wealthsimple's $0. Combined with zero account-minimum and waived fees on registered accounts, CIBC is mathematically the best Big-Six broker for early-career investors.
BMO has 80+ free BMO ETFs. Scotia has 100+ iShares ETFs. CIBC has zero.
The CIBC Mobile Wealth app is functional but lags TD WebBroker and Wealthsimple's polish.
Reports of 1-3 sec latency on market orders. Not a problem for buy-and-hold; meaningful for active traders.
Globe & Mail ranks CIBC IE last among Big-Six for service responsiveness.
If you want a Big-Six broker (CIBC banking integration, established platform, full research), Investor's Edge is mathematically the best of the five. The 30% commission discount compounds over decades. The only better path is Wealthsimple's free model — IF you don't need research, options, or USD registered.