TD Direct Investing vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)

Broker Name

TD Direct Investing

Lightyear

Broker Overview

Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)

None

STP

Years of Existence / Established Year

1984

2020

Customer Base / Number of Accounts

17 M

Info not available

Regulation & Security

Regulations (governing bodies)

CIPF, CIRO

FCA EFSA

Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)

No major awards listed

Security Measures

CIPF

SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000

SSL Encryption / 2FA

Yes

Segregated Funds

Yes

Negative Balance Protection

Yes

Trading Instruments/Products Offered

Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)

Fixed income investments, GICs

US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds

Currency Pairs

Commodities

Indices

Cryptocurrencies

Yes

CFDs

ETFs

Yes

Stocks

Yes

Options

Yes

Futures

Bonds

Yes

Mutual Funds

Yes

Fractional Shares

Yes

Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)

Precious Metals

Yes

Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

Yes - through REIT stocks

Equities

Yes

Trading Platforms & Technology

Trading Platform Availability

Yes

MT4

MT5

cTrader

Social Trading

Yes

Copy Trading

Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)

TD app, web trader, Advanced dashboard, TD active trader

Lightyear's proprietary platform

Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)

Yes

Account Types & Conditions

Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)

Margin account, cash trading account, TFSA, RSP, RESP, RIF, LIRA, LIF, RDSP

Personal Business

Demo Account (Yes/No)

Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)

Minimum Deposit

Leverage Available

Trade Limit (maximum per trade)

Depends on asset types

Varies for each product

Commission (per account type)

Euro 0

Best Suited For (e.g., beginners, experienced traders)

Beginners and experienced traders

Beginners

Deposit & Withdrawal Options

Deposit Methods

Direct bank account, Check

EUR - SEPA, Debit Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay GBP - FPS, CHAPS, BACS, SWIFT, Apple Pay, Google Pay USD - ACH, FedWire, SWIFT HUF - Bank transfers within Hungary

Withdrawal Methods

SWIP, Wire payment

Bank Transfers

Other E-Wallets Supported

Tools & Educational Resources

Economic Calendar

Yes

Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)

Learning Centre - Investing Education, Market Insights and Analysis, Webinars, Investing Guides, Video Tutorials, TD Direct Investing Community Forum

Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator

Fees & Commissions

Trading-Related Fees

Commission -mutual funds- $0 , IPOs, Equities- $7.00- $9.99, Stock - $3- $43, Bonds- $40 + $1.50/1,000

US Shares per order - 0.1% upto $1 maximum EU Shares per order - Euro 1 UK Shares per order - Euro 1 Money Market Funds - 0.25% annually Nasdaq Baltic - Euro 1 ETFs -Euro 0 Multi-currency account -Euro 0

Spread (typical, fixed, variable)

Per Lot Fees

Options Contract Fees

$9.99 + $1.25 per contract

Futures Contract Fees

Markup Fees on Spread

Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees

Maximum Leverage

Info not available

Non-Trading Fees

Dormant Fees

Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)

Advisory Fees

Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)

Statement or Document Fee

$2-$5

Account Opening Fee

Applicable, Depends on account types

Account Maintenance Fee

$25 per quarter

Deposit Fee

$17.50 U.S

In EUR & GBP Debit Card / ApplePay / Google Pay - First Euro500 lifetime free, 0.5% after In USD FedWire & Swift - $6.11

Currency Conversion Fee

2.50%

0.35%

Withdrawal Fee

$30-$100

Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits

Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals

Yes

Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)

Yes

Trading Hours

Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)

Pre-market trading hours (8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET) and after-hours trading (4 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET)

Vary for each asset class

Customer Support

Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)

Monday to Friday, 7 am to 10 pm ET

24/7

Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)

Phone: 1-800-465-5463, , Book an appointment

Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.

Support Languages

20+

Additional Information

Headquarters Location

66 Wellington Street West, Toronto, ON M5K 1A2

Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia

Complaints (for crypto brokers)

At TradingCritique, we don't just list brokers. We test, compare, and simplify your decision-making. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, our data-driven comparisons are built to match your trading style and region. Learn how we Evaluate a broker.

If minimizing trading costs is your top priority, TD Direct Investing might be more attractive due to its lower commissions. Meanwhile, Lightyear justifies its moderate fees with more robust tools and professional-grade features.

TD Direct Investing gets you trading faster thanks to its minimal entry barriers. In comparison, Lightyear account setup is slower but includes extra layers of financial screening and suitability assessments.

While TD Direct Investing focuses on mobile-first design and clean user experience, Lightyear includes features like in-depth charting, integrated news feeds, and strong desktop performance.

TD Direct Investing delivers a robust ecosystem for seasoned traders, whereas Lightyear focuses on ease of access and modern usability.

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