Overall Conclusion:
Overall Conclusion:
TD Ameritrade / thinkorswim has had no US regulatory action taken against it. Further, TD Ameritrade scores well against the key criteria for a forex broker. This broker will appeal to experienced traders who appreciate the rich feature set of the trading platform, but novice traders may struggle with the learning curve of the trading platform.
Visit TD Ameritrade’s forex website.
✅Summary Of Regulatory Action Against TD Ameritrade:
TD Ameritrade owns the thinkorswim brand. TD Ameritrade is one of the only forex brokers operating in the USA that has never been fined by the CFTC or NFA. TD Ameritrade is an NFA member under NFA ID 0477394. TD Ameritrade used to be regulated under NFA ID 0382533.
Review of TD Ameritrade For Key Criteria
| Criteria | Check | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Counterparty Risk |
✅ |
When last checked, TD Ameritrade was maintaining capital reserves 99% higher than what is required by regulations. This is just shy of a perfect score in this area. |
| Broker Type |
✅ |
For forex transactions, TD Ameritrade acts as an introducing broker to Knight Capital Group, which offers access to an ECN with their KCG Hotspot service. |
| Spreads |
❌ |
Transparent pricing model which has very narrow spreads with a commission. However, the commission is not competitive with the leaders in this area. |
| Accounts & Funding |
⚠️ |
TD Ameritrade allows fund withdrawals via wire transfer, ACH, ACAT or checks. Only modest processing fees apply to some types of withdrawals |
| User Interface |
✅ |
TD Ameritrade allows a choice of trading platforms with a lot of features. A proprietary scripting language is available for advanced analysis, alerts and automated trading. The platform may have a steep learning curve for novice traders. |
| Other Comments |
✅ |
TD Ameritrade has over 100 currency pairs available to trade
TD Ameritrade allows trading of stocks, options, futures and forex all from the same account |