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How Do I Get $9.95 Trades for my RESP Account at BMO InvestorLine

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So I opened a RESP account at BMO InvestorLine. We already had other accounts there with enough in them to qualify them for $9.95 trades. (At InvestorLine you need to have at least $50 000 in your account or in your accounts in total.) Although I added the account to my User ID and requested it be included in the calculations for the 5 Star Trader program in the future, nothing happened in the next few days to give me the Flat Trading Fee rate. So I wrote InvestorLine using the MyLink Secure email service. Here’s how they said I can get the $9.95 trades for my RESP account.

BMO InvestorLine Better Beware RBC Direct Investing and TD Direct Investing Are Making a Better Offer!

InvestorLine had better perk up its ears and pay attention. In the past few weeks, in early 2014, both RBC Direct Investing and TD (Waterhouse) Direct Investing have changed their rules to offer every customer $9.95 trades regardless of their account balance. For now, InvestorLine still requires a balance of at least $50 000, which can be achieved by grouping accounts under one User ID, or by meeting certain trading quotas.

What Did InvestorLine Say about $9.95 Trades When I asked by MyLink Secure Email

The BMO InvestorLine MyLink Advisor responded: “I have sent a request to enroll your new RESP account into Flat fee pricing. Flat fee evaluation takes place at the end of each month and any inclusion is done manually. It would be enrolled within 2 business days.”

I expect that means that the account will not be enrolled until 2 business days after the end of January. I’m not certain, though, so I’ll keep an eye on the account and see if it happens before month end.

When Did I Actually Get the $9.95 Trades at InvestorLine?

Aha!

The morning after the email arrived via MyLink telling me that it will be enrolled within 2 business days, it was enrolled! So I guess it means if you don’t phone or email InvestorLine, the automated process won’t pick up the account until the end of the month. But if you phone or email, you should be able to get them to set up the $9.95 trades in two business days.

Of course I don’t think I actually want to buy any ETFs or stocks today, so it’s almost irrelevant, but it’s still good to know.

How Long Did It Take for MyLink To Respond to My Request?

Unfortunately, MyLink isn’t responding as quickly as it used to. I sent my question on January 23, and only received a reply on January 27 (although it says it was emailed on January 26. If so, it must have been after hours, ET.)

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To get $9.95 trades in the “old days” at RBC Direct Investing, I had to phone them once the required minimum balance was in my account. Now all of their customers get that rate immediately. BMO InvestorLine seems stuck with a month end system. What does your brokerage do? Do you have to phone or email to get a better rate for trades? Please share your experiences with a comment.

How To Add a RESP Account to Your BMO InvestorLine User ID

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You can sign in to each of your InvestorLine accounts separately but you don’t have to. You can group all of your accounts, such as a TFSA, RRSP, LIRA and RESP, under a single User ID. Then you can sign in to all of your accounts using one id and one password. When you go to execute trades for the accounts, you use the account specific trading password. I recently opened a RESP account at BMO InvestorLine. Here’s how I added the RESP account to my BMO InvestorLine User ID.

Grouping accounts under a single User ID can also help an account qualify for lower trading costs and other benefits more quickly. In February 2014, InvestorLine removed the requirement to have a minimum account balance to qualify for $9.95 trades but there are still some other benefits to grouping account balances.

Adding an InvestorLine Account to your User ID

  1. Sign in to your InvestorLine accounts using your User ID.
  2. From the Account Services tab, select User ID Profile.
  3. Click on the Add Accounts to User ID link.
  4. Next
    1. In the Account Number field, type the number for the InvestorLine RESP account.
    2. In the Account Password field, type the login password for the RESP account.
    3. In the Account Nickname field, add an optional name for the account, if desired.
      For example I used: Queens vs McGill
    4. Under the 5 Star Program benefits’ column, ensure the Yes box is selected if you want to qualify to reduce the trading fees and commissions on this new account.
  5. Click on the Submit button.
  6. If you are finished with the account, click on the Sign out link.
  7. For increased security, clear your browser cache and close your browser session.

What Will I Pay for a Trade for my New BMO InvestorLine RESP Account?

When you first look at the cost on the Equity and Option Order Entry screen, trades will now cost $9.95 each as of February 2014. Before this they cost $29.

If you will qualify for a reduced rate due to a large balance or by combining your account with other accounts at InvestorLine, make sure you see the reduced rate on screen before placing an order. It may be difficult or impossible to get a refund if you over-pay for a trade before you qualify for the reduced cost.

Does Adding a New RESP InvestorLine Account to a User ID Automatically Update the Account to Flat Fee Pricing and Other Perks?

I have enough $$ in my RRSP and TFSA account to qualify for Flat Fee Pricing. That’s the name InvestorLine uses for $9.95 trades.

When I added my RESP account to my User ID, I checked whether it immediately updated the account to receive the lower trading price. (This was before InvestorLine began offering lower trading prices to all customers.)

Nope.

Time to check into how this works with InvestorLine. I’ll send them a message via their MyLink secure email system.

OK, I’ve got it sorted out now. Please see: How Do I Get My Account Evaluated for the 5 Star Program and $9.95 Trades at BMO InvestorLine for the details.

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Does your brokerage allow you to easily group accounts to qualify for trading discounts and to make checking on your portfolios easy? Or do you bank with RBC Direct Investing which has just started offering low cost trades to all accounts regardless of their balance? Please share your experiences with a comment.