Brokerage Account
Also known as: Depot, securities account, investment account
A brokerage account (Depot) is an account where your securities (stocks, ETFs, bonds) are held. Without one, you cannot invest — it is the counterpart to a checking account, but for investments instead of payments.
What does it cost?
With online brokers: often €0 account fee. Trade costs: €0–3 per purchase. ETF savings plans are completely free with many brokers. Traditional banks charge significantly more — €10–30 per trade. For a simple ETF savings plan, a low-cost online broker is sufficient.
How do you open one?
Online brokers (e.g., Flatex, Trade Republic, Scalable Capital) offer free accounts. Opening takes 10–15 minutes: sign up, verify identity (video ID), provide reference account, done. Most brokers charge no account fees — you only pay per trade (often €0–1).
BudgetHeld says
In BudgetHeld, you plan your monthly amount under Investing. The brokerage account is where you set up an automatic ETF savings plan with that amount.
Related tools
Budget Tool — Investing →Written by David El Dib — Financial expert & founder of MoneyTalk