Why Questrade Was the Right Brokerage for Me for Years

I started with CIBC mutual funds. The fees were high, contributions felt clunky, and I wanted to understand direct investing instead of handing every decision to a product I barely understood.

Questrade fit the next stage. The accounts were smaller, trading costs mattered, and its dual-currency registered accounts let me hold USD instead of converting it after every sale or dividend.

I was buying primarily in USD and was willing to tolerate more friction to control the currency path. Questrade now advertises free dual-currency accounts and direct USD holding in registered accounts, which is the feature that kept it useful for me.

That does not make Questrade the best brokerage for everyone. Someone buying only CAD-listed funds may barely care about the same plumbing.

My trading pattern changed, and Wealthsimple's USD support improved. Its USD accounts can hold USD proceeds without a conversion on every U.S. trade, so my old reason for staying was no longer decisive.

A now-closed transfer promotion made me look sooner, but it was not enough by itself. I switched only when the destination could handle the accounts the way I needed. Questrade was not a mistake; it was an answer that fit an earlier version of the problem.