Share Trading comparison
IG Australia vs Totality Wealth
The biggest practical difference between IG Australia and Totality Wealth comes down to ownership structure. IG is a custody-only model — you don't get a HIN and your shares sit in IG's nominee. Totality Wealth offers CHESS sponsorship, meaning you can hold your ASX shares under your own HIN. That single distinction shapes which investor each platform suits.
Choose
IG Australia
if…
- ›You want zero commission on ASX trades — IG charges $0 brokerage on all ASX shares and ETFs with no minimum trade count or conditions.
- ›You trade US markets frequently and want zero US brokerage plus a 0.007% FX spread, with a dedicated USD account to hold proceeds.
- ›You want after-hours trading access for ASX and US markets, giving you flexibility outside standard session hours.
- ›You value a polished desktop platform with a demo account and 24/5 customer support via phone, email, live chat and social media.
- ›You want IPO access directly through your broker without needing a separate application.
Choose
Totality Wealth
if…
- ›You want your ASX holdings under your own HIN with CHESS sponsorship, giving you direct ownership rather than a custodial arrangement.
- ›You trade options or bonds — Totality supports both, while IG does not.
- ›You invest across 18 global markets including Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Switzerland, not just the US, UK, Germany and Ireland.
- ›You want dividend reinvestment (DRP) on your ASX holdings to automatically compound returns.
- ›You prefer a broker with extensive educational content and don't mind paying a small brokerage fee ($3 minimum on ASX) for the CHESS structure.
Where they differ
| Fact | IG Australia | Totality Wealth |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage | $0 flat | $3 minimum (0.08% up to $3,750) |
| CHESS sponsorship | Custodial — no individual HIN | Mixed — individual HIN available |
| Markets available | AU, US, UK, Germany, Ireland (5 markets) | 18 markets including HK, JP, SG, CH, and more |
| Options trading | Not supported | Supported |
| Dividend reinvestment (DRP) | Not supported | Supported |
Verdict
Choose IG for free ASX trades and US exposure; choose Totality if you want a HIN, global markets, options and DRP.
Cost calculator
What would IG Australia vs Totality Wealth actually cost you?
Punch in your trade size and frequency. We'll do the full brokerage + FX + fees maths.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | IG Australia | Totality Wealth |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | mixed |
| Individual HIN | No | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | — | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Other markets supported | United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland | US, GB, HK, JP, DE, FR, CA, SG, CH, NL, IT, ES, BE, AT, DK, SE, NO, FI |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | No |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| IPO access | Yes | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.7% | 0.45% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.7% | 0.45% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | Corporate actions (dividends, splits, rights issues, takeovers) for shares held in custody are processed by IG via Citicorp Nominees; cash dividends are credited net of withholding to client ledger. SPP/rights elections are limited under the custodial model and detailed fees are disclosed in the IG Share Trading Customer Agreement / FSG. | Custodian processes corporate actions; proxy voting subscription EUR 30/year + EUR 5 per vote; new instrument requests USD 200 for Platinum / free for VIP legacy tiers; reporting fee USD 50 for Classic email reports. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $0 | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0% | 0.08% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $10,000 | $3,750 |
| ASX free trade conditions | $0 commission on all ASX shares and ETFs on the IG Share Trading account (no conditions/minimum trade count). A 0.25% p.a. platform fee on holdings value applies; 0.7% FX fee applies to international trades. | — |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$1 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0% | 0.08% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | IG Australia Pty Ltd | Totality Wealth Limited (formerly Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Pty Ltd) |
| AFSL number | 515,106 | 280,372 |
| Year founded | 2,002 | 2,012 |
| Parent / ownership | IG Group Holdings plc (LSE: IGG) | DMA (Johannesburg, South Africa) 80.1% / Saxo Bank A/S (Denmark) 19.9% |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $0 |
| Deposit methods | bank transfer, BPAY, debit card, credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay | bank_transfer, BPAY, credit_card, debit_card, PayPal, Wise |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) | T+2 ASX, T+1 US |
| Withdrawal time | 1-3 business days | 1-3 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | authenticator app | app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat, social media | phone, email, live_chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/5 Monday to Friday (closed weekends) | Mon-Fri 08:30-17:30 Sydney time |
| Education content | video + courses | extensive |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | No |
| Distribution component breakdown | — | No |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | No |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | — | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |