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  • Investing through a bank – READ THIS before you start!
  • Investing through a bank – READ THIS before you start!
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Investing through a bank – READ THIS before you start!

Investing money in a bank

Currently, savings interest rates are very unfavorable and unprecedentedly low. The savings in the bank account yield little return. If you do not need to use your money in the foreseeable future, it is an option to invest your assets. The chance of asset growth is greater here. There are various ways to invest. You can choose to invest yourself or to have it done. In the Netherlands, you can invest with a number of large banks such as ABN AMRO, ING or Rabobank.

If you already have an account with one of these banks, you can start investing right away. It is also possible to make investments with a broker such as DEGIRO. In this article we will discuss a number of important questions. What matters should be taken into account when investing through a bank? What differences can we discover with the large investment banks? What are the differences between investing with a bank or a broker?

When to choose to invest through a bank?

We will list the pros and cons, which will make choosing a bank or broker easier. The large banks, including ING, Rabobank and ABN AMRO, also offer investments. They often have investment funds themselves. This has the advantage that your investment assets are spread. On the other hand, costs are charged for financial management. These banks often provide insight into the research results of various economic sectors and it is possible to delve into the financial markets.

The advantages of investing with a bank:

  • All financial matters are held with just one financial institution .
  • The assets are relatively  safe with a bank, as a bank account is insured against bankruptcy of the bank in question up to an amount of €100,000.
  • The ability to get professional financial advice from an investment advisor.

The disadvantages of investing with a bank:

  • Banks charge an annual commission on the total amount invested, the so-called custody fee .
  • The additional costs are often higher at a bank than at an online broker. You have to deal with higher transaction costs and then there are the management and service costs.

Investing money through a bank or a broker?

It is useful to choose an  online broker  or a bank, because then you do not have to start investing yourself. The choice of a bank or a broker is determined by your own preferences. You can be guided by the (expected) size of the investment capital. Do you want to invest regularly? Do you usually take the time to let your capital grow or do you now prefer to act quickly with more risk? The answer to these questions is decisive in the choice of a broker or investment bank.

Banks offer a wide range of financial services and products. In addition to money transfers, loans and savings, you can also easily make the step to investments. You can use investment funds managed by the bank. Brokers, on the other hand, focus entirely on investing. They usually do not have funds to invest in themselves. Brokers do offer extensive opportunities to invest in investment funds from various providers.

Factors such as convenience, costs and safe investing play an important role in your choice. At your own bank, it is easy to take the step to investing and open an investment account. After all, you are already familiar with them and have a current account. You can also easily walk in for advice, because banks have their own branches that are accessible to their customers.

Investing with a bank usually involves higher costs compared to an online broker. The higher costs for entering into transactions and for the service provided, together with the management costs, subsequently result in a lower net return. With an online broker, you spend considerably less money on the total costs. In addition, an online broker offers investors a great deal of freedom and that you can determine things yourself, whereby the possibilities are often more extensive.

Which bank is best to choose for investing?

There is no clear answer to this question. Personal preferences and wishes play a major role here. By comparing different aspects at various banks, you will gain better insight into this. Think of things like the nature of the investments, costs, service and conditions. In this blog, we will continue with the three largest investment banks in the Netherlands.

Investing with ING

ING is a financially attractive bank to invest in, given the relatively low costs. The condition for investing is that you must have a current account here. At ING you can participate in 20 different financial markets and enter into transactions in bonds, currencies, investment funds, options and trackers. It is also possible to have your investments managed from €50 per month. There are various risk profiles to choose from. At ING you can already invest for a relatively low amount and there are low service costs. Do you want to know more about investing at ING? Then be sure to read our ING investment review . 

Investing with Rabobank

Rabobank offers the option to invest yourself or to have your investments managed by asset management. When investing through Rabobank, there are various risk profiles from which the investor can choose, ranging from defensive to offensive. It is possible to have your investments managed by Rabobank from €5000. There are costs associated with both ways of investing. Rabobank is one of the more expensive providers of investment products. Charging fixed service costs is partly the cause of this, you can read this via our Rabobank investment review .

You can invest yourself at Rabobank on a user-friendly platform. Here you can use a limited number of advice from stock analysts. For a thorough stock analysis, the possibilities are not that great. You can trade with bonds, shares, options, turbos, trackers and investment funds and also in green investments. Read more about entering into investments at Rabobank? Read the  Rabobank investment review .

Investing with ABN AMRO

ABN AMRO self-investing is an easy way to actively invest on the largest stock exchanges of both the European and American continents. When investing independently, you can choose between a basic or plus package. The plus package offers more trading options and analysis tools. At ABN AMRO, you can be active on ten stock exchanges with more than 100 investment funds and over 190 different shares. The costs associated with investing are mainly determined by the type of package you choose. In addition to investing independently, it is of course also possible to invest under the supervision of ABN AMRO. Want to know more about investing at ABN AMRO? Read our  ABN Amro investing review .

Green investments at a bank

To benefit from an attractive tax advantage, you can easily use green investments. This is a win-win situation. Not only is it good for your finances, but it is also beneficial for the environment. Triodos Bank and ASN Bank are the best-known examples of banks that offer sustainable investments.

What are the investment costs at a major bank?

Major banks such as Rabobank, ABN AMRO and ING generally charge quite high fees. At ING, for example, the basic costs are €20 per year. In addition, there are also service costs associated with investing. These amount to an X percentage per year, calculated based on the size of your investments. Let’s take an investment capital of €20,000 as an example. You will then quickly pay €68 per month in fixed costs. The costs charged by the various major banks have decreased considerably in recent years. This is also essential for the banks, just like the brokers, to maintain their position on the investment market.

You have control over what you choose

The investor can decide for himself what to do in terms of investments (investing independently via a bank or a broker or via an investment fund) and which financial products to go for. Do not lose sight of the fact that there are always risks associated with investing and that you can lose your deposit. But investing also offers a great opportunity to make a profit and grow your assets. An urgent advice is never to invest more money than you can actually afford to lose. It is also wise to choose an investment that is in line with your personal profile.

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