Stonekeel

European investing · decoded by an insider

Invest like you mean to keep it.

Honest broker reviews, real fee and FX analysis, and free tools, from someone who worked inside the industry. See what you actually pay, and choose well.

The fee you can't see
−€0

quietly lost to 0.8% annual fees over 30 years on a €250 / month plan, versus a low-cost 0.2%.

Stonekeel fee calculator →
  • Ex-brokerage insider
  • Rankings never bought
  • Fees verified from source
  • UK + EU + expat coverage
01

European Investing Hub

Broker comparisons, UCITS ETF research, and tax-efficient investing by country.

02

ETF & Wealth Automation

Savings plans, recurring & fractional investing, portfolio construction, FIRE.

03

Trust & Transparency

Fee, FX and execution-quality analysis. How brokers actually make money.

What do fees actually cost you?

Drag the sliders. This is the number brokers and fund providers would rather you didn't see.

You invest
€90,000
Final value
€272,677
Lost to fees
€34,095

At 0.6% annual fees, you hand over €34,095 over 30 years, 11.1% of what your portfolio could have been. This is why a €0 savings-plan broker and a low-TER UCITS ETF matter. Illustrative; not advice.

Top-rated brokers

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Latest guides

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Netherlands

Best Broker for Expats in the Netherlands (2026)

Investing from the Netherlands as an expat? What to look for in a broker, account portability, low FX, UCITS access and the box 3 wealth tax, plus which brokers handle it best, from an ex-brokerage insider.

Portugal

Best Broker for Expats in Portugal (2026): What to Look For

Investing from Portugal as an English-speaking expat? What to look for in a broker, account portability, low FX, UCITS access and Portugal's changing tax rules, plus which brokers handle it best, from an ex-brokerage insider.

Spain

Best Broker for Expats in Spain (2026): What to Look For

Investing from Spain as an English-speaking expat? What to look for in a broker, account portability, low FX, UCITS access and Spanish reporting, plus which brokers handle it best, from an ex-brokerage insider.

Interactive Brokers Fees Explained: What You Really Pay (2026)

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is the low-cost choice for global and multi-currency investors. Every IBKR fee in plain English: commissions, the very cheap currency conversion, custody and data, from an ex-brokerage insider.

InvestEngine Fees Explained: What You Really Pay (2026)

InvestEngine offers genuinely free DIY ETF investing in a UK ISA or SIPP. Every InvestEngine fee in plain English: the £0 DIY platform fee, the optional 0.25% managed service, FX and fund costs, from an ex-brokerage insider.

Trade Republic Fees Explained: What You Really Pay (2026)

Trade Republic markets itself as commission-free, so what does it actually cost? Every Trade Republic fee in plain English: savings plans, the €1 trade fee, FX and the spread, from an ex-brokerage insider.

Built by someone who sat on the other side of the desk

Years spent inside retail brokerages, turned into plain-English guides and tools. We explain how the industry really works so you can keep more of what you earn.