Different choices, all the way down.
Most retail brokers grew up after 2008 optimising for acquisition. We grew up trading at desks that optimised for the next thirty years. Those two starting points produce different firms.
Compounding rewards patience.
Most retail brokerages punish it.
The retail brokerage industry, as a category, is incentivised to maximise short-term trading volume per client. The fee schedules, the marketing copy, the "free education" funnels, the variable-spread games — all of it points toward more turnover, faster.
That is incompatible with a client trying to compound capital over decades. We built Aurelis to be incompatible with the opposite — clients who churn fast and burn out.
What that means for you, day one.
- No volume-based promotions to "encourage activity".
- No leverage upgrades pushed without a suitability test.
- No bonus credits, deposit matches, or "trade $1k get $50".
- No introducing brokers paid on client losses.
- Concierge compensation tied to retention, not turnover.
- Withdrawal turnaround tracked and published quarterly.
Things we will not do.
We will not internalise.
Every order routes to a venue. Aurelis earns on the disclosed spread we add, never against the client's loss.
We will not hide costs in T&Cs.
Swap formulas, commission schedules and overnight financing rates are public-facing and machine-readable.
We will not push the wrong plan.
If a Cornerstone fits you, we will not sell you Keystone for a higher concierge bonus, because there is no concierge bonus.
We will not delay withdrawals.
Withdrawal turnaround target is two business days. Median over the last 12 months: 14 hours.
We will not run bonus campaigns.
No "deposit $1k get $200". The clients we want do not need that incentive — and the ones who do, regret it.
We will tell you when we drift.
If any of the above changes, existing clients may close their account fee-free. We will publish what changed and why.