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You've Opened Your Investing Account. Now What?
Written by The Content Team | Published on January 23, 2018
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Now that you've got your RBC Direct Investing account, you have access to a vast library of articles and market research, real-time quote1 information, goal-setting tools, active discussion forums and more to help you invest online with confidence. But what's your first move?
Here are five things you can do to get started:
1. Fund your account
You can start trading as soon as you have a balance in your account. Ready to get started? Here are ways to fund your RBC Direct Investing account.
RBC Online Banking. If you bank online with RBC, you can use the same login you use for banking to seamlessly transfer funds from a personal chequing or savings account to a personal Direct Investing account (non-registered and registered). The feature is called "Transfer to Direct Investing or InvestEase" and can be found under the online banking Pay Bills and Transfer Funds page. (Can't see your investment accounts on your online banking Account Summary page? You may have to link them first. From your RBC online banking Account Summary page, find the Account Management menu on the bottom right, select "Link Accounts" and choose RBC Direct Investing.)
RBC Direct Investing Site. On the RBC Direct Investing online investing site, select Transfer Cash & Foreign Exchange under the My Portfolio menu and follow the steps to move money from your RBC chequing or savings accounts, or Avion points, to your RBC Direct Investing account.
RBC Mobile3 App. If you bank online with RBC Online Banking and have linked your banking and RBC Direct Investing accounts, simply open or download the app and select RBC Direct Investing from the main menu when you log in. Then, select "Transfer Funds" under the yellow Action button or the More menu to move money from your RBC chequing or savings accounts to your RBC Direct Investing accounts.
- PACs: If you choose to set up a Pre-Authorized Contribution (PAC) plan, you can set yourself up to have funds transferred automatically from your RBC bank account into your investing accounts. (One bonus? If you have a PAC plan totalling $100 per month, or $300 per quarter, across your RBC Direct Investing accounts, your quarterly maintenance fee2 is waived.)
Transfer Funds from Another Institution. If you bank online somewhere other than RBC, simply add "RBC Direct Investing" as a bill payee – just like you would to pay an online bill, to transfer funds from a chequing or savings account. You will also need to have your 10-digit account number, which can be found on an RBC Direct Investing account statement. This can take 2-4 business days.
Transfer Investments from Another Institution. You have the option to transfer investments from another financial institution or firm to your RBC Direct Investing Account. Learn how here.
Converting Avion points to Cash. Redeem Avion points online to make cash deposits or contributions to your investment account, RRSP, TFSA or RESP. Rewards points can also be used to pay for trade commissions on your online or mobile trades. Learn more here.
Depositing a Cheque. The fastest way to deposit funds by cheque is to use the RBC Mobile app. First, switch to your personal banking profile on the app Home screen. Next, select "Deposit a Cheque" under the yellow Action button or the Move Money menu. Follow the steps on-screen to take a picture of your cheque and deposit it into the RBC Royal Bank account you choose. You can then switch to RBC Direct Investing on the RBC Mobile app to transfer the funds to your RBC Direct Investing account.
Find out more in Transfers, Foreign Exchange and Contributions FAQs.
2. Set up a goal
Whether you're building your retirement nest egg, saving for a child's education or putting away money for an upcoming vacation, the first step toward reaching a goal is to set one.
The Goal Setting Tool lets you create a financial goal, track your progress and project your future savings based on your personal circumstances, such as your investor profile, how much you have to invest, how often you invest and the time you have to reach your goal.
3. Explore your investment options and increase your investing knowledge
There are thousands of investments available to you, so how do you narrow your choices and find what's right for you? Here are some ways to get started.
- Use the search box at the top of the online page to enter keywords, find an article or enter a specific symbol.
- Visit Inspired Investor under the Research tab to explore articles that build confidence, motivate and increase knowledge by connecting investing with everyday interests.
- Explore screeners for stocks, exchange-traded funds and mutual funds, which allow you to narrow your search based on criteria important to you.
- Browse Markets Overview under the Research tab for breaking market news, company announcements, daily research and more.
- Look for the Investor's Toolkit under the Research tab, where you'll find a number of learning resources and helpful tools.
- Check out the Investing Academy for comprehensive investing guides and answers to many of your investing questions.
4. Take a test drive
Practice Accounts are a great way to test out your trading acumen. Every Practice Account comes with $100,000 in practice dollars to trade on a risk-free basis.
Whether you're just getting started or you're a seasoned online investor, your RBC Direct Investing account gives you access to the tools, research and learning resources to help you invest with confidence.
For more resources to help you navigate the RBC Direct Investing site, check out the Guide to Online Self-Serve Options.
View Legal Disclaimer
RBC Direct Investing Inc. and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. RBC Direct Investing Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada and is a Member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Royal Bank of Canada and certain of its issuers are related to RBC Direct Investing Inc. RBC Direct Investing Inc. does not provide investment advice or recommendations regarding the purchase or sale of any securities. Investors are responsible for their own investment decisions. RBC Direct Investing is a business name used by RBC Direct Investing Inc. ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. © Royal Bank of Canada 2018. All rights reserved.
Fund transfers to your RBC Direct Investing account from an RBC Royal Bank account will be processed in real-time for cash investment, margin, RRSP and TFSA accounts between the hours of 4:31 am and 7:54 pm. Transfers completed outside of those hours will be processed on the next business day. Some conditions apply.
The Avion Rewards program is offered by Royal Bank of Canada and is subject to the Avion Rewards Terms & Conditions. You may only use your Avion points through RBC DI to: (1) pay for trade commissions on your eligible RBC Direct Investing accounts; or (2) transfer points for cash contributions to your eligible RBC Direct Investing accounts. It is your responsibility to make sure you have sufficient contribution room within your registered plan when redeeming points for cash contributions to your registered accounts and/or when you use your Avion points to pay for trade commissions on a registered account. The Canada Revenue Agency may apply tax penalties for over-contributions. RBC Direct Investing is not responsible for any such penalties.
There may be commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus or Fund Facts before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed or covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or by any other government deposit insurer, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. For money market funds there can be no assurances that the fund will be able to maintain its net asset value per security at a constant amount or that the full amount of your investment in the fund will be returned to you.
1 Real-time quotes are available automatically to all clients for exchange listed stocks, ETFs and most over-the-counter (OTC) securities without completion of exchange agreements. Real-time quotes for options and grey market OTC securities on detailed quote and order entry pages are also available upon accepting the terms and conditions of all exchange agreements on the RBC Direct Investing online investing site. Real-time quotes for options and grey market OTC securities are available to Active Traders and Royal Circle clients across the site upon accepting the terms and conditions of all exchange agreements on the RBC Direct Investing online investing site.
2 There is no quarterly maintenance fee charged if your combined assets are $15,000 or more across all of your RBC Direct Investing accounts. If your combined assets are less than $15,000 across all of your RBC Direct Investing accounts, you will be charged one maintenance fee of $25 per quarter (split across all of your accounts).. For full details please refer to the complete Commissions and Fees Schedule at www.rbcdirectinvesting.com/fees.
3 RBC Mobile is operated by Royal Bank of Canada, RBC Direct Investing Inc. and RBC Dominion Securities Inc.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are for your general interest and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of RBC Direct Investing. Furthermore, the products, services and securities referred to in this publication are only available in Canada and other jurisdictions where they may be legally offered for sale. If you are not currently resident of Canada, you should not access the information available on the RBC Direct Investing website.
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