Share Trading comparison
Bendigo Invest Direct vs Totality Wealth
The biggest practical difference between Bendigo Invest Direct and Totality Wealth is how your ASX holdings are held. Bendigo Invest Direct is fully CHESS-sponsored — you get your own HIN and shares are registered in your name on the ASX settlement system. Totality Wealth operates a mixed model: you can request a HIN, but by default it holds assets in a custodian arrangement. That distinction flows through to fees, tax reporting, and market access.
Choose
Bendigo Invest Direct
if…
- ›You want true CHESS sponsorship with your own HIN and direct ASX settlement — Bendigo Invest Direct gives you that standard
- ›You need a CGT report and an Australian tax statement built into the platform, which Totality Wealth doesn't offer
- ›You plan to trade a wide range of international markets — Bendigo covers 17 countries including the UK, Japan, Canada and most of Europe
- ›You want free real-time ASX market data included without paying extra each month
- ›You're comfortable paying a higher ASX brokerage fee ($19.95 minimum) in exchange for bank-backed security and CHESS ownership
Choose
Totality Wealth
if…
- ›You trade frequently on ASX — Totality Wealth's $3 minimum brokerage is dramatically cheaper than Bendigo's $19.95
- ›You want zero ongoing fees across the board — no monthly platform fee, no inactivity fee, no withdrawal fee, and no market data fees
- ›You trade US stocks regularly and want a USD sub-account plus tight FX spreads (0.0045%) to avoid repeated currency conversion costs
- ›You want flexible deposit options including credit card, PayPal and Wise, with no minimum initial deposit
- ›You're interested in CFD trading or want a demo account to test strategies before committing real money
Where they differ
| Fact | Bendigo Invest Direct | Totality Wealth |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage minimum | $19.95 | $3.00 |
| CHESS sponsorship model | Full CHESS (individual HIN) | Mixed model (custodian default, HIN available) |
| CGT calculator / tax statement | Yes (CGT report + tax statement) | No |
| Market data fees | $41.25/month (or free real-time included) | $0/month |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.007% | 0.0045% |
Verdict
Choose Bendigo Invest Direct for CHESS ownership and tax reporting; choose Totality Wealth for much cheaper trading and lower ongoing costs.
Cost calculator
What would Bendigo Invest Direct vs Totality Wealth actually cost you?
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All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Bendigo Invest Direct | Totality Wealth |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | mixed |
| Individual HIN | Yes | 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 | UK, JP, CA, DE, FR, HK, SG, NZ, NL, BE, PT, ES, IT, NO, SE | 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 | Yes | Yes |
| CFDs supported | No | Yes |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | 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 | No | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $41.25/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | $50 | — |
| Corporate action fees | BPAY for corporate actions $10; IPO/Placement booking fee $55 per stock | 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 | $19.95 | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.11% | 0.08% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $22,000 | $3,750 |
| 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 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $35 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | CMC Markets Stockbroking Limited | Totality Wealth Limited (formerly Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Pty Ltd) |
| AFSL number | 246,381 | 280,372 |
| Year founded | — | 2,012 |
| Parent / ownership | Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited (ABN 11 068 049 178); service operated by CMC Markets Stockbroking Limited, a member of the CMC Markets Group (CMC Markets plc, LSE-listed) | DMA (Johannesburg, South Africa) 80.1% / Saxo Bank A/S (Denmark) 19.9% |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public (Bendigo and Adelaide Bank ASX:BEN; CMC Markets plc LSE:CMCX) | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $0 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $0 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, direct credit | bank_transfer, BPAY, credit_card, debit_card, PayPal, Wise |
| Settlement period | T+2 ASX (CHESS settlement) | T+2 ASX, T+1 US |
| Withdrawal time | — | 1-3 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | — | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | — | app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live_chat, in_app | phone, email, live_chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 7:30am-7:00pm (chat/email) and 7:30am-5:30pm (phone) AEST/AEDT | Mon-Fri 08:30-17:30 Sydney time |
| Education content | basic_articles | extensive |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | No |
| Distribution component breakdown | — | No |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | No |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | 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) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | No |