Thanks for posting - I need the exact same info. If you go with Questrade, could you provide an update?
We were leaning that way but then I was in downtown Toronto and the wall in the subway was plastered with advertising and I got spooked - all that money on promotion- how could they be the most cost effective?
Needless to say three months later and no progress....
I invest with Questrade and have been with them for several years now. Overall I've been really happy with them: low fees, reasonable customer service, and a good trading platform. My only complaint was dealing with them on a pension transfer to a Locked-in RRSP, but that's a long story and partly my pension plan's fault.
One thing to keep in mind re the advertising, they are heavily pushing their Portfolio IQ product. This is a managed investing service similar to Wealthsimple or Betterment (US). What most of us do here is not Portfolio IQ, it's self-directed investing using ETFs following a Lazy Portfolio strategy. Two very different services.
There is little doubt about one thing. Questrade is the cheapest online broker if you have multiple accounts (TFSA, RRSP, etc) and are using them to purchase ETF products. Even with rebalancing I spend about $50 a year on commission fees. It's peanuts.
CCP has an excellent portfolio strategy that's easy to implement.
http://canadiancouchpotato.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/CCP-Model-Portfolios-ETFs-2016.pdfIn my new, and definitely not as polished or credentialled blog, I will be posting monthly on my Balanced Portfolio to give people an idea of how to rebalance etc when making regular contributions.
http://therichmoose.com/portfolios/Risk tolerance and all that stuff is dependent on your personal situation. This is a good read for newer investors.
https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Risk_toleranceIn fact, this whole page is great even though it's from an American perspective.
https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Outline_of_investingHope this helps. Oh and if after your research and review of the options you are considering Questrade, I would be grateful if you used my referral key. :)