What Planner Securities does

Planner Securities, LLC is a privately held, FINRA-registered and SIPC-member discount brokerage founded in 2008 and headquartered at 641 Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, operating with a reported 1-10 employees. The firm provides self-directed retail brokerage services, explicitly stating it does not offer investment, financial, legal, or tax advice. Its core offering is the Alpha Plan, a proprietary web-based trading platform with no download requirement, supported by native iOS and Android mobile applications and an Alpha Plan Simulator for paper trading. The platform integrates real-time streaming market data with customizable charting, Level II market depth, options chain analytics with implied volatility and Greeks, a probability calculator, multi-leg order support, and an option optimizer.

The business model is commission- and transaction-fee-based, with revenue generated from per-trade equity and ETF commissions ($10 for U.S. residents, $14.95 for non-U.S.), per-contract options commissions ($1.50 / $2), fixed-income bond commissions, market data subscriptions ($9.95 to $26 monthly), margin interest (7.00% to 10.00%), wire and transfer fees, securities processing fees (DRS, DWAC), and inactivity/dormant account charges. The firm clears all customer transactions through Apex Clearing Corporation, which provides custody, settlement, statement generation, and e-delivery infrastructure, allowing Planner Securities to operate with a thin internal headcount. Market data is sourced through distribution agreements with Nasdaq, NYSE, and OPRA, and banking relationships are anchored at BMO Harris Bank for wire transfers.

Customers are exclusively self-directed retail investors, segmented across self-directed investors, active traders, and long-term investors, with use cases spanning equities, ETFs, options strategies, margin trading, fixed income, and retirement accounts (IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA). Customer acquisition is conducted online without branch offices, relying on the corporate website, content marketing through the Learning Center blog, mobile app distribution, and a free demo account funnel. Pricing varies by residency status, broker-assisted trades add a $15 fee, and account minimums are $500 for cash and $2,000 for margin.

Name

Planner Securities

Legal name

Planner Securities, LLC

Website

https://plannersecurities.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Planner Securities is a privately held, FINRA- and SIPC-member discount brokerage founded in 2008 that provides self-directed retail investors with self-serve equity, options, fixed income, and margin trading through its proprietary Alpha Plan web and mobile platform, with custody and clearing outsourced to Apex Clearing Corporation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Discount Brokerage

NAICS

Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523), Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

Execution-Only / Self-Directed Investing Platforms (FSAAAAAI)

Keywords

• Discount brokerage
• Self-directed trading
• Equity options trading
• Fixed income trading
• Margin trading

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equity and ETF Commissions: Commission-based trading fees charged per trade for equities and ETFs. US residents pay $10 per trade; non-US residents pay $14.95 per trade.
2. Options Trading Commissions: Per-contract commission for options trading. US residents pay $1.50 per contract with $10 minimum; non-US residents pay $2 per contract with $14.95 minimum.
3. Fixed Income Trading: Bond trading commissions at $1 per bond ($100 minimum) for US residents and $1.50 per bond ($150 minimum) for non-US residents. US Treasuries at 0.50% with $75 minimum.
4. Banking and Transfer Fees: Fees for wire transfers (domestic $30, foreign $50 outgoing; $8 domestic, $14 foreign incoming), ACH transfers, check services, and account transfers (ACAT $100).
5. Market Data Subscriptions: Monthly subscription fees for market data packages: Basic Delayed Data at $9.95/month, Silver (NYSE, Nasdaq, AMEX, OPRA real-time) at $20/month, Gold (adds OTCBB) at $26/month. Fee waivers available based on commission thresholds.
6. Margin Interest: Interest charged on borrowed funds in margin accounts. Rates range from 7.00% (for $1M+ balances) to 10.00% (for balances under $10,000), based on Planner Base Rate plus spread.
7. Credit Interest Program: Interest paid on uninvested cash balances. Standard rate of 0.20% for most balances, with 0.35% for certain tiers.
8. Account Maintenance and Service Fees: Quarterly account maintenance fee of $15 for accounts without web trading access or commission-generating activity. Dormant account fee of $100 annually for accounts under $250 with no activity. Various securities processing fees including DRS ($125), DWAC ($125), and physical trade settlement ($300).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Planner Securities is a private online discount brokerage that provides self-directed investors with access to U.S. equity, ETF, options, fixed income, and margin trading through its proprietary Alpha Plan web and mobile trading platform. The firm operates a fully self-directed model without offering investment advice, charging commissions per trade, market data subscription fees, margin interest, and miscellaneous account service fees.

Product overview

Planner Securities offers a unified discount brokerage platform centered around its Alpha Plan trading platform, which provides equity and options trading services with tiered pricing for US and non-US residents. The product portfolio includes self-directed trading tools, fixed income trading through a dedicated desk, margin trading with tiered rates, a credit interest program for idle cash, demo/simulator accounts for practice trading, mobile applications for iOS and Android, and an educational learning center. The Alpha Plan platform serves as the core interface for market data, charting, options analysis, and order execution, while complementary services address portfolio financing (margin), income generation (credit interest), and fixed-income diversification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alpha Plan: Advanced trading platform with customizable interface solutions featuring live market data, charts, options trading tools, and order management capabilities.

Products and services

• Alpha Plan Trading Platform Planner Securities' primary web-based trading platform offering real-time market data, customizable charts with 50+ technical indicators, Level II market depth, options chains with Greeks, P&L analysis, multi-leg orders, watchlists, and integrated order execution for individual self-directed investors.
• Equity and Options Trading Self-directed brokerage service enabling customers to trade U.S.-listed stocks, ETFs, and options with advanced order types including trailing stops, stop-limits, and multi-leg orders for retail individual investors.
• Fixed Income Trading Fixed-income investment service offering Treasuries, emerging market bonds, corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), and pass-through securities through a dedicated trading desk for individual investors.
• Margin Trading Leveraged trading service allowing customers to borrow funds against securities in their account, with tiered margin interest rates ranging from 7.00% to 10.00% based on account balance.
• Credit Interest Program Interest-earning program that pays clients interest on available cash balances held in their brokerage accounts, with rates of 0.20% for standard accounts and 0.35% for premium-tier accounts.
• Alpha Plan Simulator (Demo Account) Free practice trading environment with delayed market data that lets prospective and current customers place trades using virtual funds to test strategies and learn the Alpha Plan platform without risking real capital.
• Alpha Plan Mobile App Native iOS and Android trading applications available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, providing on-the-go access to the Alpha Plan trading platform for retail investors.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Apex Clearing CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationApex Clearing Corporation serves as Planner Securities' clearing broker, handling account custody, trade settlement, statement generation, and e-delivery services. Apex provides the underlying brokerage infrastructure including account management systems, banking integrations, and regulatory compliance support.
• FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority)coreOthersPlanner Securities is a registered member of FINRA, subject to its regulatory oversight, rules, and requirements for broker-dealers. FINRA membership is required to conduct securities business.
• SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation)coreOthersSIPC membership provides securities protection up to $500,000 per account. All Planner Securities client accounts are protected under SIPC coverage through the firm's clearing relationship with Apex Clearing.
• BMO Harris BankminorOthersBMO Harris Bank serves as the receiving bank for incoming and outgoing wire transfers. USD wires are processed through BMO Harris Bank ABA: 071000288 for Apex Clearing FBO accounts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Robinhood: Robinhood pioneered commission-free self-directed trading and is the dominant mass-market self-directed platform — directly comparable in customer segment (self-directed retail) but differentiated by zero commissions, mobile-first UX, and crypto/feature breadth.
• Webull: Webull is a mobile-first emerging broker with advanced charting, options analytics, and Level II data targeting self-directed retail traders — overlapping with Planner Securities' active-trader positioning while competing on a more modern UX and free-commission model.

Direct peers

• Interactive Brokers: Interactive Brokers is the closest direct peer — a self-directed, execution-only broker offering advanced order types, Level II market depth, options analytics, and multi-asset trading targeted at active and professional retail traders. Both firms compete for the same sophisticated self-directed customer base with comparable advanced tooling.
• TradeStation: TradeStation is a self-directed broker-dealer focused on active traders with advanced charting, technical indicators, options analytics, and direct market access — a directly comparable offering to Planner Securities' Alpha Plan platform and active-trader customer segment.
• Firstrade: Firstrade is a self-directed online broker-dealer offering equities, options, and fixed income trading with low commissions — directly comparable to Planner Securities' product mix, customer base, and FINRA-registered discount brokerage model.

Broad incumbents

• E*TRADE (Morgan Stanley): E*TRADE, now part of Morgan Stanley, is a broad incumbent offering self-directed trading, options, fixed income, and retirement accounts — a comparable product set to Planner Securities but with vastly greater scale, a more modern platform, and zero commissions.
• Fidelity: Fidelity is a broad incumbent offering self-directed trading, options, fixed income, margin, and IRAs with zero commissions — directly comparable in product breadth and self-directed positioning, but with vastly larger scale, brand, and technology investment.
• Merrill Edge (Bank of America): Merrill Edge is a broad incumbent self-directed brokerage offering equities, options, fixed income, and IRAs — directly comparable in regulated self-directed product set and US-market focus, but bundled with the broader BofA wealth ecosystem.
• Charles Schwab: Charles Schwab is a broad incumbent offering self-directed trading, options, fixed income, retirement accounts, and margin at zero commissions — overlapping with Planner Securities' full product set but at vastly greater scale, brand recognition, and pricing power.

Regional players

• Ally Invest: Ally Invest is a US-focused self-directed online broker offering equities, options, ETFs, and fixed income with zero commissions — a comparable self-directed product mix and US-market footprint to Planner Securities, positioned as a digital-native alternative.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/myplan2016
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planner-securities-llc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Planner Securities