IBKR vs TD: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: TD is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. IBKR and TD share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined IBKR and TD exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Interactive Brokers Group operates one of the largest electronic brokerage platforms in the world, offering trading in stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, funds, and prediction markets across more than 170 markets from a single unified account. Its edge is automation and cost: the firm runs on lean technology, passes through low commissions and margin rates, and serves a global mix of active individual traders, hedge funds, proprietary trading groups, financial advisors, and introducing brokers. Revenue comes mainly from two engines, transaction commissions and net interest income earned on customer cash balances and margin loans.

Full IBKR guide

The Toronto-Dominion Bank is one of Canada's largest banks, with roughly $2 trillion in assets and a franchise that spans both sides of the border. It reports in four segments: Canadian personal and commercial banking, US retail banking, wealth management and insurance, and wholesale banking (TD Securities). More than half of its revenue comes from Canada, where it holds leading market share across most banking products, while its US retail bank gives it one of the larger branch networks on the East Coast. TD is also a long-standing dividend payer, and management targets a payout ratio in the 40 to 50 percent range of adjusted earnings, so income is a meaningful part of the total-return case.

Full TD guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• IBKR drivers: Account and client-asset growth; Net interest income on customer balances.
• TD drivers: Dominant Canadian retail franchise; AML remediation and the US asset cap.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The biggest swing factor is interest rates, since a large share of profit is net interest income that would compress if rates fall. For TD, the central risk is regulatory: the US asset cap limits growth in a key market, and the OCC can require further reductions in US assets each year TD fails to meet its remediation and compliance obligations, so execution on the AML program is critical.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick IBKR if you believe its drivers more; TD if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the IBKR and TD guides.

IBKR. As of July 2026, IBKR trades at roughly 40 times trailing earnings, a premium to its own history after the stock roughly doubled over the prior year. Growth has been strong, with record quarterly revenue and pre-tax margins above 70 percent, but the elevated multiple leaves less room for error if rates fall or trading volumes slow.

TD. Figures are approximate and tied to the asOf date; verify live numbers before acting. TD trades more on the trajectory of its US remediation and the durability of its Canadian franchise and dividend than on any single quarter's result. A bank's reported earnings can swing with loan-loss provisions and one-time items, so directional trends in net interest income, credit quality, and remediation progress matter more than a headline multiple. TD is Canadian-listed as well as NYSE-listed, so results are reported in Canadian dollars and currency moves affect US-dollar returns.

Headline figures (approximate, JULY 2026): IBKR shows revenue (ttm net revenues) ~$6.5B, q1 2026 net revenues ~$1.67B, net interest income (q1 2026) ~$904M, commissions (q1 2026) ~$613M; TD shows scale One of Canada's two largest banks, with approximately $2 trillion in total assets, business mix Four segments: Canadian P&C banking, US retail banking, wealth and insurance, and wholesale (TD Securities); more than half of revenue from Canada, recent earnings direction Record group earnings in recent quarters, with notable strength in wholesale and wealth; US retail constrained by the asset cap and remediation costs, dividend A core part of the return; management targets an approximately 40 to 50 percent payout of adjusted earnings and has continued to raise the dividend.

IBKR and TD are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined IBKR and TD exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.