When trading stocks, there's something easy to overlook if you're only focused on the return rate. That is, the fees, which actually have a significant impact on your final profit more than you might think.

At first, a fee of 0.1% to 0.25% may seem insignificant, but as you repeat trades and compound the effects, the situation changes. For example, if you trade 1 million won 10 times and each trade yields a 10% profit, with a 0.1% fee, your final profit would be about 2.57 million won, and with a 0.2% fee, around 2.54 million won. You might think that's just a 30k won difference, but as your investment amount and trading frequency increase, that difference becomes much larger.

It's also important to note that the fee structures for domestic and international stocks differ. Domestic stock fees include brokerage commissions, exchange fees, and deposit settlement fees, while overseas stocks also add currency exchange fees. For U.S. stocks, SEC and FINRA fees are also charged separately.

Comparing major securities firms, Kiwoom Securities offers the lowest domestic stock fee at 0.015% on the HeroMUN4 platform. Mirae Asset Securities charges 0.136%, and Korea Investment & Securities and Samsung Securities are around 0.147%. Shinhan Investment Corp. imposes a 0.1391639% fee for trades under 30 million won plus a fixed 2,000 won fee, which can be quite burdensome for small, quick traders. For international stocks, most securities firms charge around 0.25%, which is fairly similar.

Here are some tips to reduce fees: First, understand each securities firm’s fee structure precisely. Especially check if there are fixed fees; for example, Samsung Securities charges a fixed 1,500 won fee per trade. If you trade 100 times, that alone adds up to 150k won. In such cases, smaller trade amounts result in higher fee ratios, so be cautious.

It’s also worthwhile to actively utilize new customer fee promotion events. Mirae Asset Securities offers fee waivers for domestic and U.S. stock trades for 90 days, and Shinhan Investment Corp. waives fees for up to a year. Korea Investment & Securities, Samsung Securities, and Kiwoom Securities provide three-month fee waivers. Since these benefits often allow you to choose the start date, it’s best to apply just before you start serious trading.

Trade volume and frequency also matter. Frequent small trades increase the impact of fixed fees, so if possible, trading larger amounts at once is more advantageous. Additionally, if you don’t plan to split buy or sell orders, making a single larger trade can save on fees compared to multiple small trades.

When trading international stocks, exchange fees and rates are also crucial. Currency exchange through securities firms often offers less favorable rates than banks or specialized platforms, so it’s wise to exchange money in advance when rates are good or check for preferential exchange rates offered by your securities firm.

Ultimately, finding a securities firm that matches your trading pattern is key. If you mainly do small, quick trades, choose a firm without fixed fees. If you trade large amounts, look for a place where the fee rate decreases as your trading volume increases. Since the optimal choice varies depending on your trading amount and platform, it’s smart to calculate and decide in advance.