Broker Accounts · Real Capital

Broker Accounts

A clear framework for choosing futures, forex/CFD and crypto/index brokers that fit your trading plan, risk limits and prop-firm strategy.

This section looks at brokers from a trader’s perspective – execution, costs, regulation and risk – so you can decide where real capital belongs and how it works alongside your funded prop accounts.

Futures brokers Forex & CFD brokers Crypto & index platforms
View Futures Brokers View Forex & CFD Brokers View Crypto & Index Brokers

Who This Section Is For

  • Prop-firm traders who also want personal accounts at solid brokers.
  • Futures, FX or index traders comparing trade-offs between brokers and prop firms.
  • Traders who want one clean plan for risk across all their accounts – funded and personal.
  • Investors who want to understand how leverage, margin and regulation differ by broker type.

Broker vs. Prop Firm – Key Difference

  • Broker account: you trade your own money under financial regulation. Profits and losses are entirely yours.
  • Prop account: you trade under a firm’s rules, on their simulated or live capital, usually with profit splits and strict risk limits.
  • Broker accounts give long-term flexibility, portfolio building and full control over style and sizing.
  • Prop firms can scale up cashflow if you are consistent, but they are not a substitute for a solid broker relationship.

The Three Broker Categories on MRSLM Group

To keep things simple, MRSLM Group splits broker coverage into three main categories. Each category has its own page with deeper details and examples; this overview helps you see where each one fits in your trading stack.

Futures Brokers

Exchange-traded contracts

Brokers that connect you directly to regulated futures exchanges for index, bond, commodity and currency futures. Ideal for traders who need centralised order books, transparent margins and direct market access.

Exchange traded Regulated markets Index & rates

Learn more on the dedicated Futures Brokers page.

Forex & CFD Brokers

FX pairs, indices, metals & more

Multi-asset brokers offering spot FX plus CFDs on indices, metals, energies and often single stocks. Useful when you want flexible position sizing, 24-hour FX trading and a wide product list from a single account.

Major & minor FX Index CFDs Metals & energies

See the full breakdown on the Forex & CFD Brokers page.

Crypto & Index Platforms

Digital assets & benchmark indices

Crypto exchanges, crypto-derivative venues and brokers that specialise in index products. These are for traders who want exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum or major indices while still respecting risk and custody issues.

BTC & ETH Perpetual swaps US500 · NAS100

Details and example platforms live on the Crypto & Index Brokers page.

Broker Selection Checklist

Before you sign any agreement or move serious capital, walk through a simple checklist. It keeps emotions out and stops you from choosing a broker on leverage or bonuses alone.

1. Regulation & Legal Entity

  • Which regulator oversees your account (for example a national securities or derivatives regulator)?
  • Exactly which legal entity holds your funds – EU, UK, US, Australian, offshore or other.
  • Whether client money is kept in segregated accounts and what happens in the event of broker insolvency.
  • Whether negative balance protection or investor-compensation schemes apply in your region.

2. Products & Platform

  • Do they offer the markets you actually trade – specific futures contracts, FX pairs, indices, metals, crypto?
  • Are platforms stable and suitable for your style – discretionary, scalping, swing, algo or options?
  • Are essential order types available (stop, stop-limit, OCO, bracket orders, partial closes)?

3. Costs & Funding

  • Commission structure and typical spreads or tick costs on your core markets.
  • Financing, swap or funding-rate rules for overnight and multi-day positions.
  • Deposit and withdrawal methods, processing times and any transfer or conversion fees.

4. Risk Controls & Support

  • Margin call and liquidation levels – how much room you really have before forced closures.
  • News-trading, algos and scalping rules – especially if you run EAs or trade around major events.
  • Responsiveness and knowledge level of support when you have real trading questions, not just account queries.

How Broker Accounts Fit with Your Prop-Firm Stack

A lot of traders at prop firms also keep one or more personal broker accounts. The goal is not to gamble in both places – it is to create a structure that protects you and supports long-term growth.

Typical Roles for Broker Accounts

  • Core capital: a regulated broker account that holds long-term trading capital separate from prop balances.
  • Strategy testing: forward-testing new ideas on small size without risking funded evaluations or live prop accounts.
  • Hedging & diversification: using futures, FX or indices to hedge or diversify exposure taken on prop platforms.
  • Counterparty diversification: not relying on a single prop firm or single broker for all of your trading risk.

Aligning Rules & Risk Limits

  • Define a daily and weekly max loss across all accounts combined – not per account.
  • Limit leverage at brokers so that a broker loss cannot knock you out of multiple prop accounts at once.
  • Use the same processes for journaling, risk review and trade selection across brokers and prop firms.

Your Next Step

Use this overview as a map. Then dive into the specific pages for the type of broker that matches your current focus:

Once you understand how each category works, you can decide how much capital belongs with a broker, how much belongs at prop firms and how to keep your overall risk under control.

Risk & Legal Notice

MRSLM Group LLC provides general educational information only. Nothing in this section is financial, investment, tax or legal advice, and no broker, exchange or platform is being recommended or endorsed. Trading futures, forex, CFDs, cryptoassets and other leveraged instruments involves a high level of risk and may not be suitable for every investor. Regulations, product lists, margin requirements and fees can change at any time. Always verify details directly with each provider and consider independent professional advice before making trading or investment decisions.