How I Test
"My research begins with collecting and auditing data across more than 100 variables, analyzing the tools and features that matter most to forex and CFD traders. I track commissions, spreads, and fees across the industry to help traders find the best broker for their needs.
I open personal brokerage accounts and test every available platform on desktop, web, and mobile for each broker reviewed. Nothing earns a rating until I've put it through its paces myself, because I believe traders deserve findings grounded in real, hands-on experience."
Years of Experience
20+ years
Areas of Expertise
Forex, cryptocurrency, and the online brokerage industry
Article Count
10
Licenses / Credentials (if applicable)
Series III license — Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA), registered with the CFTC since 2008
Want to work with Steven? Get in touch here.
Steven is a Partner at Reink Media Group and has been the Global Director of Online Broker Research at BrokerNotes since 2021, and at ForexBrokers.com since 2016. As our lead writer and resident expert on all things forex (and just about every complex subject in the trading world), Steven brings an investigative approach to our broker research, and offers a unique perspective won from decades of industry experience.
Steven brings over 20 years of experience in the foreign exchange markets, and has been gathering accolades and credentials in the finance industry since 1998. Over the course of his career, Steven has been invited to attend dozens of industry events and has spoken on numerous panels about the growing forex market.
He’s served as a registered commodity futures representative for both domestic and internationally regulated online forex and CFD brokerages, and holds a Series III license in the U.S. with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a registered Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) since 2008.
Steven has published over 1,000 articles covering the forex industry, and he has been writing about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency for almost ten years. He’s contributed to open-source technologies (such as cryptographic applications) on Github, and is passionate about consumer education and self-regulatory initiatives. Steven is an advisory board member for Ithaca College’s Cybersecurity program, and has served as an advisor for over a dozen fintech companies.
During his free time, Steven enjoys playing chess, boating, traveling, spearfishing, and staying active.
Media Samples:
Latest Articles
Micro accounts are forex trading accounts that allow users to trade with a contract size of just 1,000 units of currency.
- Steven Hatzakis
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December 18, 2025
MT4 is a platform, not a broker; once you’ve decided to use MT4, you’ll still need to pick a broker. We created this BrokerNotes guide to serve as a handy, high
- Steven Hatzakis
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March 13, 2025
BrokerNotes dove deep into the world of zero-spread forex brokers and conducted our own rigorous research on the subject, to create this guide designed to help
- Steven Hatzakis
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October 04, 2024
When we talk about scalping, we refer to a forex trading strategy in which the trader opens and then closes positions within a few minutes or seconds.
- Steven Hatzakis
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October 04, 2024
We’ll explain what HFT is, how it works, and detail the benefits (and drawbacks) that come with using this technologically-advanced approach to trading.
- Steven Hatzakis
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October 04, 2024
Depending on your experience level, you’ll get started with MT4 either by opening a demo account to get the hang of things (without any real money at stake), or
- Steven Hatzakis
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March 14, 2024
For this guide, we determined which brokers accept PayPal as a payment method for funding and withdrawing from your forex and CFD trading accounts. We also went
- Steven Hatzakis
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March 14, 2024
To help you pick the best broker for trading on your favorite Mac device, we tested dozens of the most notable Mac-ready trading platforms on the market.
- Steven Hatzakis
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March 14, 2024
The forex world can seem like an odd, sometimes confusing place from the outside. Newcomers find themselves confronted with unfamiliar jargon, as well as a laun
- Steven Hatzakis
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March 14, 2024
When learning about CFDs, it can help to think about what the name itself implies: a contract for a difference. A CFD is a contract that reflects
- Steven Hatzakis
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March 14, 2024
