The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that CI Financial's CI Direct Trading gets a C grade in the newspaper's annual ranking of digital brokerages. The Globe's Rob Carrick says take $5,000 and set up an account at CI Direct Trading to get free access to its portfolio analysis tool, powered by Wealthscope. CI Direct's heyday as a low-cost disruptor is over, but this tool is something special if you care about diversification, risk, fees and more. You can analyze accounts at CI Direct, or manually replicate portfolios held elsewhere. Minimum trade commissions of $1.99 and zero-cost exchange traded funds purchases are other attractions. Normal commissions apply when you sell an ETF. That initial $5,000 deposit at CI is not random -- at that level, you stop paying a $24.95 quarterly administration fee. Evaluations in the Globe digital brokerage ranking are based on more than 100 factors, broken down into five categories: convenience and security, cost, the investing experience, tools, and services for retirees. TD Direct Investing took The Globe's top honours.