Are Fidelity mutual funds any good?
"Personally, I like Fidelity mutual funds because they offer a variety of investment options, have low fees and are backed by a reputable company with a long history of success in the industry," says Andrew Latham, a certified financial planner and director of content at SuperMoney.com.
In most situations, you will find what you need at Fidelity. There are a few downsides. Fidelity does not offer cryptocurrency investing. The company is also missing some features found on other investment platforms, like futures trading and paper trading, where you can practice trading.
Fund Performance
The fund has returned 13.94 percent over the past year, 8.20 percent over the past three years, 12.09 percent over the past five years, and 11.29 percent over the past decade.
While Fidelity wins out overall, Vanguard is the best option for retirement savers. Its platform offers tools and education focused specifically on retirement planning.
Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund (FBGRX)
One of Fidelity's top-performing funds, FBGRX is also one of its oldest. Dating back to 1987, FBGRX has managed to outperform the Russell 1000 Growth Index since inception, returning an annualized 12.9% versus 11.5%.
Deposits swept into the program bank(s) are eligible for FDIC Insurance, subject to FDIC insurance coverage limits. Balances that are swept to the Money Market Overflow are not eligible for FDIC insurance but are eligible for SIPC coverage under SIPC rules (referenced below).
If a brokerage fails, another financial firm may agree to buy the firm's assets and accounts will be transferred to the new custodian with little interruption. The government also provides insurance, known as SIPC coverage, on up to $500,000 of securities or $250,000 of cash held at a brokerage firm.
Fidelity also has retirement accounts, but it has other options that may appeal to individual investors, such as health savings accounts. And while Vanguard is focused on diversification and mutual funds, Fidelity has more securities from which to choose.
Ticker | Name | 5-year return (%) |
---|---|---|
STSEX | BlackRock Exchange BlackRock | 16.27% |
USBOX | Pear Tree Quality Ordinary | 16.13% |
FGLGX | Fidelity Series Large Cap Stock | 16.08% |
PRCOX | T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research | 16% |
- Victory Nasdaq-100 Index (USNQX)
- Shelton Nasdaq-100 Index Investor (NASDX)
- Fidelity Large Cap Growth Index (FSPGX)
- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth Index (SWLGX)
- AB Large Cap Growth Advisor (APGYX)
- T.
Is Charles Schwab or Fidelity investments better?
Overall Appeal. Fidelity and Schwab are both excellent choices. These investment firms offer thousands of funds. There are some nuances, such as Fidelity being better for crypto traders and Schwab being more optimal for futures traders.
The answer depends on you and your investment goals. There's no reason you can't have accounts with both Fidelity and Vanguard (among others). You'll have two (or more) sets of statements to review, multiple phone numbers to remember, several websites to navigate and hundreds of funds to understand and monitor.
Both Fidelity Investments and Prudential are reliable options when it comes to retirement planning. Still, Fidelity Investments is a preferred choice due to its trading commissions, account fees, and wide selection of funds.
Fidelity offers a wide range of mutual fund products that can help you generate income. Find funds in Fidelity Fund Picks® that pay monthly or quarterly dividends.
Select Accounts & Trade > Trade. If you have more than one eligible brokerage or mutual fund account, select the account in which you want to buy the fund. Click Trade Mutual Funds. Click "Buy a mutual fund," then click Continue.
As of 2020, the average five-year return for large-cap mutual funds was around 11.9%. In the long-run (10 years or more) most mutual funds underperform the S&P 500. According to Dalbar, for 20 years ending 2019, the S&P 500 Index averaged 6.06%, while the average equity fund investor earned only 4.25% annually.
Fidelity is not a bank and brokerage accounts are not FDIC-insured, but uninvested cash balances are eligible for FDIC insurance. Balances above $5 million may be placed in a non-FDIC insured money market fund, which earns a different rate. See details in Learn more section below.
Fidelity was voted the most trusted wealth management company for 2023 by the readers of Investor's Business Daily,9 earning top rankings for "financial soundness, quality of products and services, protecting privacy and security, and sensitivity to customer needs."
Brokerages such as Fidelity Investments can also join with FDIC-insured banks to increase the coverage they offer to clients in cash-management accounts. For example, Fidelity cash-management accounts can offer more than $1 million in protection.
Key takeaways
Contributions can always be taken tax- and penalty-free. But Roth IRAs must meet the 5-year aging rule before withdrawals from earnings can be taken tax- and penalty-free. Failing to meet the 5-year rule can result in taxes and penalties.
What happens to my investments if Fidelity goes out of business?
SIPC protects brokerage accounts of each customer when a brokerage firm is closed due to bankruptcy or other financial difficulties and customer assets are missing from accounts, including a limit of up to $500,000 in securities with a maximum of $250,000 on claims for cash awaiting investment.
You can withdraw up to $100,000 from your IRA without any wait if you deposit your withdrawal into an eligible Fidelity non-retirement account. Or, use Fidelity Electronic Funds Transfer (if established for your IRA) to transfer the money to your bank account.
Fidelity offers $0 trading commissions, a selection of more than 3,300 no-transaction-fee mutual funds and top-notch research tools and mobile platform. Its zero-fee index funds and strong customer service reputation are just icing on the cake.
If you keep any spare cash in your brokerage account, Fidelity will make money investing that cash and keeping most of the interest. Brokers make a lot of money on the spare cash you keep in your account -- it's one of the main ways the free brokerage service Robinhood makes money.
Is Fidelity good for beginners? Fidelity is a great option for beginners, especially since it provides a wealth of educational tools to help new investors get started. It also offers low costs which are especially beneficial to new investors.
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