Why is Fidelity Investments the best?
Fidelity owns our Best Broker for Low Costs designation, with transparent fees and no fees for a wide range of products and services. Online trading for stocks and ETFs is commission-free. Investors can trade these two coins through a crypto account with as little as $1.
We provide financial planning, advice, and educational resources to help investors—including young and first-time investors—make their goals a reality. Our straightforward pricing delivers value—with no account fees, no minimums to open a retail brokerage account, commission-free trades and more.
Unique features place Fidelity Investments in the company of the very best online brokers. Fidelity's screeners, third-party research resources and portfolio analysis tools are deep while the downloadable Active Trader Pro has the tools stock and options traders need.
Bottom line: Fidelity is one of the best online brokerages for retirement savings. It has great features for all types of investors and traders. The brokerage offers $0 commissions and market research access for active traders who buy and sell securities regularly.
Fidelity and Vanguard both offer robo-advisor services, educational tools and mobile apps to help you better manage your money. However, for those who want to actively trade, Fidelity offers Active Trader Pro. This service helps investors stream data and customize charting. Vanguard doesn't have a similar service.
Fidelity Investments operates a brokerage firm, manages a large family of mutual funds, provides fund distribution and investment advice, retirement services, index funds, wealth management, securities execution and clearance, asset custody, and life insurance. Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Low or no transaction fees: Fee-free stock, ETF, and Fidelity mutual funds. Comparatively low margin rates: In comparison with the market average21. No or low fees: On account management and services.
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.
From account offerings to customer service, we consistently rank among the best in the industry. Fidelity was voted the most trusted wealth management company for 2023, earning top rankings for "financial soundness, quality of products and services, protecting privacy and security, and sensitivity to customer needs."
This low-cost account helps you manage your business finances with comprehensive trading, mutual fund, and cash management features.
Is my money safe in Fidelity?
Protecting your assets
With our Customer Protection Guarantee, we reimburse you for losses from unauthorized activity in your accounts. We also participate in asset protection programs such as FDIC and SIPC to help provide the best service possible.
All Fidelity brokerage accounts are covered by SIPC. This includes money market funds held in a brokerage account since they are considered securities. Learn more about SIPC coverage at www.sipc.orgOpens in a new window.
Is Fidelity a safe company to invest with? Yes, Fidelity is one of the safest brokerages to invest with. It's an industry leader with a stellar reputation and fully regulated in the U.S. with the SEC and FINRA, is trusted by over 43 million people and holds over $11.5 trillion in assets under administration.
While Fidelity wins out overall, Vanguard is the best option for retirement savers. Its platform offers tools and education focused specifically on retirement planning.
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.
While Fidelity is privately held and doesn't release financial statements, it's widely regarded as financially solid and stable, with $8 billion of operating income in 2022.
Fidelity's managed accounts are somewhat overpriced. The Fidelity Go robo advisor charges 0.35% for a balance of $25,000 or more, which is higher than most competitors. For instance, the Schwab Intelligent Portfolios robo-advisor platform doesn't levy a management fee.
Wells Fargo and Fidelity Investments are independent entities and are not legally affiliated.
The Boston-based Johnson family owns 49% of mutual fund company Fidelity. The other 51% is owned by employees. Abigail Johnson is the third generation of the family to run the company. She took over from her father Edward "Ned" Johnson III in 2014.
How much does Fidelity charge to manage your money?
Fidelity Go® offers tiered pricing based on your account balance. You'll pay no advisory fee for a balance under $25,000, or 0.35% per year for any balances of $25,000 and over. Either way, there are no trading fees, transaction fees, or rebalancing fees.
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.
Debit balance | Margin rate | Effective rate |
---|---|---|
$1M+ | Base – 3.075% | 9.25% |
$500,000-$999,999 | Base – 2.825% | 9.50% |
$250,000–$499,999 | Base – 0.500% | 11.825% |
$100,000–$249,999 | Base – 0.250% | 12.075% |
Fidelity also reported that the number of 401(k) accounts with balances of at least $1 million rose in the fourth quarter by 20%, to 422,000 accounts; and by 41% for the whole year. The average account balance for this group was $1,551,300 in the fourth quarter.
Fidelity Investments, one of the largest administrators of workplace plans, said it had 422,000 401(k) millionaires at the end of 2023, a nearly 21 percent increase from the third quarter. The number of IRA millionaires hit a record 391,562 in the fourth quarter, about 40 percent higher than a year earlier.
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