Fidelity Brokerage Accounts: Top-Rated Online Brokerage Account and Trading Platform in 2024

Benefit from Fidelity brokerage accounts. Our feature-rich brokerage account gives you access to all the tools you need to become a successful investor. Get going by creating an account with our cheap, feature-rich brokerage.

 We have simplified the process of transferring funds to your new account. Our free, impartial research can help you make informed trading decisions and access many investment opportunities. If you want to learn how to trade better, our technologies and tools can assist you.

Some Facts About Fidelity Brokerage Accounts:

The Boston, Massachusetts-based American international financial services business Fidelity Investments was formerly known as Fidelity Management & Research (FMR). With $4.9 trillion in assets managed and an additional $12.6 trillion under administration as of December 2023, the company, founded in 1946, is one of the most prominent asset managers in the world.

 Aside from running a brokerage, Fidelity Investments oversees a vast family of mutual funds and offers retirement planning, asset management, life insurance, index funds, execution and clearance of securities, asset custody, and distribution of funds and investment advice.

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The History of Fidelity Brokerage Accounts

Incorporated in Massachusetts on May 1, 1930, the “Fidelity Fund” evolved into Fidelity Investments during Edward C. Johnson II’s administration. As Massachusetts’s Securities Director, John C. Hull authorized just one fund during the Great Depression—the “Fidelity Fund”—due to the extensive bank failures in 1930. Currently known as Fidelity Management & Research (FMR), the company’s structure was modified in 1946.

• Fidelity International Limited (FIL) was spun from the parent firm in 1980 and is now an employee-owned autonomous entity. FIL was established in 1969 to service markets outside of the United States.
• The FMR firm began selling 401(k) plans in 1982 and made computerized stock trading available in 1984.
• Robert Pozen assumed the position of chief executive officer in 1997.
• Geode Capital Management was founded in 2001 to manage and develop FMR’s investment strategy. It became its entity in 2003 after being spun off.
• The company’s first exchange-traded fund (ETF), ONEQ, debuted in 2003 and tracked the performance of the Fidelity Nasdaq Composite Index.
• After its venture capital arm, Fidelity Ventures was shuttered in 2010, several workers founded Volition Capital.
• In 2011, Fidelity introduced a new logo and rebranded its international subsidiary as Fidelity Worldwide Investment.
• Previously located at 245 Summer Street, the Boston offices were relocated in 2012.
• Abigail Johnson took over Fidelity Investments (FMR) and Fidelity International (FIL) in 2014.
• Fidelity established a new division in 2018 to handle institutional crypto asset custody and trading.
• The news broke in May 2019 that the company was planning to start trading cryptocurrencies for institutional clients.
• Institutional investors can outsource bitcoin custody and trade execution to the newly formed Fidelity Digital Asset Services, which the firm introduced in October 2019. Afterwards, Fidelity submitted an SEC filing seeking to introduce a Bitcoin ETF in March 2021.
• With a 26% increase to a record $3.2 trillion in AUM in 2019, Fidelity increased its revenue to $20.9 billion and operational income to $6.9 billion.
• Fidelity introduced “Stocks By The Slice” at the tail end of January 2020 for those looking to profit from micro-investing and fractional-share ownership. Particularly for individuals who aren’t familiar with investing or who don’t have a large sum of money to invest, micro-investing is a method that aims to make investing regular, accessible, and affordable.[
• In Chesnut Hill, Massachusetts, Fidelity’s new investor centre was inaugurated in March 2020.
• FMR’s operating income increased 4.6% in March 2021. In August 2021, Fidelity announced it would hire 16,000 people that year, with 9,000 new hires coming in the second half.
• According to an announcement in April of that year, Fidelity Investments’ 401(k) plans will include Bitcoin as an investment option by the middle of 2022. It’s also the first big 401(k) plan to accept cryptocurrencies, as reported by CNN. For now, tho gh, this choice will only be available to individuals whose employers have chosen to incorporate it into their plans.
• Fidelity applied to the SEC in June 2023 to establish an exchange-traded fund (ETF) focused on Spot Bitcoin. They reapplied to the SC in November 2023 to start a Spot Ethereum ETF. On January 11, 2024, the Bitcoin fund was approved and started.

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FMR’s three fund divisions are High-Income (also based in Boston), Equity (also based in Boston), and Fixed-Income (also based in Merrimack, New Hampshire). With an impressive $ 107.4 billion in assets, Fidelity Contrafund—the biggest equity mutual fund managed by the firm—is also the most significant U.S. non-indexed fund. Since 1990, William Dan ff has handled Contrafund.

Another huge equities fund, Fidelity Magellan, has assets of $15.5 billion. It is overseen by J. Frey Feingold, who is also responsible for the Fidelity Trend Fund. Ned Johnson (May 2, 1963–December 31, 1971), Peter Lynch (May 31, 1977–May 31, 1990), and Harry W. Lange (2005–2012) were the previous managers. 

Magellan is still the best-performing mutual fund of all time over such a long period; during Lynch’s guidance, it averaged 29% annually, more than double the growth rate of the benchmark S&P 500.

A new family of zero-expense-ratio mutual funds was launched by Fidelity Investments in 2018 for individual investors. ZERO Total Market Index Fund and ZERO International Index Fund, the original zero expense ratio funds from Fidelity, have since amassed over $1 billion in assets. 

Fidelity added two additional expense-free funds to their lineup later that year. Over two-thirds of the ass ts in industry indexes are exposed to the market through the four Fidelity zero-expense-ratio equity funds.

Financial Services

Fidelity Investments is a large brokerage firm that maintains investor centres in more than 140 cities across the United States. Brokerage clearing, back office support, and a suite of software products are just a few of the services that Fidelity Investments’ subsidiary,

 National Financial Services LLC, offers to correspondent broker-dealers, institutional investment firms, family offices, banks, trusts, and registered investment advisors.  National Financial was the custodian with 4.3 million accounts and $443 billion in assets as of September 30, 2010. 

With approximately $12 trillion in AUA and over $4.5 trillion in AUM, the business had more than 45 million brokerage accounts by 2023.

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As of 2015, Fidelity Personal, Workplace, and Institutional Services (PWIS) had $32 billion in total defined contribution assets and $1.4 trillion under administration, making it the largest 401(k) retirement plan services provider. In addition to payroll and record-keeping, other services include pension, health and welfare, and stock plan administration.

Devonshire Funds Managers

A subsidiary known as Devonshire Investors allows the business’s owners to diversify their holdings beyond the company’s primary fund.

One of the assets is Veritude, which is a staffing service that works with Fidelity. The firm owns 2.5 million square feet of Boston office space and the Seaport Center, demonstrating its significant involvement in real estate investment. 

After selling the most extensive news per chain in Boston’s suburbs to the Boston Herald in 2000, it became a part of GateHouse Media. The company had previously operated a Community Newspaper Company. 

Additionally, Fidelity has made strategic investments in the telecommunications, managed services, and data centre sectors, including European companies COLT Telecom Group and MetroRED, as well as South American and Japanese companies KVH Co. Ltd. Complete divestiture of all MetroRED holdings occurred in 2008.

Historically, it has invested much money into commercial lumber and construction supplies.

Ned Johnson started the Boston Coach limo and black car service in 1985 because he waited too long for a cab; in 2013 they sold it to Harrison Global. Before selling ProBuild to Buil ers FirstSource in 2015, it established ProBuild in 2006.

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Advisory Fund for Donors

As the first for-profit DAF provider, Fidelity Charitable began managing Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) in 1991.

The Eight Roads

The Eight Roads investment division is a wholly owned Fidelity International (FIL) subsidiary. This platform includes over 100 investment experts from the United Kingdom, China, Japan, India, and Singapore. 2018 the reference required Eight Roads to establish a fresh European fund. The separation of Eight Roads from Fidelity’s main business was announced in June 2019.

Examining the Personal Investments of Insiders

Some have suggested that the public funds run by Fidelity Investments are in direct competition with F-Prime Capital Partners. Fidelity Investments’ owners and other influential executives control this private venture capital business.

 According to an examination by Reuters in 2016, F-Prime Capital Partners was able to out-invest Fidelity Investments by a significant margin. Due to SEC requirements, Fideli y cannot make the same initial investments as F-Prime Capital Partners.

According to the inquiry, Fidelity is forced to invest later and at substantially higher costs than F-Prime Capital Partners due to this competition. As a result, shareholders of Fidelity funds receive lesser returns.

Although the technique does not violate any laws, experts in corporate governance have pointed out that it creates an apparent conflict of interest for corporations. According to Fidelity representatives, they strictly adhere to all rules and regulations.

According to the same Reuters study, after six of the ten start-ups funded by F-Prime Capital went public, Fidelity Investments emerged as one of the major investors. Academics and lawyers have speculated that Fidelity insiders may have benefited from the substantial investments made by Fidelity mutual funds, which can influence market prices.

When it comes to low fees, best-in-class fidelity investments, best-in-class cash management, and best-in-class overall performance,

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Ultimately, This Is Why We Chose It

For the third year running, Fidelity has been the go-to platform for providing essential full-service brokerage features, advanced tools, and affordable fees to a diverse group of traders and investors.

Excels at ETFs

Fidelity is our top pick for an ETF broker because of their extensive ETF offering, fractional ETF trading, and wealth of educational information and research tools focused on ETFs. Fidelity has won this award twice; in 2023, Charles Schwab took first place.

Optimal for Affordability

Due to its clear and attractive fee schedule, Fidelity has maintained its position as the market leader in low costs for the past three years.

Optimal for Managing Cash Flow

You must consider more than the interest rate when looking for a brokerage account to hold your cash. It’s also about top-tier insurance and integrating with essential banking functions that don’t cost anything. Offering reimbursable access to a worldwide network of ATMs and solid passive earnings potential on uninvested cash, Fidelity’s cash management product is unparalleled in both areas.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The Benefits

• When there is no payment for order flow (PFOF), orders are executed exceptionally well.
• Powerful examination of your portfolio and account features.
• Trading platforms that are second to none for investors of all stripes
• Research skills, screening tools, and instructional content of the highest quality
• Protected by the FDIC up to $50 million

Downsides 

• You can only trade two digital currencies at the moment.
• Minimum balance needed to trade certain indexes
• To access all tools, you should use multiple platforms.

Summary of

Fidelity has the most comprehensive product offering to meet the demands of almost every investor in an industry crowded with new companies vying for the attention of a diverse universe of traders and investors. Fidelity’s headquarters in Boston has a rich history that started in 1946. By December 2023, the firm’s discretionary assets had grown to $4.9 trillion, placing it among the leading brokerage firms.

Fidelity has consistently demonstrated a dedication to enhancing its financial offerings. Our 2024 product demonstration with the company focused on improvements to financial adviser support, bond liquidity research, and the new Fidelity Youth app. Investors between 18 and 35 comprise 43% of Fidelity’s 38.7 million brokerage account holders.

However, that was not the end of the enhancements. Fidelity now offers an all-inclusive Cash management program with many banking functions. Supporting its low-cost, high-value offering, Fidelity has a good reputation as a broker and has long been an industry pioneer in cost-cutting. It also has a massive customer service network, including 200 client centres.

It would be difficult to find a better online broker than Fidelity for investors seeking reasonable charges, industry-leading features, and refusing to participate in the prevalent practice of collecting PFOF.

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FIRST-HAND REVIEWS FROM USERS

1. “In 2021, I consolidated all of our family’s investing accounts with Fidelity for a crucial reason: no other brokerage business provides all the account types we use so that I can keep everything in one place. An inherited IRA, 529 plans,cu todial accounts, an investable health savings account, and many other account kinds are available from our organization.
2.  I had to log into many different places to keep tabs on our many investments before we consolidated to Fidelity. Except for my new workplace 401( k), I can now access all my accounts using a single login. 
3. In addition, Fidelity advisors can take a bird’s-eye view of the situation if I require customer service. My financial life has been much more organized and hassle-free since I switched to Fidelity.

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In addition to a straightforward fee structure and minimal gamification methods, the top brokerage platforms offer outstanding customer assistance, various investable assets, many investment account kinds, robust research and analytical tools, and much more.

Based on its extensive product offering, low costs, and extensive full-service capabilities, among many other things, 

Fidelity Investments emerged as the top online brokerage platform for investors after hundreds of hours of research, data analysis, and live broker platform demos. Our evaluation of Fidelity and twenty-six other online brokers was based on eighty-nine factors, including the following: available assets, account services, user experience, and extra features.

1. No-Brainer for Newbies

Charles Schwab was already renowned as a top platform for novice traders and investors before TD Ameritrade’s instructional content was integrated into its ecosystem in 2020. As the integration approaches its final stages in May 2024, Schwab will replace TD Ameritrade as the market leader, a position it has held over the previous two years. 

With its extensive collection of timeless educational resources, never-ending coaching programs, and regularly scheduled live training events, Schwab has become the go-to place for novice investors.

2. Efficient Brokers:

Top-Rated for Expert Traders, Global Traders, Algorithmic Traders, Risk Managers, and Idea Generators for Stock Markets

3. Excellent Trading Platform: TastyTrade

We Chose It Because It Is the Best for Trading Options

Tastytrade has been named the top options trading platform for the third year. This is due to its low-cost bro rage for high-volume, high-frequency option traders, achieved via its pricing system, which incorporates options pricing caps. Tastytrade also tailors its materials and tools to the specific requirements of its options-focused customers.

4. The Finest Mobile Trading and Investing Platform: E*TRADE

Recommended for Investing and Trading on the Go

As an industry trailblazer in online and mobile trading, E*TRADE has perfected the mobile trading app for investors and traders of all skill levels by combining robust portfolio and risk management features with user-friendly navigation, thorough research, clear and concise educational materials, and advanced trading tools.

 After steadily improving its mobile trading and investing capabilities over the last several years, E*TRADE has achieved its long-sought goal of being our top mobile trading and investing platform in 2024.

5. Cryptocurrency Trading Made Easy with eToro

With one of the best user experiences in the business, eToro gives you access to the most extensive assortment of cryptocurrency coins compared to any online broker we cover. With just one eToro login, customers may trade stocks, ETFs, and futures on the company’s socially focused web and mobile platforms. They can even access 21 actual cryptocurrencies.

6. Open: The Finest Choice for Non-Conventional Assets

Various innovative alternative investment possibilities are available on the Public’s user-friendly website, including social networking tools and the ability to invest in fractions. The Public is an online marketplace where users may buy and sell various assets, including stocks, options, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), cryptocurrencies, and unconventional investments such as rare sneakers, trading cards, royalties, and more.

How Can I Open an Online Brokerage Account?

Like checking and savings accounts, brokerage accounts allow you to invest in stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments. One way to invest is through a brokerage, which allows you to deposit funds with an investing firm. This is usually accomplished by transferring funds from your current bank account. 

You can start investing the money you deposit into your brokerage account in the market as soon as it’s available through the trading interface. Stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and even cryptocurrency are all fair game for the brokerage’s asset offerings.

You can see your cash balance (your purchasing power) and holdings (the assets you’ve bought) on your online brokerage account. You can fund your online brokerage account with the income you earn from selling assets you appreciate.

You can then utilize the money for another trade or withdraw it to your regular bank account. You can receive income on your cash that isn’t invested in some brokerage accounts.

Can You Open a Brokerage Account with Less Amount?

Nowadays, getting your feet wet in the financial markets doesn’t require a huge sum of money. You can open and fund an account with any money because many brokers offer margin accounts with no needed minimums on taxable trading accounts and retirement accounts.

 You also have access to fractional shares. But, your market strategy would be different if your investment capital is limited. While it is possible to invest $1 in fractional shares of a particular firm, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are preferable for those with minimal resources. 

By mimicking an index consisting of numerous firms across numerous industries, each share (and fractional share) of an index-tracking exchange-traded fund (ETF) provides more diversity than investing in a single company’s stock. 

Optional leverage is another technique you can look into when making a directional bet on the market or a particular stock. However, you should only use this approach with capital you are willing to risk, not all of your investment capital.

The key to generating money while investing in small quantities is consistency. You won’t believe how fast your money starts to increase if you can consistently put a specific amount of money into the market, even if it’s only $10 a week. You will purchase market dips and peaks, which helps to smooth out market effects if you are consistent.

Can You Invest a Small Amount?

Those on a tight budget have another option: several online brokers accept quite minimal deposits. Our ratings and recommendations of the top platforms for all kinds of investors prominently highlight account minimums (if applicable). Read our piece on wise investing with a tiny budget if you want broad advice on investing when money is tight.

Are Mobile Platforms Offered by Brokers?

Some online brokers have robust mobile apps that offer practically everything their desktop versions do and more. Among the many mobile investing and trading apps, our top option, E*TRADE, provides two pared-down versions of its robust desktop platform.

Picking the Right Brokerage Account

Before you choose an online broker, consider what you need right now as a trader or investor. Finding a broker with excellent instructional resources regarding the stock market and other financial markets could be helpful if you are just starting. Some brokers offer paper trading before you fund your account. It’s a great way to get a feel for the platform, try out some assets, and practice trading without putting your actual money on the line.

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