Contents
- 1 Fidelity Review
- 1.1 Top Takeaways for 2022
- 1.2 Overall summary
- 1.3 Offering of investments
- 1.4 Commissions and fees
- 1.5 Mobile trading apps
- 1.6 Other trading platforms and tools
- 1.7 Research
- 1.8 Education
- 1.9 Customer service
- 1.10 Banking services
- 1.11 Final thoughts
- 1.12 Is Fidelity a safe company to invest with?
- 1.13 Is Fidelity good for beginners?
- 1.14 Does Fidelity have hidden fees?
- 1.15 About Fidelity
- 1.16 2022 Review Methodology
- 1.17 About the Author
Fidelity Review
Blain Reinkensmeyer
Chris McKhann
Fidelity is a value-driven on-line agent offering $ 0 trades, industry-leading inquiry, excellent deal tools, an easy-to-use mobile app, and comprehensive retirement services. Serving over 40 million customers, Fidelity is a winner for everyday investors .
- Minimum Deposit: $0.00
- Stock Trade Fee: $0.00
- Options (Per Contract): $0.65
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Trade at Fidelity.1 
Top Takeaways for 2022
After spending three months testing 15 of the best on-line brokers for our 12th Annual Review, here are our top findings on fidelity :
- Fidelity delivers value across its entire client experience. The Fidelity website and mobile app both breezed through our rigorous usability assessments, earning five-star ratings in each. Furthermore, thanks to a plethora of educational resources, Fidelity is a winner for beginners.
- Fidelity shines for research, whether you’re viewing stock, ETF, and mutual fund quotes or running through a screener to find investment ideas. Investors with IRA accounts will also be impressed.
- Beyond everyday investors, Fidelity’s Active Trader Pro desktop platform is excellent for active trading, including day trading and options trading.
Overall summary
| Feature | Fidelity |
|---|---|
| Overall | 5 Stars |
| Commissions & Fees | 5 Stars |
| Platforms & Tools | 4.5 Stars |
| Research | 5 Stars |
| Mobile Trading Apps | 5 Stars |
| Offering of Investments | 4.5 Stars |
| Education | 5 Stars |
| Ease of Use | 4.5 Stars |
— > View Fidelity Features List
Offering of investments
Fidelity provides all the benefits an investor would expect from a full-service brokerage, including the entire spectrum of investment services, from stock trade to retirement guidance .
Cryptocurrency: Fidelity does not offer cryptocurrency trade to retail investors .
Fractional shares: Fractional shares trading enables investors to buy a fraction of a share alternatively of a whole plowshare. For example, for a neckcloth trading at $ 500 per parcel, investors can buy 1/10th a share for $ 50. In 2022, Fidelity remains our favorite agent for fractional shares trading thanks to its meticulously designed club ticket and commitment to providing customers the lowest cost executions .
Other investments: While futures, forex trade and cryptocurrency trading are not offered, external trade is, which enables customers to trade in 25 countries and exchange between 16 currencies. In the international trading department, only interactional Brokers, which is built for professionals, offers more ball-shaped access .
Retirement services: Fidelity offers traditional, Roth and rollover IRAs aboard excellent education and tools for retirement plan, and the agent charges no many-sided fees for IRA accounts .
Fidelity offering summary:
| Feature | Fidelity |
|---|---|
| Stock Trading | Yes |
| OTCBB / Pink Sheets | Yes |
| Options Trading | Yes |
| Complex Options Max Legs | 4 |
| Bonds (US Treasury) | Yes |
| Futures Trading | No |
| Forex Trading | No |
| Mutual Funds (Total) | 9615 |
| Advisor Services | Yes |
| Crypto Trading | No |
| Crypto Trading – Total Coins | 0 |
Commissions and fees
After factoring in order performance, where Fidelity reigns sovereign, Fidelity ’ s $ 0 broth and ETF trades systematically yield extra value for customers .
Penny stocks: Unlike many brokers, Fidelity charges no extra fees for trading penny stocks .
No PFOF: Rare in the diligence, Fidelity does not accept payment for arrange flow ( PFOF ), which results in cost savings for customers when placing stock trades. In fact, alongside Charles Schwab, Fidelity is the only agent to show customers the price improvement received on eligible orders .
Zero expense ratio mutual funds: Fidelity distinguishes its extend with the addition of respective zero expense ratio common funds, helping investors save on costs, compared to funds available from Vanguard. For exemplar, the symbols FNILX, FZIPX, FZROX, and FZILX offered at Fidelity come with no minimal sediment and a zero expense ratio. Transaction fee reciprocal funds cost $ 49.95 to purchase .
Fidelity pricing summary:
| Feature | Fidelity |
|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 |
| Penny Stock Fees (OTCCB) | $0.00 |
| ETF Trade Fee | $0.00 |
| Options (Base Fee) | $0.00 |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.65 |
| Futures (Per Contract) | N/A |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $49.95 |
| Broker Assisted Trade Fee | $32.95 |
Mobile trading apps
While Fidelity offers three mobile applications, we focused on the endow app, where Fidelity ’ s mobile experience is flawlessly designed, bug-free, and delivers a phenomenal experience for investors. Those looking for a simplify have can toggle over to the Beta Experience, which is a stripped translation of the app. While active traders may be left wanting more, for the majority, Fidelity delivers, again winning our No. 1 Investor App in 2022 .
Ease of use: While the home page can feel a act busy, navigation is straightforward and simple. The layout is intuitive, and finding what you ’ ra looking for is easy .
Customizable dashboard: Upon logging in, a alone, customizable splashboard experience, displayed as a personalized prey, greets you. market cards float on exceed of varying scenery images that rotate after each login in your personalized feed, creating an experience found nowhere else. Cards cover everything, from market news to portfolio and watch list insights. a far as customizable dashboards go, Fidelity ’ mho is my favored .
Charting: Charting is uninfected and includes after-hours charts, which is courteous ; however, only seven indicators ( two in Android ) are available – well below the diligence average of over 30 .
Other unique features: Research is robust and precisely what one would expect to find after using the web site. Among many other highlights of the mobile app is the note-taking functionality, which allows you to log personal thoughts on individual stocks and the broader markets. There is besides exist streaming television from Bloomberg within the mobile app, matching the active Trader Pro desktop platform .
Mobile app drawbacks: While Fidelity thrives in its offer of mobile research, it struggles in the active trader department. To better serve active traders, Fidelity should consider a separate dedicated app, a scheme employed by both TD Ameritrade and E*TRADE .
Fidelity mobile app screenshots:
Fidelity mobile summary:
| Feature | Fidelity |
|---|---|
| iPhone App | Yes |
| Android App | Yes |
| Apple Watch App | Yes |
| Watch List Syncing | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes |
| Charting – After-Hours | Yes |
| Charting – Technical Studies | 7 |
| Charting – Study Customizations | Yes |
| Watch Lists – Streaming | Yes |
| Watch Lists – Create & Manage | Yes |
| Watch Lists – Column Customization | Yes |
Other trading platforms and tools
Fidelity ’ s web site provides everything an everyday investor needs to manage a portfolio. active traders will appreciate Active Trader Pro, Fidelity ’ s flagship desktop platform, which is loaded with trade tools .
Platforms overview: active Trader Pro includes several alone, brewed-in-house tools, including real-time Analytics ( streaming trade signals ) and Trade Armor ( real-time position analysis ). Options trade with Active Trader Pro is besides impressive and includes a kind of analysis tools. overall, Fidelity competes among the best brokers for day deal and best for options trade .
Website watch lists: Fidelity ’ s web site watch list instrument is my personal favored among all the brokers I ’ ve tested in our annual review. Streaming quotes are included arsenic well as 48 total column of data to choose from. Furthermore, the work flow is seamless, making it a breeze to transition into equity inquiry or into the dock order ticket to place a trade wind .
Charting: In Active Trader Pro, chart is flawlessly laid out and includes 22 unlike string tools, 129 optional studies, custom drug user profiles, chart trade, alerts, notes, and more. trade Central ( Recognia ) is besides incorporated to automate the identification of coarse technical patterns .
Fidelity trading platform screenshots:
Fidelity trading platform summary:
| Feature | Fidelity |
|---|---|
| Desktop Trading Platform | Yes |
| Web Trading Platform | Yes |
| Paper Trading | No |
| Trade Journal | Yes |
| Watch Lists – Total Fields | 91 |
| Charting – Indicators / Studies | 129 |
| Charting – Drawing Tools | 22 |
| Charting – Study Customizations | 5 |
| Charting – Save Profiles | Yes |
| Trade Ideas – Technical Analysis | Yes |
| Streaming Time & Sales | No |
| Trade Ideas – Backtesting | Yes |
Research
Fidelity ’ s shining star is research. The entire web site know is meticulously laid out, clients can entree portfolio updates via Google Assistant, and the agent provides terrific in-house market comment .
Stock research: When pulling quotes, Fidelity provides 17 third-party research reports for stocks and five for exchange traded fund, the largest of any broke. Is that data overload ? possibly. But it illustrates how thorough Fidelity is when it comes to research. however, surprisingly, no third-party inquiry reports are offered for reciprocal funds, despite Fidelity offering both Lipper rankings and Morningstar ratings .
Market commentary: Fidelity ’ randomness leadership in research besides extends to market comment with Fidelity Viewpoints. only Charles Schwab with its Insights articles, can go toe-to-toe with Fidelity ’ s market analysis. As a regular proofreader myself, my front-runner Viewpoint article is the annual sector mentality report, which highlights key trends to watch and includes detailed sector analysis. Viewpoints digression, there is besides streaming Bloomberg television receiver available within Fidelity ’ s Active Trader Pro desktop platform .
Screening for trade ideas: Fidelity ’ sulfur livestock, ETF, and reciprocal fund screeners are easy to use, ample in data, and set the benchmark for the diligence. thematic invest, ESG ( Environmental, Social, and Governance ) data, Morningstar ratings — the list of unique features is extensive .
Fidelity market research screenshots:
Fidelity research summary:
| Feature | Fidelity |
|---|---|
| Research – Stocks | Yes |
| Stock Research – ESG | Yes |
| Stock Research – PDF Reports | 11 |
| Screener – Stocks | Yes |
| Research – ETFs | Yes |
| Screener – ETFs | Yes |
| Research – Mutual Funds | Yes |
| Screener – Mutual Funds | Yes |
| Research – Pink Sheets / OTCBB | Yes |
| Research – Bonds | Yes |
| Research – Futures | Yes |
| Research – Forex | No |
Education
There ’ s something for everyone in Fidelity ’ s educational offerings. Fidelity does a great job of organizing content into roadmaps with progress traverse, angstrom well as sorting by have degree, class and content type. Articles, television, webinars, infographics, courses, and tied podcasts are made available to customers. Fidelity has besides garnered our # 1 Innovation and New Tool accolades with its Youth Account, a first-of-its-kind brokerage house account for teens aged 13 to 17 .
Learning center: Fidelity ’ s Learning Center brings educational content in one place, such as archive webinars, classes for beginners, and a big kind of categories that each control numerous articles. There is even an AI-driven recommendation engine to suggest educational content to you. Fidelity ’ s YouTube channel provides a library of archive videos organized by playlist with related educational content published throughout the workweek. The Youth Account has its own determine center with the goal of educating youthful people to develop adept fiscal habits .
Retirement education: Fidelity stands out with its retirement education. Over the years, I have compiled an entire booklet of bookmarked Fidelity Viewpoint articles. Fidelity besides offers a kind of in-house tools to provide you with a proper diagnosis of your fiscal position. The primary tool lineup, which all offer unique insights, includes Financial Checkup, Retirement Score, Income Strategy Evaluator, and Guided Portfolio Summary .
Fidelity education screenshots:
Fidelity education summary:
| Feature | Fidelity |
|---|---|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes |
| Education (Options) | Yes |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | Yes |
| Education (Bonds) | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes |
| Paper Trading | No |
| Videos | Yes |
| Progress Tracking | Yes |
| Interactive Learning – Quizzes | Yes |
Customer service
To score Customer Service, StockBrokers.com partners with customer experience research firm Confero to conduct call tests from locations throughout the United States. For our 2022 Broker Review, 159 customer serve tests were conducted over six weeks. here are the results for Fidelity .
Results
- Average Connection Time: 1-2 minutes
- Average Net Promoter Score: 8.6 / 10
- Average Professionalism Score: 8.9 / 10
- Overall Score: 8.6 / 10
- Ranking: 5th of 13 brokers
Banking services
Fidelity touts no-fee banking, offering 203 retail service centers and delivering a authentic experience. A cash management report is available and includes bill pay up and use of a debit batting order. The Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature credit card offers 2 % cashback on all purchases, with rewards deposited immediately into any of your Fidelity accounts .
however, Fidelity offers no loyalty rewards for using multiple products, an area in which Bank of America – Merrill Edge reigns supreme .
Fidelity banking summary:
| Feature | Fidelity |
|---|---|
| Bank (Member FDIC) | No |
| Checking Accounts | Yes |
| Savings Accounts | Yes |
| Credit Cards | Yes |
| Debit Cards | Yes |
| Mortgage Loans | No |
Final thoughts
overall, Fidelity delivers value for investors, with an impressive drive to provide the best possible customer serve experience year after year. While Fidelity shines across the board, the anchor of Fidelity ’ sulfur success, research and retirement, will undoubtedly continue to be front and center for years to come .
Is Fidelity a safe company to invest with?
Fidelity is one of the largest brokerages in the world, making it a condom company to invest with. It ’ s amply regulated in the U.S. with the SEC and FINRA, is trusted by over 32 million investors and holds over $ 8.3 trillion in assets under presidency .
Money held in an investment account with Fidelity is protected by SIPC policy, which covers up to $ 500,000 in securities and up to $ 250,000 in cash ( up to a sum of $ 750,000 per customer ). Funds held in Fidelity ’ s cash management explanation are swept to partner banks and protected by FDIC insurance .
last, Fidelity provides extra coverage in surfeit of SIPC limits, for up to $ 1 billion across all customer accounts, and with up to $ 1.9 million per customer for cash and no limit for securities .
Is Fidelity good for beginners?
Yes, Fidelity is a top option for everyday investors, including beginners, thanks to a solid combination of educational content and a robust mobile app .
The Fidelity web site platform is well-organized and not excessively complex, making it a capital station for beginners to fast-track their fiscal education and gain invest expertness ; beginners can besides trade fractional shares at Fidelity .
There are virtually no explanation service fees or other concealed fees at Fidelity when you hold a autonomous brokerage account ( robo-advisor and wealth management accounts do incur management and/or advisory fees, along with early specific actions ). Fidelity is amply diaphanous with its pricing across its platforms. Options trade costs $ 0.65 per contract, and new bond issues are $ 1 per bond ; there is a flat fee of $ 19.95 for broker-assisted trades .
In accession, with no minimum investment and zero-dollar commissions for trade stocks, ETFs, and Fidelity reciprocal funds, you can start with any trade budget at Fidelity without business for trade costs. The exception is if you trade non-Fidelity reciprocal funds, which have a $ 49.95 tip for the open of the trade wind. If it ’ s a No Transaction Fee ( NTF ) common fund, the fee applies only if you close the craft within 60 days .
There are few other fees : a extraneous exchange wire tip ( up to 3 % ), a alien dividends fee ( 1 % ), $ 100 per stock security transfer, and $ 32.95 per margin liquidation and broker-assisted trades .
About Fidelity
Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Fidelity was founded in 1946 and is one of the largest asset managers in the world ( 1 ). As of December 2021, Fidelity is home to over 40 million individual customers and holds over $ 11 trillion in total customer assets under administration ( 2 ) .
2022 Review Methodology
Our deputation at StockBrokers.com is dim-witted : provide thorough and unbiased reviews of on-line brokers, based on an extraordinary flat of hands-on test and data collection. Our ratings and awards are based on this data and our experts ’ deep authority in the field ; brokers can not pay for discriminatory treatment. here ’ randomness more about trustworthiness at StockBrokers.com.
For the StockBrokers.com 12th Annual Review published in January 2022, a total of 3,075 data points were collected over three months and used to score 15 top brokers. This makes StockBrokers.com home to the largest autonomous database on the web covering the on-line broke industry.
As character of our annual recapitulation work, all brokers had the opportunity to provide updates and key milestones and complete an in-depth datum profile, which we hand-checked for accuracy. Brokers besides were offered the opportunity to provide executive clock time for an annual update meet.
Our rigorous data establishment process yields an error rate of less than .001 % each year, providing site visitors quality data they can trust. Learn more about how we test.
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About the Author
Blain Reinkensmeyer
As Head of Research at StockBrokers.com, Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trade feel with over 1,000 trades placed during that prison term. Referenced as a leading technical on the US on-line brokerage diligence, Blain has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and Fast Company, among others .
Chris McKhann
Chris McKhann has been in the industry for more than 20 years. He has worked for many of the top names in the on-line trade space, including TD Ameritrade and optionMONSTER, which late became separate of E*TRADE. His work has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, the Financial Times, Forbes, CNBC, Nasdaq.com and Nikkei. He has besides been an adviser and outside trader for several hedge funds. He was one of the first gear traders to delve into the VIX tradable products and to write about them ( back in 2006 ). Chris is besides an educator who teaches high school statistics, finance and computer science .