Fidelity was established in 1946, yet it did not launch its first website until 1995, over half a century after it was installed. The business has developed into a formidable competitor for online brokerage services. The essential thing to note is that the firm has been working to enhance its platforms and is dedicated to reducing investors' prices.
To assist you in determining whether or not Fidelity is the appropriate match for the way you trade or invest, we will take a comprehensive look at how the broker compares to its competitors in terms of features, fees, and resources. If you are interested in Fidelity's Robo-advisory services, you may read our assessment of Fidelity Go, conducted independently of our analysis of the company's primary brokerage product.
Whom Does Fidelity Serve?
Although the organization provides a good variety of goods and services, it does not offer a selection of some of the most popular trading items, including futures, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.
Pros
- Cost-effective
- Excellent trade executions
- Comprehensive research as well as asset screeners
- Numerous educational opportunities are available
Cons
- There will be no trading in futures, commodities, or cryptocurrencies.
- Restricted to inhabitants of the United States and the major islands only
- There is no live streaming of news or data available on the website.
- Fees for broker assistance are rather high.
The Positives
- Online trading with Fidelity is free of commissions for stocks, penny stocks, exchange-traded funds, and options (however, there is a cost of $0.65 per contract). The majority of the account costs that brokers normally charge customers have been abolished by the corporation as well. These fee eliminations include transfer and account closure fees, domestic wire fees, and check fees.
Trade execution algorithms at Fidelity have been fine-tuned to place a greater emphasis on the price improvement. Fidelity will record the National Best Bid and Offer (NBBO) quotation once an order has been approved and sent to a market center.
The Drawbacks
- Fidelity provides access to a comprehensive range of financial products, such as equities, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options, and mutual funds. However, it does not provide futures, commodities, or cryptocurrency trading, which may prevent some aggressive traders from signing up for the service.
- To create an account with Fidelity, you must be a resident of the United States or one of the principal islands, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands.
- Streaming real-time news and quotations are available on the mobile app and the Active Trader Pro platform, but you won't find similar features on the Fidelity.com website. On the web-based platform, however, a refresh button is located next to each ticker symbol, which allows you to update a ticker manually.
- It will cost you an additional $32.95 if you need assistance from a real person to make an order. This broker-assisted cost is far more than the norm for the industry and is also the most expensive of all the brokers we looked at. 3 As a point of reference, this cost is often anything from zero to twenty dollars.
Usability
Fidelity makes it easy to open a brokerage account, particularly if you already have an account with the company in another capacity (e.g., an IRA). If you wish to add investments services to your account, such as trading options or using margin, you will need to fill out more documentation, which may be time-consuming. Once you locate the site's multiple sub-menus, Fidelity.com is straightforward to use overall. A helpful search box is located at the top of most pages if you have problems locating the information you are searching for.
The downloadable trading program Fidelity offers is Active Trader Pro (ATP). ATP was developed specifically for active traders and investors to invest, and it provides complete personalization, allowing you to organize your working area following your preferences. You can keep track of pertinent news streams, get insights in real-time, configure individualized alerts, and trade right from the chart.
Trade Experience
The procedure on the online platform is rather straightforward, and you may connect to research and news from the symbols in your portfolio or watch list at any time. Because information such as quotes and communication does not refresh itself immediately, you will need to click the refresh button at the top of the page to get the most recent data. To display streaming quotations in a watch list, you must first turn on the streaming button. You are required to make the majority of decisions when you place the trade; however, there are a few trading settings that you may specify on the web, such as whether you want a market or limit order.
The Mobile Experience Offered By Fidelity
You cannot trade fixed income using the mobile app offered by Fidelity; however, you can trade stocks (including fractional shares), ETFs, options, and mutual funds. The capability of the mobile product is extensive and mostly comparable to that of the desktop version. The basic analysis and charting tools are restricted, and conditional orders cannot be placed.
