Best Roth IRA companies?

[J.Apple902]

Hey guys,

Opening a ROTH up in the next couple months. Wondering which companies are best in terms of zero/low commission charges and zero fees? I hear/see good things about Vanguard and Fidelity ROTH IRAs. What do you guys have?


Thanks!

[kv968]

Vanguard is great but I personally have T. Rowe Price currently. Although I'm looking to move some to Vanguard.

[kork13]

I had all of my investments with USAA for about 6 years, and although I love USAA and was mostly happy with their investment options and management of the mutual funds I was invested with, a few things convinced me to transfer everything (Roth IRA and taxable investments) over to Vanguard:
- Very wide selection of funds, particularly index funds
- Low expense ratios (again, particularly on their index funds)
- Free trades in Vanguard-managed ETFs
- Lower stock/bond/option trade costs. I don't currently trade in individual assets, but I am interested in doing so later on.

Vanguard, Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, USAA, Charles Schwab, and many others... They're all great investment companies, so just look into them with an eye for what is important to your investment style, and go with it.

[Ima saver]

I have all of mine with Vanguard and have been very happy with them for over 20 years.

[bjl584]

My Stepdad and my mom both have theirs at Fidelity and are happy with them.

[dczech09]

I like T Rowe Price. I currently use them for my Roth IRA. I am also looking at moving my nephews 529 plan to them.

[disneysteve]

My Roth and my wife's Roth are at Vanguard. I have an old IRA at Schwab. My SEP-IRA is with Scottrade but I'm thinking about moving it to Vanguard. I have no complaints with any of them.

[nck4857]

+1 Vanguard

[J.Apple902]

Looks like the front runners are definitely Vanguard and Fidelity, especially if people use the Fidelity 2% IRA rewards card.

[bones72]

Hey guys,

Opening a ROTH up in the next couple months. Wondering which companies are best in terms of zero/low commission charges and zero fees? I hear/see good things about Vanguard and Fidelity ROTH IRAs. What do you guys have?


Thanks!

Vanguard all the way! I have moved almost everything to them, and will eventually move it all. Lowest cost, and best value there is in investments.

[krantcents]

My wife and I have Roth IRAs as well as other investments with Vanguard. In addition, I have Fidelity, Schwab and TIAA-CREF accounts.

[thesmartnickel]

I would recommend Optionshouse if you are looking for low commissions and zero fees. Obviously, Vanguard is a very popular choice, but I've heard the main draw is to invest in their funds (which have no commission). If you don't plan on investing in their funds and would prefer to do stock picks or other ETFs, you may want to try others.

Also, I hear that Vanguard has a $20 annual fee unless you have at least $50,000. Commissions are $7 per stock/ETF trade ($20 after the first 25 trades in a given calendar year for people with less than $50k). Optionshouse, on the other hand, offers trades for $3.95. If you have more than $500k in an account, Vanguard commissions drop to $2.

I would look more into the fees, but if you are trying to minimize those costs and commissions, I would definitely recommend Optionshouse over Vanguard unless you want to invest mainly in Vanguard ETFs.

[jpg7n16]

Also, I hear that Vanguard has a $20 annual fee unless you have at least $50,000. Commissions are $7 per stock/ETF trade ($20 after the first 25 trades in a given calendar year for people with less than $50k)....

If you have more than $500k in an account, Vanguard commissions drop to $2.

Something to keep in mind, it's not that you have $50k or $500k in the account, it's how much you have invested in Vanguard funds/ETFs.

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/whatweoffer/stocksbondscds/feescommissions

[thesmartnickel]

Something to keep in mind, it's not that you have $50k or $500k in the account, it's how much you have invested in Vanguard funds/ETFs.

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/wha...eescommissions

Thanks for the clarification, and this further tips the scale in favor of alternatives.

I'm also wondering why so many people like Fidelity (aside from their credit card deposit rewards program). They don't seem to have the appeal of extremely low commissions nor do they have Vanguard's special low cost funds.

[jpg7n16]

I'm also wondering why so many people like Fidelity (aside from their credit card deposit rewards program). They don't seem to have the appeal of extremely low commissions nor do they have Vanguard's special low cost funds.

Is price/cost the only factor you look at in evaluating a brokerage? What about service, guidance, research, user-friendly website, reliable trading platforms, etc.?

The Best of the Online Brokers for 2011 - Kiplinger